HMS Southwold Bow – 70m Technical Wreck in Malta

Written by

Jason Trott

in

,

Introduction – the “shallower” half of a serious wreck

HMS Southwold, a British Hunt-class destroyer, lies broken in two off Marsaskala on Malta’s south-east coast. The larger bow section sits on its starboard side, roughly 40 m long, on a sandy seabed around 65–70 m deep. Malta Dives

For technical divers, the bow is often the first half of the wreck they see: slightly shallower than the stern, a bit more bottom time to play with, and packed with detail around the fo’c’sle, anchors and forward gun mount.

Jason Trott, a Malta-based technical and Hollis Prism 2 instructor at diveprism2.eu, regularly dives the Southwold bow with qualified trimix and CCR divers as part of wreck-focused technical weeks.

History recap – how the bow ended up here

Built in 1941, HMS Southwold (L10) was an 86 m Hunt-class escort destroyer used for convoy protection during World War II. Wikipedia

In March 1942 she was escorting the Malta relief convoy MW10. After the Second Battle of Sirte, Southwold was ordered to assist the damaged tanker Breconshire. While manoeuvring close in heavy seas, she detonated a British mine. The blast under the engine room caused catastrophic structural damage; flooding and loss of power followed.

Attempts were made to tow the crippled destroyer, but her hull eventually split and she sank in two main sections – bow and stern – about 1.5 miles off Marsaskala Bay, roughly 300 m apart on the seabed. Heritage Malta

Today both sections are classified as separate underwater cultural heritage sites and war graves.

Location, depth and layout of the bow

  • Position: Outside Marsaskala Bay, south-east Malta
  • Depth: Seabed around 68–70 m; wreck lying on its starboard side Malta Dives
  • Length of this section: Approx. 40 m, from the bow back to around the engine-room break Malta Dives
  • Separation from stern: Roughly 300 m away across sandy bottom Heritage Malta

The bow section is instantly recognisable:

  • The stem and anchor area dominate one end, with chain, hawse pipes and winches visible. Black and White Diving
  • A forward twin 4-inch gun mounting remains in place near the break, echoing the similar mount at the stern. The Virtual Museum
  • Hull plates and superstructure lie collapsed to the side, showing obvious blast and break damage. The Virtual Museum

Resting on its starboard side, the wreck gives you a strong sense of the ship’s lines – bow flare, deck camber and the way the hull tore when she split.

Permits, protection and ghost-net cleanup

The Southwold bow is not a casual “turn up and drop in” dive. It’s:

  • Managed as an underwater cultural heritage site by Heritage Malta and the Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU).
  • Officially listed as a war grave, with unexploded ordnance present. Heritage Malta
  • Diveable only via licensed centres or clubs operating under permit. Heritage Malta

The bow has also been the focus of ghost-net removal projects: UCHU and local divers cleared heavy netting from the site as part of a wider campaign, improving safety and protecting both the wreck and marine life. Heritage Malta

As a visiting diver you’re expected to treat the site as a memorial: no penetration, no moving artefacts, no entering collapsed areas, and absolute respect around any human remains.

Who the Southwold bow is for

Like the stern, the bow is firmly in advanced technical territory:

  • Typical depths around 68–70 m.
  • Long decompression on the way up.
  • Open-sea boat conditions with potential current. Malta Dives

Minimum realistic experience:

  • Solid normoxic/hypoxic trimix background or CCR trimix training.
  • Comfort with multiple deco gases (e.g. nitrox 50, oxygen) and staged cylinders.
  • Experience with blue-water ascents, DSMBs and shot-line etiquette.
  • Recent practice in long decompression profiles.

On open circuit, gas volumes for a relaxed, non-rushed dive are substantial. Many teams choose CCR – in particular, units like the Hollis Prism 2 CCR – for efficiency, better gas logistics and reduced narcosis for repeated dives in the 60–70 m range.

Bow vs stern – how this dive feels different

Both halves of the Southwold are strong dives in their own right, but they have slightly different flavours:

  • Bow:
    • Very distinct ship’s-bow profile and anchor gear.
    • Forward gun mount, blast damage and collapsed plating to explore.The Virtual Museum
    • A little shallower, so marginally more bottom time for the same gas plan.Malta Dives
  • Stern:
    • Upright, with twin gun turret, depth-charge racks and props.Malta Dives
    • Typically a metre or two deeper, with a slightly more “towering” feel off the sand.Heritage Malta

Ideally, you dive both on separate days. On diveprism2.eu you can position this blog as the companion piece to your Southwold stern article, so tech divers can read both before planning a week of deep wrecks.

A typical Southwold bow dive – narrative profile

As always, this is a descriptive example, not a dive plan. Your actual profile must follow your training, gases and team parameters.

Descent

After the Heritage Malta permit checks and a thorough briefing, the skipper drops a shot line on the bow. Once the shot is confirmed, teams gear up and enter in sequence, clipping on deco stages at the line.

You descend through blue water, the shot disappearing into deeper blue. Around 60 m the bow comes into view, lying on her starboard side, stem pointing slightly upwards. The sense of scale is immediate: an entire warship’s bow section looming out of the gloom.

On the wreck

Typical bottom times might be 20–25 minutes depending on gases and training. That’s enough for a full, controlled circuit:

  • Swim along the stem and anchor gear, checking out the chain, windlass and hawse openings.Black and White Diving
  • Move aft along the hull, taking in rows of portholes, hull plating and the clear line where she broke away.
  • Spend time at the forward 4-inch twin gun mount, now frozen in place but still menacing.The Virtual Museum
  • Inspect areas of collapsed superstructure, where the weight of metal and decades of corrosion have peeled sections away from the hull.The Virtual Museum

Marine life can be surprisingly lively for such a deep site: shoals of damselfish and anthias, scorpionfish tucked into plates, and sometimes pelagics cruising the sand.

On a Hollis Prism 2 CCR, you’ll be running a trimix diluent with an appropriate set-point, keeping END/ENDT within your training while minimising helium costs and streamlining your cylinder count compared to OC.

Ascent and deco

Leaving the wreck, you return to the shot, secure yourself and begin the long multi-stop ascent. Expect:

  • Initial deeper stops on bottom gas or a travel mix.
  • One or two rich nitrox and O₂ switches (for OC) or staged bailout plans on CCR.
  • 60–90+ minutes of decompression, depending on bottom time and mix.

Good communication, solid buoyancy and thermal management become the real work now. The bow disappears below as you focus on deco discipline and gas switches.

Hazards and risk management

Key issues specific to the Southwold bow:

  • Depth and gas density: 68–70 m is no place to push air or light nitrox – trimix (OC or CCR diluent) is mandatory. Malta Dives
  • Currents: Can be present at surface and depth; team separation is a real risk if people lose the shot. Calypso Sub-Aqua Club
  • Unexploded ordnance: Shells and other ordnance may be present; absolutely no touching or moving objects. Heritage Malta
  • Overhead temptation: Collapsed plates and spaces under the hull are not for penetration – this is a war grave, not a playground. The Virtual Museum
  • Shot-line dependence: Lost-line drills and DSMB skills should be second nature before you attempt this site.

Diving with a small, experienced team and an instructor/guide who knows the wreck and local conditions – like Jason – mitigates a lot of the operational risk.

Why the Southwold bow suits CCR and the Hollis Prism 2

For Hollis Prism 2 divers, the bow is a perfect application of the unit’s strengths:

  • Gas efficiency: You can get meaningful bottom time without absurd OC back-gas and deco volumes.
  • Optimised decompression: Adjusting set-points during ascent lets you balance decompression efficiency with sensible PO₂ ceilings.
  • Trim and stability: A properly configured Prism 2 is very stable in horizontal trim – ideal when you’re hovering alongside the hull or over the collapsed superstructure.
  • Bailout options: You can stage bailout trimix and deco gases to cover realistic contingencies without turning yourself into a Christmas tree.

Jason can include a Southwold bow dive as:

  • A capstone dive for suitably prepared Prism 2 divers after CCR trimix training, or
  • A guided experience for already-certified CCR trimix divers who want a local mentor on their first Malta deep wrecks.

Planning your Southwold bow dive with diveprism2.eu

If you’re looking at the Southwold bow as a goal, Jason can help you:

  • Build the pathway: From PADI Tec through to Hollis Prism 2 CCR and trimix, he can map the steps needed to get you comfortably into the 60–70 m range.
  • Schedule a wreck week: Combine the bow and stern with other deep wrecks – HMS Stubborn, ORP Kujawiak/HMS Oakley, and more – for a full technical itinerary around Malta. Malta Dives
  • Handle permits and logistics: Heritage Malta paperwork, boat bookings and weather windows are all managed for you, so you focus on training and diving.
  • Keep it small and safe: Jason works with small groups, emphasising pre-dive planning, bailout realism and conservative decision-making.

More posts