SS Wallachia
Type:
Picture:
Wreck
Information: The "WALLACHIA" Built Southampton 1883 1077 NT 259' x 36' x 18' left Queen's Dock, Glasgow on a voyage to the West Indies and was rammed in the bows by a Norwegian steamer the Flos and sank in 25 minutes. She was carrying a cargo of whisky, gin, beer and acid in stone jars on deck when she went down. She is a very interesting dive and used to have lots of old jars and bottles but few if none are left. As with most of the Clyde wrecks it is tempting to enter the holds as they are exposed but due to the silt you quickly lose visibility. She is one of the most popular attractions on the Clyde. The viz here is usually 3 to 4 meters.
Harbour / slip:
Parking
directions: At the Marina or across the road from the RNLI slip (dont park in the RNLI spaces, they are for the RNLI in emergencys)
Distance from
harbour:
Lat & Long:
Depth: Today she lies in 34m and the average depth of her deck is 30m. The top of the wheelhouse is in 24m.
Tides: Tide Tables
Chart:
Depth: 34m
Diveboat: Clyde dive charters
Diveshop:
Accommodation:
Suggested experience: Experianced sport diver
Other comments: The viz here is rarely beter than 3-4m and the wreck is on the ferry route so good boat cover is esential. You can get into the engineroom a few ways, through the hole where the funnel was, but its not for the faint hearted or through the broken greenhouse on top of the engineroom or by following the companionways on either side of the engineroom.
Pub: Inverkip marina.
Created by: John Nicolson
Date: 30/4/07
Thanks To: Scottish Maritime Museum for the picture of the bell
Revision:
Links:
Underwater photos:
Wreck diagram:
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Dive Report: Hickdive, Mar 07,
You can access the engine room from the funnel, through the greenhouse or through the companionway doors on either side i.e. heading forward on the deck just in front of the where the chloride jars were stowed go through the door, drop slightly and turn 90 degrees inboard to go through the door into the engine room. If you do get disorientated in the whisky hold STOP, stay very still and turn off/occlude your light, eventually the stoor will settle enough for you to see the green glow of the hatch.
Dive Report: R0ckcrew, Feb 07
I enjoy diving the Wallachia. I think I must have over 100 dives on it OC and maybe 4 or 5 on the CCR. It is the ideal dive with a rebreather. I mainly dive it solo as I prefer the OC guys to buddy up and usually I am the odd number!! Forget the whisky - I know the guys who spent a week on it with a suction pump and emptied the hold!!Dive Report: Stew, Jan 07
This is one of my favourite dives on the river Clyde. For me this dive has just about everything, it has current running, it is dark, it has depth (35 meters), you need to navigate well as it often has bad viz. Sometimes it produces treasures in the form of beer bottles, some still full, I have a few at home, undrinkable of course, but now over 100 years old. The Wallachia sank in 1895, length is around 260 feet, seabed is around 34-35 meters & fortunately she sits bolt upright. The average depth over the main deck area is probably around 30 meters, give or take a meter with the tide height. This is best dived on slack water as she sits right next to the ferry lane from Weemyss bay to Rothesay. If you come off the wreck without using the shot line, you are danger of drifting into the ferry lane. An SMB is mandatory, I carry at least 2
Dive Report: Fran, Jan 07
Oh am such a saddo, I went and got ma dive log book out, coz a was there wae Stew on the 1st Wallachia dive,It was in April last year. Feck it was awsome , the viz was incredible, 4 of us went down and I could keep an eye on everyone the viz was that good, virtually the whole ship, alas that was the 1 and only time thie viz was good, dived 4 times after that and the viz/current/swell was awful. I have only got 1 bottle of beer which was donated to me cos a wis to girly to get ma own.