Divernet’s recent account of a Model T Ford discovered in the Great Lakes struck a chord with underwater photographer STEFAN PANIS. Last year he dived the WW1 mine-victim Toward in the English Channel – and could hardly believe his eyes as long-hidden rewards kept coming
Also read: The joys of wreck-diving Antique Copper Kick Plate
During my Dover diving years I had heard a lot about the steamship Toward, a World War One shipwreck owned by Tony Goodfellow and David Knight. However, it took me until 2022 before I finally had the chance to dive the site, as part of an annual international wreck-diving expedition.
Built in 1899 in Glasgow, the Toward was part of the Clyde Shipping Company fleet, a 1,218-tonne steel steamship with a single screw.
Sailing with a general cargo from London to Belfast on 31 October, 1915, Toward struck a mine that had been laid by UC-6, a very successful submarine that, commanded by Matthias Graf Von Schmettow, was responsible for sinking 54 ships in total.
The mine exploded under the hatch of number 2 hold, just forward of the bridge. Toward caught fire, the blaze spread rapidly, and the ship started to settle in the water.
The crew abandoned ship off South Foreland on the Kent Downs, and all the men were picked up, including five who had jumped into the sea. It turned out that no fewer than four ships had sunk within a few hours in that deadly minefield.
I was teamed up with my buddy Eddie, who knew the wreck and was willing to take me on a tour, and jumped in straight after him. While he was setting the hook, I started rummaging around the deck midships and a piece of brass caught my eye.
A closer look revealed it to be the nameplate from a door – not a bad start for a dive!
Eddie caught up with me and we headed off towards the stern of the ship. We swam past the accommodation, where a set of toilets made a nice setting for a few pictures, and a little further on saw a gaping black hold.
Toilets in the accommodation area
We dropped two decks down, landing on a very silty bottom littered with bottles and plates that had long ago spilt out from rotten wooden boxes. But when Eddie signalled with his torch to get my attention, it took me a while to figure out what it was that he was trying to show me.
Could it really be? Ahead of me was a vehicle – one that would turn out to be an early Henry Ford automobile! I had only one chance to take its picture before the room silted out, and at that point I was just happy to have a line to follow to get back out.
We dropped over the stern to the seabed to take a look at the rudder and propeller, which had remained nicely in place. Then we worked our way back towards the shot, and on the way reached the area where the accommodation used to be. We discovered there a beautiful mosaic floor, now a playground for Dover sole.
It took a long time for Eddie to get clear, however, but just as I had decided that I should go back in after him he showed up. It turns out that he had found a picnic-basket in the back of the car – and it was still loaded with plates and cutlery!
The area was littered with bottles, and we found some spoons bearing the shipping line's logo. Eddie was lucky again, and pulled out a beautiful silver-service rack, complete with pepper and salt shakers and even an olive-oil bottle with its contents intact – what a find!
That spot turned out to be a real treasure trove. What we had discovered were probably the remains of a silverware cabinet from the dining-room, because serving dishes, spoons and knives just keep coming out of it!
After bagging up our finds, it was time to surface again in the hope that all our 2022 expeditions would bring with them such broad smiles and treasures.
Also by Stefan Panis on Divernet: One-Off Dive Mining In The Slate Museum, A Tale Of Two Mines, Wondrous Dive Into Black Marble, HMS Brazen Wreck Dive, Monarch Of The Channel, Pearl Of The Peak District, Diver Article Prompts Wreck-Find Handover
Steve has been a scuba diver for 30 years and became editor of Diver magazine in 1996, following 10 years with BBC World Service and the 10 before that in motoring journalism.
How Do You Attach a Jon Line? #askmark #scuba @BrentHollett #askmark I'm looking to buy a Jon Line, and ive noticed two camps regarding what goes on the end. Camp 1 has a simple carabiner and loops the line around the rope and clips the carabiner back onto the Jon Line. Camp 2 uses a Garvin Hook on the line instead. Camp 1.5 loops a Garvin Hook over the rope and clips it onto the Jon Line, but that seems insane. What are the pros and cons of the two clip methods? #scuba #scubadiving #scubadiver LINKS Become a fan: https://www.scubadivermag.com/join Gear Purchases: https://www.scubadivermag.com/affiliate/dive-gear ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUR WEBSITES Website: https://www.scubadivermag.com ➡️ Scuba Diving, Underwater Photography, Hints & Advice, Scuba Gear Reviews Website: https://www.divernet.com ➡️ Scuba News, Underwater Photography, Hints & Advice, Travel Reports Website: https://www.godivingshow.com ➡️ The Only Dive Show in the United Kingdom Website: https://www.rorkmedia.com ➡️ For advertising within our brands ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/scubadivermag TWITTER: https://twitter.com/scubadivermag INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/scubadivermagazine
How Do You Attach a Jon Line? @BrentHollett #askmark #scuba
@IonutParaschiv28 #askmark Hi mark, i have a multipart question regarding the long hose setup i'm considering. I have a set of atomic regulators, an M1 for my primary and a Z2 octo, configured in traditional setup. Questions are: 1. When i switch to a longhose, do i NEED to put in on the Z2 octo (It's not a fully yellow octo, but it does have yellow tints on it - it also stays in a black hose). They're both similar in terms of breathing, but i'd rather have my m1 primary on it. 2. should i go for traditional rubber hoses or braided? I also considered an miflex xt-tech hose for the long hose? I'm mostly concerned about floatines and "scratchy" feeling with the braided ones. Thank you, Keep up the good work #scuba #scubadiving #scubadiver LINKS Become a fan: https://www.scubadivermag.com/join Gear Purchases: https://www.scubadivermag.com/affiliate/dive-gear ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUR WEBSITES Website: https://www.scubadivermag.com ➡️ Scuba Diving, Underwater Photography, Hints & Advice, Scuba Gear Reviews Website: https://www.divernet.com ➡️ Scuba News, Underwater Photography, Hints & Advice, Travel Reports Website: https://www.godivingshow.com ➡️ The Only Dive Show in the United Kingdom Website: https://www.rorkmedia.com ➡️ For advertising within our brands ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/scubadivermag TWITTER: https://twitter.com/scubadivermag INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/scubadivermagazine
Should I Use My Octo as a Primary? #scuba #askmark
@lukec.1916 #askmark how do I fit a bolt snap to a second stage or the hose to clip it of? really enjoy your content, helped me with a lot of questions! keep it going:) #scuba #scubadiving #scubadiver LINKS Become a fan: https://www.scubadivermag.com/join Gear Purchases: https://www.scubadivermag.com/affiliate/dive-gear ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUR WEBSITES Website: https://www.scubadivermag.com ➡️ Scuba Diving, Underwater Photography, Hints & Advice, Scuba Gear Reviews Website: https://www.divernet.com ➡️ Scuba News, Underwater Photography, Hints & Advice, Travel Reports Website: https://www.godivingshow.com ➡️ The Only Dive Show in the United Kingdom Website: https://www.rorkmedia.com ➡️ For advertising within our brands ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/scubadivermag TWITTER: https://twitter.com/scubadivermag INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/scubadivermagazine
How To Attach a Boltsnap to a Hose #askmark #scuba
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Wow the waters of the world both Give us & take us. I lived & diving New Jersey The grave yard of the Atlantic Ocean , never knowing what I will see & find . How about two steam locomotives standing. Straight up in the middle of no where just sand , Looked on internet. No one know how they got there there nothing written who or how they ended up there , No know insurance pay out . There 100% compleat & just add coal . North east coast we had thousands of ship wrecks to explore, many a Day I had to lie to my customers why I was not working & the wreck diving became First, work was second,
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