THE wreck of a British ship sunk by the Nazis has become a diver’s paradise – where fascinating sea life weaves through submerged Jeeps and rifles.
The 413-foot-long SS Thistlegorm lies in the Red Sea after it was downed by a German bomber aircraft during World War II.
thethistlegormprojectSS Thistlegorm was a British cargo steamship built in Sunderland, North East England in 1940[/caption]
Press AssociationThe ship was downed by German bomber aircraft in the Red Sea in 1941[/caption]
Press AssociationThe area around the Thistlegorm is home to around 1,000 species of fish[/caption]
The freighter was used to transport military equipment and was originally headed for Alexandria, Egypt, when it was attacked.
The Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship (DEMS) was armed with a 4.7-inch gun mounted on her stern and a heavy-calibre machine gun for anti-aircraft defence, according to the National Maritime Museum.
The Thistlegorm lay undiscovered until 1952 – when French naval officer and oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau located the wreck based on tips from local fishermen.
It rests off the coast of Egypt‘s Ras Muhammad National Park, frequented by divers eager to explore its preserved military cargo.
Among the scattered remains are trucks, armoured vehicles, motorcycles, Wellington boots, rifles, aircraft wings, engine exhaust rings and cylinders.
In 2007, The Times named it one of the top ten wreck diving sites in the world.
The wreck also attracts tourists thanks to the vibrant coral reefs off the coast of Sharm El Sheikh.
The area around the Thistlegorm shares much of the same vibrant marine biodiversity as nearby Ras Mohamed National Park – located just 25 miles away – which is home to over 200 species of corals and around 1,000 species of fish, according to the Red Sea Project.
Marine species spotted near the site include tuna, barracuda, batfish, moray eels, lionfish, stonefish, crocodilefish, scorpionfish and sea turtles.
As the wreck began to deteriorate from natural rusting and damage caused by mooring dive boats, the non-governmental Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) stepped in.
They installed 32 mooring buoys around the site and drilled holes in the hull to release trapped air in December 2007.
It comes as a wooden car was discovered in the wreckage of the famed US warship, which was downed by a Japanese submarine during WWII.
The World War II aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown, famously sank during the Battle of Midway in 1942 – fought between the US and Japan.
While the ship was first rediscovered in 1998, no one is believed to have noticed a 1940-41 black Ford Super Deluxe Woody aboard the aircraft carrier.
The baffling discovery was made on April 19, when NOAA Ocean Exploration sent a remotely operated camera into the vast wreck.
The historic shipwreck is located roughly 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu in Hawaii.
Footage shows the remains of the 809-foot-long aircraft carrier – known to host about 2,200 personnel and 90 aircraft.
Right beside the shipwreck, near the carrier’s elevator three, sits the vintage classic – upright.
Its distinct, boxy, upright shape, canvas top, chrome bumper and spare tire on the back are still visible – despite over 80 years of decay underwater.
A closer look through the camera revealed flared wheel arches, traces of a fabric roof, chrome detailing, rectangular rear windows, a split windshield and parking lights above the headlights, researchers said.
It is unclear why the car was on board the Yorktown.
Press AssociationThe Thistlegorm was rediscovered in 1952[/caption]