10 Trivia Facts About SS Thistlegorm
10 Trivia Facts About SS Thistlegorm
Although many of us know the story of how it was discovered by renowned scuba legend Jacques Cousteau and are familiar with the cargo it carried (much of which remains preserved on the boat for divers to view), do you know these lesser-known Thistlegorm trivia facts: Thistlegorm means “blue thistle”. Gorm is Gaelic for blue, and all the ships owned by the Scottish shipping company, Albyn Line, were named after the national flower of Scotland, the thistle. Albyn Line owned 18 “thistle” ships. Sister ships included from the first Thistledhu, the black thistle, to the last, Thistleroy, or red thistle. The Thistlegorm was a rum runner! Before the fatal final journey, the Thistlegorm had made three previous journeys, including one trip to the West Indies to transport rum. One of the bombers that dropped the bombs was shot down. After the initial attack, a convoy gunner shot down one of the two Heinkel bomber planes. Two crew members got a free trip to Australia. Not as much fun as it sounds - two of the crew were captured and spent the rest of the war as POWs in Australia. Most of the cargo remained onboard, but the medical supplies disappeared. It was reported that morphine from the wreck could be bought in Cairo street markets years after the attack. More than 100 motorbikes were being carried by the Thistlegorm. On the lower levels were Nortons, while on the upper levels were BSA bikes. Jacques Cousteau discovered the wreck in 1955. It is believed that Cousteau chopped down the mast so others would not be able to find the wreck. The kitchen door on the wreck is propped open by a casserole pot. Tins of SPAM and Bully Beef can still be found in the kitchen, although emptied by the nudibranches. The Heinkel bombers were flying very low when they dropped their bombs. According to eyewitnesses, the planes were so low that if they had lowered their undercarriage, they would have hit the bow of the Thistlegorm. We are very lucky in Sharm el Sheikh to be so close to the wreck dive site of the SS Thistlegorm - only 3 - 4 hours sailing time from Sharm. Ask your instructor or the dive centre office about the availability of the next SS Thistlegorm expedition with Circle Divers.
