Ned Middleton
Some years ago I was commissioned to visit Egypt for the very first time in order to report on some of the splendid shipwrecks found there. Since that time I have returned on numerous occasions 7 times in one year alone. What I found was twofold. To begin with, it soon became clear that here was a collection of shipwrecks to rival anything found anywhere else in the world. Easy to say I know, but consider this; None of the shipwrecks found in Egyptian waters have been deliberately sunk for scuba divers. On the contrary, they date from 1869 (Carnatic) to 1996 (Million Hope) and provide a cross section of stories about how they became lost which are as varied as the vessels themselves.
Over time, therefore, I found myself comparing these shipwrecks to those found in other well known diving destinations from around the world and reached the conclusion there is no comparison. Certainly, Truk Lagoon (sorry, cant get used to Chuuk), the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and even Bikini Atoll all come to mind - but consider this; For all the ships lost in Truk Lagoon, a single story explains how they came to be lost (Operation Hailstone 1944). Furthermore, each of the ships (mostly freighters and tankers) sunk by the US Navy Taskforce on that day was being used to support the Imperial Japanese Navy. Truk Lagoon cannot, therefore, claim shipwrecks from either 1869 or 1996 only 1944. The same principal applies to the wrecks of Bikini Atoll which were sunk as part of the Atomic Bomb experiments.
Yes, of course, there are shipwrecks both old and new found throughout the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas but no single country has a collection to rival those found in Egypt. With so much to offer the dedicated Wreck Diver - in addition to a welcoming climate and warm, clear water, therefore, it is easy to understand why this incredible ships graveyard attracts so many Scuba Diving Tourists back year after year, after year.
On the other side of the coin, however, as I began my research into each shipwreck, I also began to uncover a level of misinformation not found anywhere else in the world. The most classic example is the wreck of the Sarah H. No ship called Sarah H was ever lost anywhere in the Red Sea and yet this name crops up year after year as people insist on describing the Kingston by this name. Errors will always creep in and then they occasionally get copied by writers who cut corners as far as research is concerned, but in this instance, there were far too many errors some of which were even being published deliberately. Apart from using wrong names for certain wrecks, this erroneous information also included fictitious and wholly non-existent wrecks (hospital ships, submarines, Russian spy ships, tankers and even aircraft!), false data and even stories of missing gold bullion. The list was seemingly endless. It seemed to me, therefore, the only way to counter all this nonsense was by putting the record for each shipwreck straight by carefully researching every single ship right down to its last nut and bolt. This resulted in countless hours spent following up every snippet of information at my disposal - both false and true.
Should you have any feedback about the content, I would be delighted to hear from you and try and answer whatever questions you might have. You can contact me at ned.middleton@which.net
