Maldive Victory

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Maldive Victory p1
Ship data
Ship type Cargo ship
Launch 1971
Whereabouts Sunk on February 13, 1981
Ship dimensions and crew
length
110 m ( Lüa )
width 13 m
measurement 3,500 GRT

The Maldive Victory was a cargo ship that hit a reef in 1981 in the North Malé Atoll of the Maldives and sank. The wreck now serves as a dive site .

history

The Maldive Victory was built around 1971; it was a 110 m long and 13 m wide 3,500 ton freighter.

On February 13, 1981, the ship coming from Singapore and loaded with consumer goods for the tourist resorts, spare parts and cement sacks reached the Maldivian capital Malé , but drove past the port due to excessive speed and hit the reef surrounding the airport island of Hulhulé . Since the ten-year-old freighter was not equipped with bulkheads , despite the relatively small leak , it sank within a few hours with the entire cargo, with no one injured. The crew and the few passengers were on the 30 meters from the runway of the airport rescue.

Shortly after the sinking, the ship was looted by divers, mainly the alcohol on board was stolen. After the Maldivian National Guard had secured the wreck, a group of around 20 divers was able to salvage everything useful within nine months; today the ship is empty, apart from the hardened cement sacks.

Wreck as a dive site

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Soon after the sinking, the wreck, lying between the islands of Malé and Hulhulé, was discovered as a diving destination by the diving centers of the surrounding island resorts.

The wreck is on the west side of the airport island, more precisely at the southern first quarter of the runway. It lies upright, with the bow to the north, parallel to the reef, at a depth of 30–35 m on a sandy bottom. The position is marked with a buoy to which the diving boats moor. The strong currents between the two islands usually make it necessary to ascend and descend on a rope. The main mast is 12 meters high. On the deck, the diver is relatively protected from the current by the superstructures. The holds are open and can be dived, so the cement sacks that are still neatly piled up in the holds can be viewed.

The shipwreck was reclaimed by nature over time; numerous animal species, such as turtles , jacks , groupers , fusiliers , batfish , barracudas and corals have settled in and around the ship, which has led to the area being declared a marine reserve.

Web links

Coordinates: 4 ° 10 ′ 43.9 ″  N , 73 ° 31 ′ 32.9 ″  E