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Wrecks Around Ras Mohamed

The Wrecks:
The Yolanda
The Dunraven
The Thistlegorm
Wrecks in the Red Sea are plenty and only a few have been discovered to this day. The reason for this multitude is because since very ancient times, the Red Sea has always maintained its status as a main artery of trade and, hence, heavily traveled. This traffic multiplied several times after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Another very important reason for this large number found at the Northern end of the Red Sea is because of the nature of the area itself. Clustered with large surging reefs, the area is prone to unpredictable storms and very strong currents. The irony,thus, lies in the fact that apart from the rare break of weather, the area is otherwise extremely calm with water temperatures remaining constant for most of the year. It is for this reason that the wrecks that have been discovered are usually fairly intact.

Not surprising, the known wrecks reflect the different times. Pieces of pottery collected from Ras Nusrani show that they were made around what is now Mogadiscio which is indicative of the heavy trade the Ancient Egyptians had with the Horn of Africa. The Dunraven, and The Carnatic for example, were both British ships that sank in the middle of the Nineteenth Century during the heyday of the British Empire and when Britain ruled the waves. Both ships were on the heavily traveled route between England and India, the jewel of the British empire, when they met their fate. The Thistlegorm was also a British ship which sank in 1941. Packed with fresh supplies, it was on its way to relieve the 8th Army in its famous war against the Afrika Corps in the Western Desert. Unfortunately for this ship, German torpedoes found it before it reached its destination. Fortunately for the divers,on the other hand, it presents one of the best preserved wreck dives in the whole world. With its rifles, uniforms, ammo,desert terrain trucks, motorcycles, and even a tank, diving the site is like traveling back in time,destination: World War Two.

The few wars that took place between Egypt and Israel before the liberation of Sinai have also left their mark. The Egyptian cutter wreck at Bluff Point bears witness to that. Closed after the 1967 war, Egypt reopened the Suez Canal in 1975 and with it returned a much more intensified international shipping to the region.The Yolanda with its toilet bowls and a BMW, as well as the Gianis B were some these unfortunate sea freighters.

While the Yolanda and the Dunraven are both located within the waters of Ras Mohamed, the Thistlegorm is located further north in the Gulf of Suez on Sha'ab Ali. and is frequently visited from Ras Mohamed. It should also be mentioned that these are not the only wrecks that are found in the Ras Mohamed area. These are only the most documented. In fact, the park conducts systematic searches for other wrecks using its Remote Operated vehicle, aptly named Bozo, as many of these ships ended in the deep crevices of the see bed that extend down for thousands of meters.

So here they Are:

The Yolanda The Dunraven The Thistlegorm

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