The RMS Rhone is a famous ship accident that has actually brought to life a beautiful aquatic park. It is just one of the most popular dives in the Caribbean. Its terrible story remains to interest and mesmerize us.
Captain Woolley opted for the closest path to ocean blue through the channel in between Dead Upper body Island and Black Rock Point on Salt Island. As Rhone happened to come close to the point the tail end of the typhoon threw her onto the rocks.
The Background
During the yellow fever epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic guest ships quit routinely at Roadway Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to move passengers and cargo in between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had actually been warned by a dropping barometer that a tornado was coming, yet believing that the typhoon season mored than, he determined to stay at Great Harbour for the transfer with another RMS ship, Conway.
Just as they were passing Black Rock Factor in between Salt and Dead Breast islands, the weather condition instantly altered instructions. The first stumble caught the Rhone on her side and she smashed against the rocky coral reef. Tale has it that Captain Wooley was making use of a silver tsp (which remains encrusted in the coral today) to stir his cup of tea at the time. The accident is currently a preferred dive website, home to a fascinating array of marine life. The majority of people concur that a complete expedition of the website calls for 2 different dives, as the bow and strict sections are spread apart at different depths.
The Wreck
The Rhone rests below the warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a well known dive site today. Visitors can check out the incredibly undamaged bow section, see where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were shot, and swim under the demanding near its big 15 foot propeller. This brimming marine park is a tip of the fragile balance between male and nature.
On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to secure the Rhone in Roadway Harbor, the wind and waves moved and he made a decision to attempt to defeat the coming close to storm out into the open sea. He steered the ship to Black Rock Point between Dead Chest and Blonde Rock, a set of rough peaks rising from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in 2 sections with the cold water of the incoming tide contacting the hot central heating boilers creating a surge and sinking the vessel with all 123 guests still connected to their beds.
Snorkeling
One of the most well-known wreck dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can easily discover much of the Rhone by merely drifting on a mask and breathing with the sea. The deeper bow section is particularly unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange mug corals reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were filmed.
The strict and stomach are a lot more broken up, but they offer a haunting glance of a past period. Scuba divers must plan on at least 2 dives to totally experience the Rhone, particularly because visibility can sometimes be complicated. Highlights include the lucky porthole, which divers rub permanently luck, and the famous bronze propeller. The rusting skeleton of the Rhone is a legendary view in the BVI and is a must-see for any kind of diving or boating fanatic. The ship is open to the general public for expedition, and lots of local dive watercrafts check out daily. The Rhone is secured by the National forest Solution, and entry is free of charge.
Diving
One of the sail british virgin islands Caribbean's most celebrated wreck dives, Rhone is a sought after site for its historic attraction and bristling aquatic life. It's open and reasonably secure, making it ideal for scuba divers of all experience degrees.
The story behind the wreck is tragic: as she was moving travelers to one more ship, Conway, at Road Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Point and ran into it at full speed. Warm central heating boilers shattered against cold seawater and exploded, sending out the Rhone collapsing into the rocks and sinking in minutes. Only 23 of the 146 individuals aboard made it through. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.
The wreck split in two when it sank, and the bow area drifted to deeper waters, while the strict cleared up at regarding 80 feet. Both are engulfed in reefs and populated by marine life, consisting of colleges of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes a minimum of two dives to discover the whole wreck, however, considering that the bow and demanding sections are divided by regarding 100 feet of water.
