CARMARTHEN

The SS Carmarthen had a brief but eventful life, born in the midst of the First World War. Launched in 1916 by W. Gray & Co Ltd, the steamship was operated by James Jenkins of Cardiff. With the war raging, merchant vessels like the Carmarthen were the lifelines of Britain, but they were also prime targets for Germany's U-boat fleet. Her service would last just over a year.

On July 26, 1917, while on a passage from Genoa bound for the River Tees with a cargo of iron ore, the Carmarthen was intercepted by the German submarine UC-47. Without warning, a torpedo struck the vessel, sealing her fate. The ship sank quickly, becoming another casualty of the unrestricted submarine warfare that defined the conflict at sea. The loss was a stark reminder of the constant danger faced by civilian sailors in wartime.

Lying at a depth of just 18 meters, the wreck of the Carmarthen is now a superb and highly accessible dive site for all qualified divers. Over a century on the seabed has left the wreck well broken up, with boilers, engine components, and sections of the hull scattered across the seafloor. This structure has created a thriving artificial reef, attracting a huge amount of marine life. Divers can explore the wreckage while spotting wrasse, pollack, and crustaceans that have taken up residence in the remains of this WWI steamship.