The Salsette
This 440' long and 5842 gross ton Passenger and Ocean Liner was built in 1908 in Scotland by the J. Caird and Company. She was originally built to run the express mail service between Aden and Bombay. On 20 July 1917, on one of her WWI missions of a London to Bombay service, she was encountered by the German UB-40 stalking the English Channel.
Hit on her starboard side by a torpedo fired by the UB-40, the Salsette sank within 28 minutes. 14 men had died immediately during the strike.
She was first dived in the 1970s and has since been explored by many divers over the years. Lying on its port side, the wreck is deteriorating and the internal structure of the ship is starting to collapse. The masts have fallen alongside the wreck, and the torpedo damage to its stern on the starboard side is clearly identifiable.
The most detailed published report on the wreck’s condition is by John Liddiard (1999). This will form the baseline for Dorset Gas Divers’ 2005 project.
Project leader was Liisa Wallace the director of the Silent Planet in Portland, Liisa’s education and career background is in economics, business and IT. In diving she has qualifications as an instructor, rebreather diver and trimix diver. Liisa is also qualified to skipper a commercial charter boat. Liisa Wallace has been involved in both land-based and underwater archaeology projects since student days, working summers at the Roman city of Wroxeter and at Castle Acre Priory in Norfolk.
22nd July 2009, 19:40
Overview
