WWII Wrecks

Second World War

HMS Regent, long lost WW2 submarine, found in the Adriatic

The newly-found wreck lies off the coast near Villanova di Ostuni, some 19 miles from Monopoli.

First believed to be found by Italian divers in 1999, it was later determined in 2020 that the wreck thought to be Regent was in fact the Italian submarine Giovanni Bausan which had been sunk by the RAF in 1944.

Now, it seems another dive team has had better luck in identifying Regent. She rests off the coast near Villanova di Ostuni, some 19 miles from Monopoli, upside down in 70m of water. The apparent victim of a mine.

The V-1302 John Mahn started out as a German fishing trawler before being converted into a patrol boat during the war. It was sunk close to the Belgian coast in 1942 by the British Royal Air Force, as part of the Channel Dash operation.
The V-1302 John Mahn started out as a German fishing trawler before being converted into a patrol boat during the war. It was sunk close to the Belgian coast in 1942 by the British Royal Air Force, as part of the Channel Dash operation.

Abandoned WW2 wrecks leak toxic chemicals in the North Sea

The V-1302 John Mahn was a fishing trawler requisitioned by the German navy during the Second World War and sunk by UK bombers in 1942. It has rested at 30 metres below sea level in the Belgian North Sea ever since.

Together with the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, bio-engineer Josefien Van Landuyt examined samples of sediment in the area around the sunken John Mahn. In doing so, she aimed to discover whether old shipwrecks in the Belgian section of the North Sea continue to affect microbial marine life.

Blücher Wreck: WWII German Cruiser in Norway

Blücher
Historical photo of the WWII German cruiser Blücher

A joint group of GUE divers from Norway, Sweden and Finland, led by project leader Gunnar Midtgaard, documented the wreck of the Blücher in Norway, and its condition, during the summers of 2011 and 2012. Mattias Vendlegård, who served on the photo team during the project, has the story.

Dive Palau with Explorer Ventures, a new addition to the Fleet!

Set sail in the oasis of Palau, now with Explorer Ventures Fleet! This May, the state-of-the-art Black Pearl Explorer joined the world-renowned liveaboard company, in partnership with Pearl Fleet.

Black Pearl Explorer offers three incredible itineraries, including Palau Classic visiting all the famous dive sites. Plus, two Spawning Special itineraries for divers to see the rare spawning aggregations of bumphead parrot fish and red snappers.

Royal Navy to dismantle WWII shipwreck in risk of enormous explosion

A Ministry of Defence report said an explosion “would throw a 300 metre-wide column of water and debris nearly 3,000 metres into the air and generate a wave 5 metres high”.

The warship was part of a US convoy travelling to the UK in August 1944 - but when it arrived in the Thames Estuary, it was instructed to anchor in the Great Nore, off Sheerness, where it sank, with about 1,400 tonnes of explosives remaining on board.

Afloat just after being launched at the Federal Shipbuilding Company yard, Kearny, New Jersey, 25 October 1941

Wreckage of USS Juneau a long-lost WWII cruiser located off Solomon Islands

The Research Vessel R/V Petrel’s autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) first identified the ship in its side scan sonar on March 17. Upon analysis of the sonar data, the Petrel crew deployed its remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) on March 18 to verify the wreckage through its video capabilities.

The USS Johnston off Seattle, Washington (USA), on 27 October 1943

USS Johnston, world's deepest known wreck, identified

The 115m-long US Navy destroyer is widely known for her bold action in the Battle off Samar, the Philippines.  The actions of the relatively lightly armed Johnston—sunk after a fierce battle with a large fleet of Japanese warships—helped stop the Japanese Admiral Kurita's Center Force from attacking vulnerable U.S.

Exploring UJ-2208: The WWII Battleship in Genoa

Diver explores the port side of UJ-2208, located off the coast of Genoa in Italy. Photo by Marco Mori.
Diver explores the port side of UJ-2208, located off the coast of Genoa in Italy. Photo by Marco Mori.

This is the incredible story of the French trawler that was turned into the German submarine fighter UJ-2208 during WWII and sunk by a British submarine off the coast of Genoa in 1944. Nowadays, the UJ-2208 lies on the seabed at a depth of 108m, covered in Mediterranean mud, fishing nets, shrimp and oysters.

The first Barracudas entered operational service on 10 January 1943 with 827 Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), who were deployed in the North Atlantic. Eventually a total of 24 front-line FAA squadrons were equipped with Barracudas.

British WWII torpedo bomber found in Norwegian fjord

On 22. February 1945 nine Fairey Barracuda from 821 Naval Air Squadron are launched from the aircraft carrier HMS Puncher in the North sea on a minelaying operation along the western coast of Norway, or more specifically Karmsundet which is a narrow strait south of the coastal town of Haugesund.

WW2 Soviet Destroyer 'Moscow'

What sank the Soviet destroyer Moscow?

About 13 hours later, at 4:40 pm, three submarines—Щ-205, Щ-206 and Щ-209 (Щ is short for Щука or shuka, which means pike in Russian)—received approval from the Kremlin to move towards the eastern shores of the Black Sea, while the M-33 and M-34 left for long-range patrol near the main base. It was the first day of the war in the Black Sea.