ARGUS (PROBABLY)

The SS Argus was a Swedish steamship built in 1883, a typical workhorse vessel of its time. For over 35 years, it plied the trade routes of the Baltic and North Seas, carrying cargo between European ports. In late 1919, just a year after the official end of World War I, the seas remained a perilous place, littered with the explosive remnants of the conflict.

On November 30, 1919, while on a passage from Lübeck, Germany, to Christiania (now Oslo), Norway, with a cargo of salt, the Argus met a tragic fate. She struck a stray mine left over from the war, and the resulting explosion sent her to the bottom of the Danish North Sea. The sinking was a stark reminder that even in peacetime, the legacy of war continued to claim victims.

Resting at a shallow depth of 16 meters, the Argus is an accessible wreck but is classified as dangerous, likely due to its state of decay and the tangled nature of the wreckage. Divers can explore the remains of this post-war casualty, with key features like the ship's boiler and engine still identifiable. It serves as a poignant memorial to the lingering dangers that sailors faced long after the armistice was signed.