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Type: M-class destroyer more properly known as the Admiralty M class, All ships were built to an identical - Admiralty - design, hence the class name (25 other vessels of the 'M' class were built to variant designs by three specialist builders Thornycroft, Yarrow, and Hawthorn Leslie).
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Wreck Information : The Nessus and a cruiser, HMS Amphirite were Zig-zagging to avoid German submarines, the ships entered a fog bank and, when Nessus accidentally got ahead of the cruiser, the collision occurred. Holed in the engine-room, Nessus was put under tow first by Maenad and then by another destroyer, HMS Paladin, but sank at 10.25 on Sep 8th 1918.
Harbour / slip: Stromness
Parking directions: In the car park opposite to the ferry car entrance.
Distance from harbour: 36Nm from Stromness harbour
Lat / Long: 58 37 040N 2 31 420W, 13 miles south-east of the Pentland Skerries, Oriantation SSE NNW.
Chart:
Depth: 68m
Tides: Tide tables
Diveboat: Jean Elaine
Diveshop: Scapascuba
Accommodation: Polrudden guest house Orkney Islands Tourist Board, 01856 872856, Visit Orkney
Suggested experience: Trimix RB
Other comments: First divers on the wreck were Leigh Grubb, Mark Leicester, Chi Lee, Graham owen, Tracy Owen and Paul Bell.
Pub: The Ferry Inn & Flatties Bar
Created by: Kevin Heath
Date: 17/11/08
Thanks To: Leigh Grubb
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Dive Report: Leigh 24/11/08 As I approached the sea bed it got very much darker, although I could see sand and rocks on the bottom. I reached the bottom of the shotline, it was right by a rock, but, where was the ship? It took a moment for my brain to register that the dark patch of ocean as I looked up was actually the wreck rearing up in front of me! I hadn't expected it to be so big! The shot was lying just off the stern on the port side. Perfect! I met up with Paul Bell and Graham Owen, and together the three of us began swimming the length of the ship. Where to look first?? The wreck is lying straight for it's entire length, some bits intact, but it's strangely broken up at at regular intervals, about every 10m or so. There's some netting, not very much, but the vis was excellent, a good 12-15m and the ambient light was reasonable, so entanglement really wasn't a problem.
The most remarkable thing was the sheer number of artefacts littering the wreck. I watched divers flitting all over, picking things up and then discarding them moments later when something else interesting caught their eyes. The wreck is littered with crockery, mostly broken, but clearly showing the Naval crest. There were potholes, all different shapes and sizes just lying around, the glass still intact. Bottles, dozens of them, all different, and jars. What were they originally for? (We had at least one answer when we got back on the boat, Darren lifted one jar and inside, still clearly recognisable, was nearly 100 year old pickled cauliflower!! There were shell cases littering the wreck, although the ones we brought to the surface were only small, not large ones from the 4'' guns. There were brass deck lamps in almost perfect condition. A soda siphon which sadly broke. For the 'Rust Ferrets' it was heaven! Brass and bits of macinery everywhere, including a couple of big boilers, the steering helms, the compass binacle, Navigation lights, all sorts of stuff I don't have a clue about!!!
What nobody found, YET, was the ships Bell!
Swimming the length of the wreck took a good half hour, it's long, 90m's or so, and nobody wanted to leave, and it would be very easy to lose track of time, there's just so much to see. Most of us probably spent about forty minutes on it. There's not very much fish life on it at all, but suddenly, there was none and I had the strangest feeling that I was not alone down there. I looked to my left, and there, looking back at me, about fifteen feet away, was an eight foot shark!! I'm FAIRLY sure it was a Porbeagle, but at least two of the boys will swear it was a Great White! It made for interesting decompression, to say the least! I had the same feeling of 'not being alone' at 6m, but neither I nor Paul saw it again. The skipper saw it's fin on the surface, though, and I suspect the two divers I saw cuddling on deco weren't doing it because they were cold!!!