HMS Carantan (Wreck)

United Kingdom / England / Swanage /
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407-ton French submarine chaser, taken over by Royal Navy at fall of France, built 1939. 116ft x 18ft. Armed with 75mm field gun, one 2-pounder, two 20mm Oerlikons, four machine guns and depth charges. Position: 50 34.95N; 01 56.18W. Depth: 32m.
Sunk: 21 December, 1943, when capsized in south-westerly gales off Anvil Point, Dorset, while escorting submarine HMS Rorqual, Portland for Portsmouth. Six of Free French crew of 23 saved.
Diving: Owned by Swanage skipper Eddie Bennet, who has raised big gun from bow. Both propellers lifted. Lies on port side on rock and slate bed. Hull has twist in middle. Parts of the superstructure remain, as does much ammunition.
Launch: Swanage.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   50°34'58"N   1°56'10"W

Comments

  • I think we were the first to dive the wreck after the order was removed not to dive it.My dive buddies were John Dance and John Webb, We recieved a telephone call from Poole Divers who said they were going to dive the wreck on the following Saturday. the hull was upside downish and split along the keel, a mine was outside,we got inside the hull and found torpedoes still hanging in chains, deeper inside we found brass 3" shell boxes[3 shells in each box]some brass boxes in the radio shack and cartridges everywhere, the large bronze propellers were still there.
This article was last modified 13 years ago