Hipania

[Big Steph]

Heard a rumour that The Hispania was purchased by Puffin Divers.  If that is the case, expect a pay as you enter turnstile.  I noticed too that the Breda is getting a bit loose, dived it the other week.

Big Steph

[Mr T.]

Hey Steph,

When you say 'loose', do you mean 'goes like a banshee on the 1st date' loose, or coming apart at the plates?? ;)

[Big Steph]

:biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:

[Richie]

I have mixed emotions about this wreck - it was the nearest I came to being a sad statistic.
Making up numbers on a boat (lived in Oban so got dragged into these things) we dived as a threesome. The other two ran low on air and sufaced leaving me well inside the wreck but following my solo philosophy this was A GOOD THING.
my air consumption was just fantastic,  reflecting experience, training and level of practice. I was just congratulating myself on this when the air stopped the SPG was reading 1000+PSI . I had small twins but one reg (this was a long time ago). It IS possible to breathe and swim using the bottle from a Fenzy. It just needs thought and the coordination of an Apache pilot. My head was sore from bumping it on the deck above (it was a bit roller coaster ish) but I made it to the shot. The length of the safety stop was limited by the 20 secs of air left in the Fenzy.
I'm still here and probably learnt something - can't remember what now :biggrin:
Still it was a nice little wreck, no too far from Oban by 4kt fishing boat. Also picked up the biggest lobster I ever caught 9lb something - gave it to the Sea Life Centre

(Edited by Richie at 1:23 pm on Dec. 20, 2002)

[peter k]

No It wasn't the narcosis. The whole ship is rotten. I reckon it's only a matter of time before all the cement bags come tumbling through the floor of the ship. As long as my ass is nowhere around when this happens.

[Big Steph]

I'm trying to get some mates to dive the Hispania and the Breda to finish of the diving for this year.

[Al]

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Quote: from Big Steph on 3:47 pm on Dec. 19, 2002
Heard a rumour that The Hispania was purchased by Puffin Divers.  

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Was at Puffin a few weeks back and they told us they'd bought the Hispania to keep an eye on it. Prompted by some divers who tried to lift the Captain's bath, dropped it and caused a fair bit of damage. &nbsp;I think they also own the Breda [?] and no tollgates there yet.

Al

[Driftwood]

On that subject....

PUFFIN BUYS &quot;THE HISPANIA&quot;

Just as with the &quot;Breda&quot; in 1999 Puffin Dive centre has purchased the wreck of the SS Hispania. In doing this we are able to inhibit any salvaging or unauthorised taking of artifacts from the wreck which means more for divers to see. This also ensures that mooring buoys and lines are kept to a good standard making it easier for visiting divers.


Above: Mike Morgan takes delivery of the SS Hispania from previous owner Eddie Hutter.

The Swedish steamship Hispania was built in 1912 by the Antwerp Engineering Company Limited. Her final voyage began when she left Liverpool loaded with a cargo full of steel asbestos and rubber, bound for Varberg in Sweden on Friday 17th December 1954. The weather was poor as she steamed north through the Irish sea and the north Channel so captain Dahn decided to take a route which would give them some protection from the weather by sailing between the islands of the Scottish west coast. She came into the sound of mull where it was very dark and visibility was almost nill, around 9 o'clock as they approached Tobermory disaster struck. The ship ran onto Sgeir Mor. The crew of 21 took calmly took to the life boats before she sank, except for captain Dahn who could not be persuaded to leave and went down with his ship.

[peter k]

The reason Puffin buys the wrecks is because they are keeping the business going. As more and more surgical steel is needed more of these wrecks will be lifted for the non-radioactive plates. This is where the hull plates on the Thesis went i believe. So by Puffin purchasing all the ships they are making sure of a future in wreck diving about Oban, after all, wrecks are the reason everybody travels up there. Someday they will be worth a fortune for the metal. Just look at the Port Napier, there is noises geing made about lifting the rest of her.
Peter &nbsp;

[Mr T.]

To say nothing of the Scapa wrecks!! Pre-46 of course.

Being as these wrecks hold the world's supply of non-irradiated steel, it is already worth a fortune - due to their higher 'X' content (for that read: went down before the A-bombs went off) for things like blood-monitoring equipment and surgical tools, we only have a short time left before the Yanks and Japs pay huge sums for them to be salvaged and brought up. If ever there was a truer argument to go wreck diving - I can't think of one. Let's sort it out.