SS Carnatic, wreck

The dive

The Carnatic was a P&O steam clipper of 1,776 GRT, 89.4 m long, launched by Samuda Brothers at Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs in June 1862 and completed in April 1863. She left Suez on 12 September 1869 for Bombay with 34 passengers and 176 crew, a cargo of copper sheeting, cotton and mail, and GBP 40,000 in specie for the Indian mint. That night she struck Sha'ab Abu Nuhas. She held together long enough for the situation to look survivable, then broke in half at dawn on 14 September: the after section sank at once and the forward section rolled onto its port side. Thirty-one people died by the wreck project's account, thirty in the official record Wikipedia cites. The gold was recovered by salvors within weeks, which has not stopped 150 years of rumours about what is left.

The wreck was rediscovered in May 1984 and now lies at the base of the reef in about 18-27 m, on her port side with the bow pointing east; one dive guide quotes the working range as 12-24 m. She is the oldest wreck on the reef and looks it. The wooden decking and hull planking have long since gone, so what remains is the iron skeleton - ribs and frames arched over open holds, which is why every description reaches for the whale-carcass comparison. That structure makes penetration to the second deck unusually easy and unusually well lit, and the three-bladed propeller and rudder are still in place under the stern.

She lies on the northern side of Sha'ab Abu Nuhas along with the Kimon M, the Chrisoula K and the Giannis D. Boats moor on the sheltered southern side; visibility on this reef is typically 20-30 m and water 22-28 C, and current on the exposed northern face can be strong.

Our occurrence records for this box are shared with the other Abu Nuhas wrecks, because they are all one reef, and are dominated by bannerfish, blackside hawkfish, yellowbar angelfish, sailfin tang, twoband anemonefish, giant moray, orbicular batfish, bluespotted ribbontail ray, common lionfish, yellow-margin triggerfish and Fridman's dottyback. A century and a half of growth means the iron is heavily encrusted, with glassfish filling the open holds.

• P&O steam clipper of 1863, wrecked on Abu Nuhas on the night of 13 September 1869
• Broke in half at dawn the next morning; 30-31 people died
• Carried GBP 40,000 in gold specie for the Indian mint, recovered by salvors within weeks
• Wooden decking gone: an open iron rib cage on its port side, easy and well-lit to penetrate
• Rediscovered in May 1984; three-bladed propeller and rudder still under the stern

Conditions

A reef-base wreck on the exposed northern side of Abu Nuhas, lying on its port side. Visibility is normally 20-30 m and water 22-28 C. Current on this side of the reef can be strong and the surface is often choppy. The open iron frames mean the interior is lit rather than dark.

On current: Depth figures disagree modestly. A detailed wreck survey gives 18-27 m at the base of the reef; two dive guides quote 12-24 m and a flat 24 m. We record the wider, more conservative 12-27 m. Visibility on this reef is normally 20-30 m and we record the lower figure; water is 22-28 C. Current on the exposed northern side, where the wreck lies, can be strong.

Dives & underwater footage