The RMS Rhone is a legendary ship wreckage that has given birth to a beautiful marine park. It is among one of the most popular dives in the Caribbean. Its heartbreaking story continues to interest and captivate us.
Captain Woolley selected the closest path to open sea with the channel between Dead Chest Island and Black Rock Point on Salt Island. As Rhone came around to come close to the factor the tail end of the storm threw her onto the rocks.
The Background
During the yellow fever epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic passenger ships stopped regularly at Road Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to move guests and freight in between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been cautioned by a dropping measure that a tornado was coming, however believing that the typhoon season mored than, he chose to stay at Great Harbour for the transfer with another RMS ship, Conway.
Equally as they were passing Black Rock Factor in between Salt and Dead Breast islands, the weather suddenly changed instructions. The preliminary lurch caught the Rhone on her side and she wrecked versus the rough reef. Legend has it that Captain Wooley was making use of a silver tsp (which stays encrusted in the coral today) to mix his favorite at the time. The accident is now a preferred dive website, home to an interesting range of marine life. Most people concur that a complete exploration of the site calls for 2 separate dives, as the bow and strict areas are spread apart at different midsts.
The Accident
The Rhone rests beneath the cozy clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a renowned dive site today. Site visitors can check out the incredibly intact bow area, see where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were shot, and swim under the strict near its big 15 foot propeller. This bristling aquatic park is a pointer of the fragile equilibrium between male and nature.
On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to secure the Rhone in Road Harbor, the wind and waves changed and he made a decision to try to defeat the coming close to storm out into the ocean blue. He steered the ship to Black Rock Factor in between Dead Chest and Blond Rock, a set of rough pinnacles rising from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in two sections with the cold water of the inbound tide speaking to the hot boilers creating an explosion and sinking the vessel with all 123 guests still connected to their beds.
Snorkeling
One of one of the most well-known wreckage dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can quickly explore all inclusive yacht charters much of the Rhone by merely floating on a mask and breathing via the sea. The deeper bow area is especially well-preserved, a kaleidoscope of orange mug corals including yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes from the 1977 flick The Deep were shot.
The stern and stomach are much more separated, however they supply a haunting look of a past age. Divers must plan on a minimum of two dives to completely experience the Rhone, especially considering that visibility can occasionally be challenging. Emphasizes include the fortunate porthole, which divers massage for good luck, and the renowned bronze propeller. The rusting skeletal system of the Rhone is an iconic view in the BVI and is a must-see for any diving or boating lover. The ship is open to the public for exploration, and several regional dive watercrafts go to daily. The Rhone is shielded by the National Park Solution, and entrance is absolutely free.
Diving
One of the Caribbean's most well known wreckage dives, Rhone is a sought after website for its historical appeal and bristling marine life. It's open and reasonably safe, making it suitable for divers of all experience degrees.
The story behind the accident is unfortunate: as she was transferring travelers to another ship, Conway, at Road Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Factor and ran into it at full speed. Hot central heating boilers smashed versus cool seawater and blew up, sending out the Rhone crashing into the rocks and sinking in mins. Only 23 of the 146 people aboard endured. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.
The accident split in two when it sank, and the bow area drifted to deeper waters, while the demanding resolved at about 80 feet. Both are swallowed up in reefs and inhabited by marine life, consisting of schools of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes a minimum of 2 dives to discover the entire accident, however, given that the bow and stern areas are divided by about 100 feet of water.
