Wales Tourism and Visit Planning

Getting Wrecked on Bermuda

Author: Bob Friel
After Spaniard Juan Bermudez first sighted the small island chain in 1503, Bermuda was used as a navigational landmark by sailors traveling to and from the Americas. Directions to get back home were basically, Hit Bermuda and take a right. Unfortunately, many captains seemed to take these instructions literally, and the treacherously beautiful reefs around the islands became the final resting place for at least 400 ships. Unfortunate for them, but very fortunate for scuba divers who now consider Bermuda wreck-diving heaven. Here are a few of the best.

The Mary Celeste was a steam-driven side-wheeler built for speed - enough speed to run through Union blockades during the Civil War. She was successful too, until a local Bermuda pilot guided her out through the shoals with the famous words, I know this reef as well as I know my own house. (It leaves one to wonder how many times he fell down his own steps). The ship's paddle wheel, which resembles an exercise wheel for a giant hamster, is still intact.

One of several wrecks sunk deliberately by local dive operators is Hermes, a 165-foot World War II-era tug. It sits upright in 80 feet of water and, unlike many of the accidental wrecks, is fully intact.

Pollockshields was a 323-foot- long German supply ship captured by the Brits during World War I. She was then used as a British supply ship until a storm drove her onto a reef along the south shore. Sections of the wreck lie in just 20 feet of water; the massive boilers and huge prop are wonderful photo ops. Pollockshields was carrying munitions when she went down, and divers still find samples of her explosive cargo. Even after decades underwater, explosives can remain live (and unstable). So forget the souvenirs, and don't bake any funny shaped clams found in the area.

Posted online 06/01/01.

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