The Wreckage of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a legendary ship accident that has actually given birth to an attractive marine park. It is among one of the most preferred dives in the Caribbean. Its awful tale remains to captivate and mesmerize us.


Captain Woolley chose the closest path to open sea through the channel between Dead Upper body Island and Black Rock Factor on Salt Island. As Rhone occurred to come close to the factor the tail end of the cyclone tossed her onto the rocks.

The History
During the yellow fever epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic guest ships quit consistently at Roadway Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to move travelers and cargo between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had actually been advised by a going down measure that a storm was coming, but believing that the storm period mored than, he chose to stay at Great Harbour for the transfer with another RMS ship, Conway.

Equally as they were passing Black Rock Factor between Salt and Dead Chest islands, the weather suddenly transformed instructions. The preliminary lurch caught the Rhone on her side and she wrecked versus the rocky reef. Tale has it that Captain Wooley was making use of a silver tsp (which remains dirtied in the coral reefs today) to stir his cup of tea at the time. The wreckage is currently a prominent dive site, home to a remarkable selection of aquatic life. The majority of people agree that a complete expedition of the site requires 2 different dives, as the bow and stern sections are spread out apart at different depths.

The Wreckage
The Rhone relaxes below the warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a popular dive site today. Visitors can discover the incredibly intact bow area, see where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were shot, and swim under the strict near its huge 15 foot propeller. This teeming aquatic park is a tip of the delicate equilibrium between man and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain yacht rentals Wooley was preparing to secure the Rhone in Road Harbor, the wind and waves shifted and he determined to try to defeat the coming close to storm out into the ocean blue. He steered the ship to Black Rock Point in between Dead Chest and Blond Rock, a set of rocky peaks rising up from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in 2 areas with the cold water of the incoming trend getting in touch with the hot central heating boilers causing a surge and sinking the vessel with all 123 travelers still tied to their beds.

Snorkeling
Among the most renowned accident dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can easily discover much of the Rhone by simply drifting on a mask and breathing with the sea. The deeper bow area is particularly unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange cup reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's additionally where scenes from the 1977 motion picture The Deep were filmed.

The demanding and midsection are extra broken up, yet they use a haunting glimpse of a previous era. Scuba divers should intend on at least 2 dives to fully experience the Rhone, specifically since presence can in some cases be complicated. Highlights consist of the lucky porthole, which scuba divers rub completely luck, and the famous bronze prop. The rusting skeleton of the Rhone is a famous sight in the BVI and is a must-see for any type of diving or boating enthusiast. The ship is open to the public for expedition, and numerous neighborhood dive boats check out daily. The Rhone is protected by the National forest Service, and entryway is free of charge.

Diving
Among the Caribbean's most popular accident dives, Rhone is a desirable site for its historic allure and brimming aquatic life. It's open and relatively risk-free, making it suitable for divers of all experience degrees.

The story behind the accident is tragic: as she was transferring guests to another ship, Conway, at Road Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Factor and ran into it at full speed. Hot central heating boilers smashed against cool seawater and blew up, sending out the Rhone crashing into the rocks and sinking in mins. Only 23 of the 146 people aboard endured. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.

The wreckage split in two when it sank, and the bow area drifted to deeper waters, while the strict settled at regarding 80 feet. Both are swallowed up in coral and occupied by aquatic life, consisting of schools of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes a minimum of 2 dives to explore the entire accident, however, since the bow and demanding areas are divided by about 100 feet of water.