ASTARTE - Northumberland & Northeast

We love a good shallow wreck, and Astarte delivers. She’s not massive, 70 metres long, but she’s beautifully broken up, scattered across the seabed at a comfortable 9 metres. You’ll find her off Beadnell, a site that often surprises people with how good the diving can be. We’ve spent many a calm day here, poking around the ribs and hull plates, feeling the distinct chill of the North Sea even in summer. Astarte went down in 1915, hit by a mine, and time has really worked its magic. The structure is heavily concreted, a thick orange crust coating everything, a testament to decades spent underwater. Look closely and you’ll spot dead man’s fingers swaying gently from almost every surface. Conger eels are often lurking in the darker recesses, their heads poking out with a wary glance. We usually find crabs scuttling over the plates, and the odd lobster tucked deep into the wreckage. Visibility can be a bit of a lottery here; on a good day, you get 10-15 metres, which is plenty to take in the whole scene. If it’s murkier, we just get closer, focusing on the smaller details and the life that thrives in the gloom. It’s an ideal spot for newer wreck divers or anyone who just wants a relaxed bimble.

Location
Northumberland & Northeast, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
Coordinates
53.527740, -3.265209
Type
wreck
Maximum Depth
9m

Wreck History - ASTARTE

Year Sunk
1915
Vessel Type
cargo ship
Cause
torpedo
Tonnage
867 GRT

The SS ASTARTE was a relatively new steamship, built in 1909 by the Campbeltown Shipbuilding Co. and owned by J & P Hutchinson of Glasgow. She was a typical coastal cargo vessel of her time, powered by a single boiler and a triple-expansion engine, plying the trade routes around the British Isles. Her commercial career was cut short by the outbreak of the First World War, which turned the North Sea into a deadly theatre of naval conflict.

On January 5, 1915, while sailing off the Northumberland coast, the ASTARTE's fate was sealed. She struck a mine that had been laid by the German minelaying cruiser SMS Kolberg. The explosion was catastrophic, and the ship sank quickly, becoming one of the many merchant vessels lost to naval mines during the war. Resting at just 9 meters, the ASTARTE is now a fantastic dive for all levels, from beginners to seasoned photographers. The wreck is heavily broken up due to its shallow depth and a century of North Sea storms, but its boiler and engine machinery are still identifiable. The scattered plates and ribs are carpeted in marine life, creating a vibrant and colourful artificial reef that is easily explored in a single, no-deco dive.

Marine Protected Area: Liverpool Bay / Bae Lerpwl

Nearby Dive Sites in Northumberland & Northeast

Nearest Dive Centres to ASTARTE

Marine Life in Northumberland & Northeast

Home to 132 recorded species including 53 reef fish, 15 whales & dolphins, 11 sharks & rays, 10 other, 10 seagrass & algae, 9 crabs & lobsters.

Notable Species