DIVING FROM
VILLASIMIUS
EAGLE
The History
The cargo ship Egle was owned by the shipping magnate Mario Zoboli and registered in Genova with the number 1352.In July 1942 she was requisitioned into the Italian Navy. At 10.17 on the 29th of March 1943 she was sailing from Cagliari to La Maddelena when she was torpedoed and sunk by the Dutch submarine ‘Dolfijn’.We cannot be certain how many sailors died but we know that there were victims because the Carabinieri Diving Corps discovered a skull in the wreck. The ship was carrying coal and some of the cargo is in the hold to this day.
Wreck information
Type of vessel: cargo ship
Date of construction: 1893
IMO Number: 1352
Date of sinking: 29 Marzo 1943
Cause of sinking: Torpedo
Size:approx. 60m
Tonnage: 1143gt
Dive Information:
Position: the wreck is partially destroyed and lies on a sandy bed on a south east/northwest axis
Seabed: sandy
Difficulty: medium
Depth: 35 m
Current: current is present when there is a northerly wind
Visibility: excellent in summer, variable in spring and autumn
Maximum summer temperature: 18°C
Minimum winter temperature: 13°C
Of particular interest:
The prow of the ship in the sand, the sheet iron of the decks, the coal in the cargo hold, a winch that still works, the ships log and a chest of ammunition
Fish present: Bream: Saraghi (Diplodus puntazzo, Diplodus sargus), Mullet (Mullus surmuletus), Grouper (Epinephelus marginatus), Moray eel (Murena helena).
Description:
The wreck is marked by a buoy with a guide rope attached to a winch on the prow. As we descend, following the guide rope, we evaluate the presence and strength of the current and decide on the best dive route. The wreck itself is visible when you reach 10/15 metres and when you reach the deck you can make out the cargo of coal in the hold, the weight of which led to the wreck being crushed as it sank. The stern is completely missing, probably because of the torpedo attack. Circling the wreck in the clockwise direction you reach the prow which lies semi buried in the sand and wrapped in fishing nets that it has snared over the years. Here you can see a colony of sea-fans (Eunicella cavolinii). Continuing around the wreck you follow a sandy wall that has become home to a colony of bream (Diplodus puntazzo) while on your left you can see a colony of mud mullet (Mullus barbatus) feeding on the seabed with their characteristic whiskers. When you reach the
press on the prow it’s worth going 20 metres left towards a group of large granite rocks where you can see large brown Groupers (Epinephelus marginatus) and Moray eels (Muraena helena) before heading back to the chest of ammunition. As toy move towards the starting point of your dive you can see the captains log (which we ask you to observe from a distance as it is understandably fragile). We have been diving for about 17 - 18 minutes and the computer is telling us to ascend. ‘Arrivederci Egle’
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