S.S. Thistlegorm

The S.S. Thistlegorm rests in the Strait of Gubal, a Red Sea wreck dive so celebrated that Jacques Cousteau himself rediscovered her for the diving world in 1956. This 128-meter British cargo ship was loaded with military supplies for the Eighth Army when German bombers located her on October 6, 1941, triggering a catastrophic explosion that split the stern and sent her to the seabed in minutes. Today the Thistlegorm lies upright between 17 and 32 meters, her cargo holds a museum of World War II frozen in saltwater. Divers explore BSA and Norton motorcycles stacked in rows, Bedford trucks still wearing their tires, crates of Lee-Enfield rifles, railway wagons, aircraft wings, and twin locomotives blown onto the seabed by the blast. The anti-aircraft guns on the stern remain in firing position, a haunting testament to her final moments. The wreck hosts one of the Red Sea's richest marine ecosystems. Enormous schools of glassfish pulse through the superstructure, batfish form silent squadrons above the deck, and resident Napoleon wrasse approach divers with curiosity. Giant moray eels inhabit the engine room, scorpionfish blend into encrusted steel, and at dawn or dusk hunters including trevallies, barracuda, and tuna sweep the wreck. The Thistlegorm is an advanced dive with currents that can exceed two knots and penetration opportunities that demand proper training. Her offshore location 40 kilometers from the nearest coast makes her a liveaboard classic, though long day trips from Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada reach her. Visibility peaks at 25-30 meters in autumn; winter brings rougher seas but warmer water from the Indian Ocean monsoon patterns.