BEN REIN

Built in 1905 by J. Fullerton & Co in Paisley, the SS Ben Rein was a 245-ton coastal steamship that served for decades before the outbreak of the Second World War. Powered by a 27-horsepower compound expansion engine, she was a small but sturdy vessel, transporting cargo around the British Isles. In February 1941, with the Battle of the Atlantic raging, she was undertaking a short coastal passage from Plymouth to Falmouth, a route fraught with danger from German U-boats, aircraft, and naval mines.

On the 17th of February 1941, her luck ran out. While steaming off the Cornish coast, the Ben Rein struck a German-laid mine and sank quickly. The sudden and violent nature of her loss left little time for her crew to escape. She joined the countless other merchant vessels on the seabed that form the 'ghost fleet' of WWII.

Resting at a depth of 59 metres, the Ben Rein is a challenging technical dive reserved for experienced, suitably qualified divers. The depth requires careful planning, mixed gases, and decompression stops. Those who make the descent are rewarded with the sight of a largely intact early 20th-century steamship. Divers can explore the ship's boiler and engine, identify features on the deck, and observe the deep-water marine life that now encrusts the wreck. It is a sombre and rewarding dive that serves as a tangible link to the perils of wartime maritime trade.