wreck

Log This Dive

HMS JAMES LUDFORD

Diving the HMS *James Ludford* off Scotland’s East Coast is a proper technical dive, sitting deep at 50 metres, but it delivers. This isn’t a colourful reef, it’s a piece of history, an anti-submarine trawler built in 1918 and sunk just after the outbreak of WWII. We love the way the wreck lies upright and largely intact, a real testament to its sturdy construction. You'll descend onto the deck, often with surprising visibility for these waters, where the superstructure rises like a forgotten city. Look for the triple expansion engine, a marvel of early 20th-century engineering, often shrouded in a hazy curtain of small coalfish. Our favourite part is nosing around the bow, where the Admiralty-issue anchor chain is still in place, now home to colourful plumose anemones swaying gently in the current. This is a dive for experienced technical divers who appreciate historical wrecks and aren't afraid of a bit of chill.