Wreck Tours

This sunken trawler off Scotland’s Summer Isles makes for a very easy and attractive diving experience – if you’re up for the journey. JOHN LIDDIARD

This is a centenary Wreck Tour, because we publish it 100 years to the day since the steamer King Cadwallon sank off the Scilly Isles.

It’s not easy to pronounce, but it’s an intact WW2 U-boat victim lying off north-west Wales with lots for divers to see, says JOHN LIDDIARD.

He can’t resist them – this month JOHN LIDDIARD takes us on a tour of another armed trawler, which struck a mine and sank off

Two steamers, one iron, one steel, both built in 1880 and both destined to sink off the Isle of Wight, but which wreck has JOHN

A petrol-carrier sunk off Cornwall in 1917 by the ’Killer Captain’ – the most ruthless of U-boat commanders – makes for a diverting dive, says

One of Northern Ireland’s most popular wrecks, a ferry that was working as a troopship when she was sunk in World War Two, lies near

Located off the Isle of Man, this wreck represents a slice of history, as one of the last steam coasters and one of the first

This cargo vessel, torpedoed by UB40 off east Devon during WW1, lies in 32m and offers plenty of ‘engineering’ for divers to enjoy, reports JOHN

The collier Vendome sank off the north-west tip of Pembrokeshire way back in 1888 and makes a good no-stop dive, says JOHN LIDDIARD – if

How often do you get the chance to dive a German surface warship in the Channel? JOHN LIDDIARD provides a tempting taster. Illustration by MAX

This 1930s motor yacht hit the news in 2004 when its true identity was revealed. JOHN LIDDIARD travels to Northern Ireland to dive this rich

Most sailing-ship wrecks retain too little detail to warrant the full Wreck Tour treatment, but JOHN LIDDIARD and illustrator MAX ELLIS have come up with

Most sailing-ship wrecks retain too little detail to warrant the full Wreck Tour treatment, but JOHN LIDDIARD and illustrator MAX ELLIS have come up with

The sinking of this British cargo vessel, sunk by German E-boats off Sussex in 1944, could have been prevented, but for extended-range divers it has

This steam collier, sunk towards the end of World War One, lies off the north of Ireland and offers plenty to see in good visibility,

At last, you cry, a big sailing ship to get our teeth into! And this one, off Falmouth, is also shallow enough to let everyone

Off the North-east of England, this Wreck Tour ventures deeper than ever before, but it’s to explore an unusual wartime casualty and is well worth

This steamship was sunk south of the Isle of Wight by a U-boat towards the end of WW1. Though little dived, its engine and gun

How often do you get the chance to dive a train ferry that originated in WW1 but which had to wait until WW2 to see

This Channel wreck site is one for trimix divers, but it’s a submarine with history and in great condition, says JOHN LIDDIARD. Illustration by MAX

The F2 was a German World War Two experiment, and ended up scuttled in Scapa Flow in mysterious circumstances. JOHN LIDDIARD conducts the tour, assisted

This trawler served in the two world wars, as both escort and minesweeper, and is an attractive diving proposition in the fine visibility possible off

Sometimes the forgotten wrecks make a great option – and at least you get them to yourself. This steamer off the Sussex coast is a

A slightly deeper dive than usual for Cornwall’s infamous Manacles reef, this old Norwegian freighter wreck is worth a visit, says JOHN LIDDIARD. Illustration by

This freighter was an early U-boat victim during World War Two, and the wreck off Portland Bill in Dorset makes for a good dive –

Want to find out what a World War One armed trawler was like? This one off the Sussex coast might be small, but it’s nicely

It’s a double-header this month, as JOHN LIDDIARD dives two vessels that became wrecks on the same evening off north Wales 136 years ago. The

Shallow enough for a nice long dive is this steamer that sank off south-eastern Scotland 116 years ago. JOHN LIDDIARD is our tour guide, illustration

This German armed trawler sunk by British aircraft off Guernsey in 1944 has taken JOHN LIDDIARD’s fancy. Illustration by MAX ELLIS AUGUST’S WRECK TOUR IS

This small coaster lies in Strangford Lough and can be dived at any state of tide, says JOHN LIDDIARD. Illustration by MAX ELLIS OUR WRECK

This steamer, wrecked 112 years ago off Newquay, is justifiably popular – but make sure conditions are right before diving it, warns JOHN LIDDIARD. Illustration

This little old wreck off west Wales makes a good early-season dive and offers some interesting engineering features into the bargain, says JOHN LIDDIARD. Illustration

Warming up to dive the Scapa Flow wrecks in Orkney? There are few better wrecks for that purpose than this, the shallowest of the WW1

A U-boat victim in the last year of WW1 off Devon, this largely intact steamer provides an interesting challenge, says JOHN LIDDIARD. Illustration by MAX ELLIS SOME

Believe it or not, it’s Wreck Tour’s 10th birthday! That’s 120 tours and the recent book, with movies, interactive video games and Wreck Tour On

It’s a bit out of the way in Cardigan Bay, but how, asks JOHN LIDDIARD, do you get to dive a WW2 destroyer and Cold

Our July Wreck Tour of the U-boat U480 went down well, if you’ll pardon the pun, so this month JOHN LIDDIARD offers a double helping

This victim of World War One’s most savage U-boat captain is on the deep side off North Cornwall but can enjoy hi-vis conditions, says JOHN

This cargo vessel lying off the Isle of Wight is a relic of the Victorian era with plenty to keep divers interested. JOHN LIDDIARD surveys

Our July Wreck Tour of the U-boat U480 went down well, if you’ll pardon the pun, so this month JOHN LIDDIARD offers a double helping

A treat for technical divers is the dive-site JOHN LIDDIARD has chosen for our 150th Wreck Tour. This Norwegian coaster was a collision victim off

This late WW1 U-boat victim sank off north Cornwall, where the good visibility makes the wreck a bit of a treat for divers, says JOHN

You won’t find many other divers on this East Coast steamship wreck, but you will find plenty to hold your interest, says JOHN LIDDIARD. Illustration

JOHN LIDDIARD helped to identify this trawler wreck off Sussex, so he is even better-placed than usual to be our tour guide. MAX ELLIS produced

This small wreck off North Wales was not identified as a trawler until long after its sinking in 1941, and it’s very much a wreck

For a long time the circumstances of the sinking of this freighter in the Channel Islands were a matter of controversy, says JOHN LIDDIARD, but

It almost made it through the Great War, but that was before it encountered a U-boat on a roll. JOHN LIDDIARD takes us around a

This tanker wreck off Scotland’s north-east coast was a WW2 U-boat victim – it has been through the mill but still makes for a good

This schooner-rigged steamship was the victim of a storm off south-west Wales in 1903 but makes for an easy dive in usually clear vis, says

We have a double-header for you to enjoy this month – two small vessels sunk within 10 years of each other in the mid-Victorian era

We have a double-header for you to enjoy this month – two small vessels sunk within 10 years of each other in the mid-Victorian era

It’s 100 years this month since the Titanic hit that deadly iceberg. If you have £40,000 or so to spare you might hitch a ride

How often do you get the chance to dive an almost-intact tanker? This WW1 U-boat victim lies off Anglesey and is well worth a visit,

The prolific U-boat UB40 holed this cargo steamer with its unusual engine configuration off the Dorset coast in 1917. JOHN LIDDIARD leads the dive, with

It’s always interesting to dive a recently discovered wreck, and this collision-victim from the dawn of the 20th century has plenty to commend it, says

This cargo vessel was in her 13th year when she hit a mine off north Cornwall. JOHN LIDDIARD makes the most of good vis, and

This example of a soon-to-be-obsolete German minelaying submarine was sunk off southern Ireland in 1917. It makes for an interesting wreck to negotiate on a

This classic British coaster torpedoed near the end of WW1 lies off the Dorset coast and provides plenty to interest JOHN LIDDIARD. Illustration by MAX

This deep-lying bucket-dredger worked away through some 45 years of Victoria’s long reign but failed to outlive the Queen, sinking off south-eastern Scotland in the

It’s a while since we crossed the Channel for a Wreck Tour but this WW2 German pathfinder vessel off Dieppe is well worth the trip,

We visit a more recent but rarely dived wreck this month, a cargo vessel lost off the Orkneys during bad weather with the loss of

After 44 years of cross-Channel service, this mail-boat finally succumbed to a U-boat’s torpedo towards the end of the Great War. JOHN LIDDIARD is our

Positively identified only recently, this Victorian collier sunk off the Sussex coast has not been much dived, says JOHN LIDDIARD, but beware possible poor vis.

This steamship almost got through the Great War unscathed – then it met U94 off north Cornwall. JOHN LIDDIARD guides us through its broken remains

World War Two submarine-chasers may be small but they’re packed with interesting details for divers to examine. JOHN LIDDIARD heads for Dorset, illustration by MAX

This month’s tour of a North Sea WW1 U-boat victim is one for the technical divers, and it’s a fair boat-ride out too. And is

Heavy machinery from an ill-fated 1900 dredger that barely started its long journey from Scotland to Japan lies off Cork in Ireland waiting for visiting divers, says