MS Mikhail Lermontov (wreck)

New Zealand / Marlborough / Picton /
 shipwreck  Add category

On February 16, 1986, the 20,000-ton Soviet cruise liner MS Mikhail Lermontov approached Port Gore from the East in heavy rain with strong southerly winds. When the New Zealand pilot tried to take a shortcut inside the Cape Jackson Rock light, the ship scraped over submerged rocks and began to take on water. Due to the efforts of the ship's crew and nearby assisting vessels, all but one of the 743 people aboard were rescued. The MS Mikhail Lermontov sank in just 37 meters of water and continues to be a popular diving spot, although it has claimed the live lives of at least 4 amateur divers.
www.nzmaritime.co.nz/lermontov.htm
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Coordinates:   41°2'27"S   174°13'12"E
This article was last modified 6 years ago