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Submarine wrecks have a unique atmosphere, but diving HMS Swordfish istinged with sadness too. Underwater photographer Martin Davies andprojects and expeditions adviser for the Southern region Alison Mayor,both from Southsea Sub Aqua Club, take us on a tour of this special wreck

HMS Swordfish

ith some wrecks you canclearly see the evidence ofwhat catastrophe led to theirloss, but perhaps few asdramatically as Her Majesty’sSubmarine Swordfish. The

huge gaping hole, most probably from aSecond World War German mine, is clearevidence of the tragedy that brought animmediate end to Swordfish with the lossof her 40 crew. Today Swordfish lies southof St Catherine’s Point on the Isle of Wightat a depth of 42m. The wreck isdesignated a Protected Place inrecognition of the circumstances of hersinking and the crew’s ultimate sacrifice.

Most dives on HMS Swordfish startsomewhere between the conning towerand the stern. The first thing you notice ishow complete the submarine is, lyingupright on the flat seabed with just a hintof a tilt to the port side. At the stern, it ispossible to swim between the rudderand two propellers, each with threeblades. This is the deepest part of thedive at around 42m (depending on

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VAbove left: The conning

tower rises above the deck gun,

now lying on its side

WAbove right: A closed hatch

seals off this war grave

SBelow: Exploring the bow –

detached from the main wreck

RAbove: The area ofdamage where thehull was breached

Reef

Starboard torpedo tubes

Blast area 3” Gun

7 1/2” Periscope 9” Periscope

Masts at 32m

Closed hatchExhaust box

Open hatch

Holes in hull

Aft hydroplane

RudderPropellers (x2)

Stern at 42m

Wreck v iewed from Port Side

Shingle sea bed

Length approx 65 - 70m

HMS Swordfish (615)

LOCATION: St Catherine’s Point,Isle of Wight

DEPTH: 38-42m

VISIBILITY: 6-12m

W

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tide). Slightly forward you will see thestern hydroplanes and one or two holes inthe port side of the hull as you swim uptowards the top of the submarine to beginmaking your way forward along its length.

About 12m forward of the stern, on thetop of the pressure hull, you will see the firstof the reminders of the dramatic events ofSwordfish’s loss. An open hatchway, fromwhich her crew possibly attempted to makea frantic escape, begins to bring home thereality of what happened on that Novemberday in 1940. Inside, the submarine is heavilysilted up close to the hatch.

Moving a further 5m to 6m forward ofthe hatch will bring you to the remains ofthe exhaust box with various sections oflarge pipe. Each pipe has its resident congereel, peering through the holes at passingdivers and slipping back into the blackness

g when a torch interruptstheir peace. From theexhaust box, continuetowards the conningtower, which should bevisible by now, the tallsilhouette emerging inthe background. You willfind another escapehatch – this time firmlyclosed – mid waybetween the exhaustbox and the conningtower. Also just beforethe conning tower youwill find the 20mmanti-aircraft gunpedestal.

The impressiveconning tower standsup 7m or so above theseabed with mastsanother 2m to 3mabove that. Where theconning tower meetsthe hull the area ismore open and youcan see through a

doorway to the main hatch into the hull,which is shut tight. The 9.5-inch and 7.5-inch periscope masts rise through theconning tower and are supported by crossbeams at the top of the conning tower.Incredibly you can still see the opticalperiscope sheathed inside the mast. Theopportunity to see her so complete aftermore than 70 years is one of the reasonswhy a dive on Swordfish is such amemorable event. The conning tower is agood place to come back to when you wantto start your ascent.

Just in front of the front bulge of the

VAbove left: The periscope opticsare still visible in the housing

RAbove: The access trunk used bythe anti-aircraft gun crews

QLeft: Torpedo tubes are popularwith conger eels

Never heard from againHMS Swordfish was the first of more than60 S-class submarines built between 1930and the end of the Second World War in1945. She was built at Chatham Dockyardand commissioned in 1932. She was justmore than 60m in length, with adisplacement of 927 tonnes. Her mainarmament was six 21-inch torpedoes and a3-inch gun.Swordfish sailed from Portsmouth to

carry out a patrol off the French coastaround Brest on 7 November 1940. It washer 12th patrol. After she failed to signalback to base as scheduled a week later, shewas assumed lost. At the time it wasbelieved she had been sunk in the Bay of

Biscay either as a result of striking aGerman mine or at the hands of Germanships. She was never heard from again.Her wreck was discovered in July 1983, by

local diver Martin Woodward, a few milessouth of St Catherine’s Point off the Isle ofWight. Her bridge telegraphs were set toslow ahead when she was found. She hadalmost certainly been mined, probablyshortly after diving, with the loss of allhands, and most likely just after she had leftPortsmouth for her patrol.Forty-three years after the sinking, 230relatives and friends were finally able toattend a memorial service for her crew –held in 1983 at HMS Dolphin, in Portsmouth.

conning tower, hanging over to the portside is Swordfish’s 3-inch main gun. The gunhas recently become detached from the hulland lies across the deck with the barrelhanging over the port side. There has beencontroversy recently about what led the gunto fall over, as there is some evidence oflines being tied to it, which may have beenused in an attempt to remove it.

Beyond the gun and heading toward thebow, the enormity of the blast from themine comes into view. The massive explosionhas effectively blown the bow section awayfrom the rest of the hull leaving a hugetangle of twisted and bent metal. Pipes,hatches and pieces of unrecognisablestructure create a jumble of crushed andcontorted shapes several metres across. Thisis clear evidence that the submergedsubmarine must have sunk in seconds.

What remains of the bow itself is severalmetres further forward, broken away fromthe main hull and lying completely on itsport side. The starboard torpedo tubes arenow on the top of the bow section andproviding homes for yet more congers.

It’s probably time to start making yourway back to the conning tower to preparefor your ascent. As you return to the mainwreck, look out for one of the forwardhydroplanes and also, in among the tangledwreckage you may see some of the sixround 21-inch torpedo tube hatch doorsburied in the twisted metal. It is quitepossible that the mine exploded right nextto the torpedo stowage compartment andthat the torpedoes had blown as a result.Certainly we have not yet seen evidence ofany unexploded armaments on our dives.

The vulnerability of this wreck, because itremains so intact led to the application ofProtected Place status under the g

An open hatchway brings home the reality of what happened in 1940

Protection of Military Remains Act. Thesite is monitored closely by the MOD forevidence of divers tampering with thewreck or removing items. Please don’tbe tempted to interfere with the wreckin any way and do report seeing

QLeft: The front hydroplanes risingfrom the wreckage

SBelow: The top of the conningtower is a good place to prepare forthe final ascent

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EnglishChannel

St Catherine’s Point

VentnorChale

Shanklin

Cowes

Lymington

Portsmouth

Isle of Wight

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The KnowledgeDEPTH RANGE:38-42m depending on stateof tide, so the dive should only undertakenby experienced, appropriately trained divers.VISIBILITY:The seabed is mostly hardgravel with rocky outcrop at the bow and sovisibility is generally 6-12m, but cansometimes be affected by plankton blooms.FINDING THE WRECK:Some 12 milessouth of St Catherine’s Point, Isle of Wight.The exact position is known by local divecharter boats, who help to monitor divingon the wreck.TIDAL INFORMATION:Currents can bestrong, a neap tide is best.GAS:The depth is suitable for a twinset witha weak nitrox mix, plus a decompressionstage or better still trimix or a rebreatherwill allow you time to see the whole wreck.There is limited gas available locally, sobring gas with you particularly if you arediving for more than one day. Closest airand nitrox is TAL Scuba and Shooting, 8 St Catherine’s Parade, Fairmile Road,Christchurch, Dorset BH23 2LQ (01202 473 030).ACCOMMODATION:The New Forest hasplenty of accommodation to suit allbudgets. Campers should contact theForestry Commission for local campsites(www.campingintheforest.co.uk).B&B at Durlston House, Gosport Road,Lymington (01590 677 364). Good parkingsuitable for large groups. Packed meals canbe arranged in lieu of breakfast for early Special protection

The Protected Place status of a sitedesignated under The Protection ofMilitary Remains Act 1986 means thatdivers can visit the site without obtainingpermission BUT it is strictly on a look,don’t touch or take basis. The mainreason for designating wrecks under thislegislation is to protect the final restingplace of forces personnel. The act makesit an offence to interfere with a protectedplace, to disturb the site or to removeanything from the site. Divers may visitthe site but the rule is look, don’t touchand don’t penetrate.

starts. Jevington, 47 Waterford Lane,Lymington, SO41 3PT (01590 672 148). Veryclose to the Lymington boat marina pick up.EATS AND TREATS:The local pub andrestaurant the Mayflower is a great placefor a ‘second slack’ and is only 100m fromthe pontoon at Lymington(www.themayflowerlymington.co.uk)BLOWN OUT:A day trip on the Lymingtonferry to the Isle of Wight to visit theShipwreck Museum in Arreton is a greatoption. The museum is owned by MartinWoodward, who found Swordfish and manyother local wrecks(www.iowight.com/shipwrecks).CHARTER BOATS:We have dived with acouple of boats out of Lymington, WightSpirit (Dave Wendes 02380 270 390) andNew Dawn Diver (Richie Rimmer 01590 675656) and also Wight Diver out ofPortsmouth, although it’s a long boat ride(Roy 023 9269 1414).

One of the most active diving clubs on thesouth coast, Southsea SAC offers anextensive training and diving programme.Info: www.southseasubaqua.org.uk

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