85 Years Beneath the Red Sea: Remembering the SS Thistlegorm

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6 October 2026 marks 85 years since the SS Thistlegorm disappeared beneath the waters of the Red Sea. Today, this legendary Second World War wreck is regarded as one of the world's great scuba diving experiences, attracting divers from around the globe to Sharm El Sheikh.

For divers, the Thistlegorm is much more than a wreck. It is an underwater time capsule, a piece of living history and one of the most remarkable examples of how the Red Sea combines fascinating history with spectacular marinelife.

For Circle Divers, based in Sharm El Sheikh, visiting the Thistlegorm shipwreck is an essential part of experiencing diving in the Red Sea.

The Story of the SS Thistlegorm

The SS Thistlegorm was built in Sunderland, England, in 1940. At 128 metres long and weighing almost 4,900 tonnes, she was a British merchant navy ship carrying supplies for Allied forces during the Second World War.

Her final voyage began in Britain in June 1941. The ship was carrying an extraordinary collection of military supplies, including ammunition, rifles, trucks, motorcycles, armoured vehicles and other equipment destined for British forces in North Africa.

Rather than taking the shorter Mediterranean route, the Thistlegorm travelled around the Cape of Good Hope with a convoy before entering the Red Sea. When the Suez Canal was temporarily blocked, the ship anchored at Sha'ab Ali, waiting for permission to continue towards Egypt.

It was here that tragedy struck.

On the night of 6 October 1941, German Heinkel He 111 bombers attacked the anchored vessel. Two bombs struck the ship, hitting the area around Hold 4, where ammunition was stored. The resulting explosions were devastating, and the Thistlegorm sank in less than ten minutes. Nine members of the crew lost their lives.

For many years the wreck lay largely forgotten beneath the Red Sea.

Then came Jacques Cousteau.

From Forgotten Wreck to World-famous Dive Site

In the 1950s, French underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau located and documented the Thistlegorm, helping to bring the wreck to the attention of the diving world. However, it was not until recreational diving developed around Sharm El Sheikh in the 1990s that the wreck became the international diving destination we know today.

Today, the Thistlegorm is effectively an underwater museum.

Descending onto the wreck, divers can see the remains of its wartime cargo, including Bedford trucks, motorcycles, armoured vehicles, aircraft components, ammunition and rifles. Two steam locomotives, which were being transported as deck cargo, sit on the seabed close to the wreck.

And while the history is extraordinary, the marine life has transformed the wreck into a living reef.

Schools of fish move around the superstructure, while colourful corals and sponges cover parts of the ship. Barracuda, jacks, morays, crocodilefish and other Redsea species can all be encountered during a dive.

It is this combination of history, adventure and marine life that makes the Thistlegorm so special.

Diving the Thistlegorm from Sharm El Sheikh

The Thistlegorm is an offshore dive and getting there is part of the adventure. Boats leave Sharm El Sheikh early in the morning, with the journey to the wreck taking approximately three to four hours depending on conditions.

A typical trip includes two dives.

The first is generally an orientation dive around the exterior of the wreck. This gives divers the opportunity to appreciate the enormous size of the ship, see the locomotives and guns and understand how the wreck lies on the seabed.

The second dive takes you inside the cargo holds, where the famous wartime cargo can be seen remarkably well preserved after nearly one hundred years underwater.

The wreck reaches a depth around 30 metres, with much of the diving deeper than 18 metres. Currents can be present, so good buoyancy control, appropriate experience and careful dive planning are particularly important. Circle Divers recommends the Thistlegorm for minimum certification of Advanced-level divers and requires Nitrox for these trips.

For divers who enjoy wreck diving, this is one of those experiences that stays with you long after the boat has returned to Sharm.

Join Circle Divers for a Thistlegorm Adventure

As an established Sharm dive centre, Circle Divers regularly organises specialist trips to the SS Thistlegorm.

Our dedicated Thistlegorm trips include a special briefing and specialised instructor, hotel and dive-centre transfers, and Nitrox for suitably certified Nitrox divers. Trips generally operate several weekly , subject to boat availability and sea conditions.

The Thistlegorm can also be incorporated into a wider wreckdiving experience. Sharm El Sheikh offers several fascinating wrecks, including the SS Dunraven in Ras Mohammed and the Million Hope in the Straits of Tiran.

Whether you are visiting specifically for the Thistlegorm or planning a full week of diving in the Red Sea, Sharm provides an excellent base.

More than a Dive – a Connection with History

There is something uniquely powerful about descending onto a ship that sank 85 years ago and seeing the objects that were being transported during one of the most significant conflicts in modern history.

A motorcycle is no longer simply a motorcycle. A truck is no longer simply a truck. Each object is part of the story of the men and women who relied on these supplies during wartime.

That is why the Thistlegorm should always be treated with respect.

It is a historic wreck and a World War II grave, as well as an increasingly fragile marine environment. Divers should maintain excellent buoyancy, avoid touching the wreck or its cargo, and never remove artefacts. Conservation is essential if future generations are to experience the same sense of discovery.

85 Years Later, The Story Continues

On 6 October 2026, the diving world will mark 85 years since the sinking of the SS Thistlegorm.

Eighty-five years beneath the Red Sea have transformed this red sea wreck from a wartime cargo vessel into one of the world's most famous wreck dives. Yet its story remains remarkably intact.

For today's diving community, the legendary SS Thistlegorm offers something very few dive sites can match: the opportunity to explore genuine history while surrounded by the extraordinary underwater world of the Red Sea.

If the Thistlegorm is on your diving bucket-list, make Sharm El Sheikh your base and join Circle Divers, your experienced Sharm dive operator and Sharm dive club, for an unforgettable journey to one of the world's most iconic wrecks.

Whether you are looking for the Thistlegorm, Ras Mohammed, the Straits of Tiran or simply want to experience some of the world's finest scubadiving in the northern Red Sea, the team at Circle Divers is ready to help you plan your next underwater adventure.

85 years later, the SS Thistlegorm still has stories to tell. The best way to hear them is to dive in.