ANGELA - Scottish East Coast & Borders

The Angela, off the Scottish East Coast, is one of our favourite wreck dives when the weather plays ball. This isn't a dive for exploring intricate holds or cabins, mind you. She’s a sailing vessel, sunk by a mine in 1917, and the years have done their work. What you get now is a low, spread-out debris field, with ribs and plates scattered across the seabed at 18 metres. It feels less like a ship and more like a metal reef. We love poking through the smaller sections, finding plates lifted just enough to create hiding spots for edible crabs. Look closely, and you’ll often spot a wolfish peering out from under a larger piece of wreckage. The current can be a factor here, as you'd expect on this coast, so planning your dive for slack water is key. When the visibility is good, around 5-8 metres, the sense of history is palpable, despite the wreck's broken state. It's a dive that rewards slow, methodical exploration, perfect for divers who appreciate the subtle beauty of a wreck reclaimed by the sea.

Location
Scottish East Coast & Borders, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
Coordinates
54.966763, -1.343287
Type
wreck
Maximum Depth
18m

Wreck History - ANGELA

Year Sunk
1917
Vessel Type
sailing vessel
Cause
mined
Tonnage
141 GRT

The Angela was a three-masted British schooner that served as a coastal trading vessel during the height of the First World War. Like many ships of her era, she played a vital role in transporting goods around the UK, a task fraught with danger due to the constant threat of German naval mines and U-boats patrolling the shipping lanes.

On May 5th, 1917, while on a passage from London to the River Tyne, the Angela's luck ran out. She struck a mine laid by the German submarine UC-41 and sank quickly. This was a common and tragic fate for many merchant vessels in the North Sea, which had been turned into a deadly maritime battlefield.

Today, the remains of the Angela lie at a depth of 18 meters. As a wooden sailing vessel over a century old, the wreck is heavily broken and scattered across the seabed. Divers can identify sections of timber, metal fittings, and perhaps an anchor, all now heavily colonized by marine life. It's an atmospheric dive, offering a tangible connection to the perils faced by civilian sailors during WWI and a great site for spotting the crustaceans and fish that now call these historic remains home.

Marine Protected Area: Tynemouth to Seaton Sluice

Nearby Dive Sites in Scottish East Coast & Borders

Nearest Dive Centres to ANGELA

Marine Life in Scottish East Coast & Borders

Home to 126 recorded species including 53 reef fish, 12 whales & dolphins, 10 seagrass & algae, 10 sharks & rays, 9 crabs & lobsters, 8 other.

Notable Species