SS Thistlegorm
Also known as: Thistlegorm, SS Thistlegorm Wreck, Thistlegorm Wreck
The most famous wreck in the Red Sea — a British WWII armed merchant ship sunk in 1941, her holds still packed with motorcycles, trucks, rifles and railway locomotives. A bucket-list dive in the Strait of Gubal.
- Max depth
- 32 m
- Visibility
- 20 m
- Current
- variable
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Boat time
- 150 min
- Suitable for
- advanced, tech
A time capsule from 1941
The SS Thistlegorm was a British armed Merchant Navy ship carrying war supplies to the Allied Eighth Army when she was found and bombed by German Heinkel He 111 aircraft on 6 October 1941. She went down in the Strait of Gubal with her cargo intact — and that cargo is why she is, by common agreement, one of the greatest wreck dives on Earth. Rediscovered by Jacques Cousteau in the 1950s and reopened to recreational divers in the 1990s, the wreck rests upright at around 30 metres. Her holds are still stacked with Bedford trucks, BSA and Norton motorcycles, Bren-gun carriers, rifles, aircraft parts and Wellington boots. Two steam locomotives that were carried on deck were thrown clear by the explosion and now sit on the seabed either side of the hull.
Typical two-dive plan
- Dive 1 — exterior & cargo holds: motorcycles, trucks, the locomotives on the seabed
- Surface interval with lunch on board
- Dive 2 — decks & stern: the anti-aircraft gun, the captain's bath, the bridge
- Nitrox strongly recommended to extend bottom time safely
Site highlights
- Intact WWII cargo: BSA & Norton motorcycles, Bedford trucks
- Two railway locomotives blown clear of the deck
- Anti-aircraft gun still trained skyward at the stern
- Holds you can swim through, packed with wartime supplies
- Glassfish, batfish and big groupers now call her home
- •Depth and possible strong current require Advanced certification
- •Penetration only with proper training and a guide
- •Long open-water crossing — an early start and a full day
- •Boat traffic on the surface above the wreck
Gallery
Trips that visit SS Thistlegorm
Day-trips and packages where this site is on the itinerary.
SS Thistlegorm Day Trip
A long, unforgettable day on the most famous wreck in the Red Sea. Two dives on the SS Thistlegorm — a WWII cargo ship still loaded with motorcycles, trucks and locomotives. An early start, a fast crossing, and a bucket-list dive for certified divers.
SS Thistlegorm Overnight Safari
The Thistlegorm done properly. Two days and one night on the boat, combining the Abu Nuhas wrecks with three or four dives on the SS Thistlegorm — including the quiet early-morning dives before the day boats arrive. The premium wreck experience for certified divers.
Nearby dive sites
Carnatic
The oldest and most beautiful of the Abu Nuhas wrecks — a P&O steam-and-sail ship wrecked in 1869. More than 150 years of coral has turned her elegant skeleton into a living reef draped in soft corals and glassfish.
Giannis D
The most photogenic of the four Abu Nuhas wrecks — a Greek cargo ship that struck the reef in 1983 and broke into three. Her dramatically tilted stern, with engine room and mast, is one of the Red Sea's best wreck dives.
Salem Express
A solemn, beautiful, and demanding dive on a 110 m passenger ferry that sank in 1991. A grave site treated with respect — and one of the most evocative wreck dives in the world.