Dunraven wreck

Construction of the ship
The SS Dunraven was built in Newcastle upon Tyne at the C.Mitchell and C. Iron Ship Builders, launched in 1873 the ship was owned by a Mr. W Milburn. Powered by both sail and steam the ship was planned to ply the route from Britain to Bombay. 3 years later in January 1876 she set sail from Liverpool loaded with steel and timber she sailed for Bombay where the cargo was sold and she was reloaded with Spices, Cotton and Muslin for the return journey. It was generally an uneventful journey and she reached the Red Sea approaches to the Suez Canal on 25th April. Thinking they were further up the Gulf of Suez than they actually were Captain Care and the 25 man crew sailed the ship straight into the reef. The ship stuck fast south of Beacon Rock at the southern end of the furthest reaches of what is now the Ras Mohammed National Park on the outside of Sha'ab Mahmoud. The crew worked frantically to dislodge her and 14 hours after striking the rock she slid off, unfortunately this motion up set her balance and she capsized. She sunk quickly then into 25 metres of water, leaving the crew to be rescued from there life boats by local fishermen.

Discovery
The wreck was known to local fishermen for generations as the shallow depth could cause their nets to snag but it was only re-discovered to the general populace in 1977 when a German Oil company employee re-discovered the site. The ship was dived on soon afterwards and many wide theories appeared about it suggesting it was a WW1 ship that operated on behalf of Lawrence of Arabia. Then a piece of porcelain was found with the name SS Dunraven proved it's real origin. Legends still surround the wreck as there are stories of the wreck being caused due to an argument between the drunk Captain and his promiscuous wife.

Since the rediscover the wreck has become a popular dive site due to its shallow depth. The wreck has broken up a large amount as it lies upside down on the reef but there are three larges holes in the hull allow the diver to penetrate the wreck and examine the two large boilers and host of fallen metal work. In part due to the shallow depth a large abundance of reef fish life that can be found around it, Glassfish, Groupers, Jackfish, Scorpionfish and Crocodilefish can all be seen around the ruptures in the hull.

Diving Dunraven
The leading edge of the bows are broken and slightly separated - with the whole structure leaning backwards and resting against the reef. From the port hawse pipe - almost completely hidden between ship and reef, the anchor chain runs down to the seabed and disappears under the ship. From the starboard hawse pipe is a short piece of anchor chain on which there is considerable coral growth. There is sufficient damage to the hull to allow the diver to enter the foc'sle.
From the Bows, it is a swim along the upturned keel to a point approximately amidships where the hull is broken and the remains of the funnel are seen on the seabed nearby. There are also a large pair of resident Red Scorpionfish occupying this "break."

Looking backwards, it is tempting to try and enter the front section - but this is not recommended. At the break, the keel of the fore section is much lower than that of the aft - revealing a state of slow collapse. This break in the Hull is at a point immediately in front of the Engine Room, and just inside the aft section, the ship's two huge boilers support the hull at this point - allowing it to retain its original shape. This is where the best part of the overall dive begins.
Surrounding the boilers are thousands of Glassfish (Vanikoro Sweepers) - a species which always prefer the shade and, on entering the hull, these move lazily aside to allow the diver safe passage. The boilers are side by side and, although they occupy a large amount of space, there is plenty of room for "single file" swimming between boiler and starboard side right through to the stern. On the other side of the boilers, are all the pipes taps and valves and then the engine itself - with large connecting rods and pistons all still in place. Above head height is a large gear wheel and even more valves.

From this point, the view towards the stern is quite breath-taking. This is a large, empty space with plenty of natural light provided by rows of portholes illuminating what was the Starboard Quarter. Altogether, allowing considerable scope for available light photography. With the deck having become the ceiling, the propeller shaft runs along that "ceiling." Incredibly after so long underwater, wooden panels still line this part of the steel hull. Sadly, however, all the ship's brass fittings - including the many portholes that once lined both sides of the ship at this point, were removed long ago.