HMS Southwold was a destroyer, escorting convoys to and from Malta. In 1942, managed to bring over some merchant ships from Alexandria under heavy attack. On 24 March she was ordered to tow a damaged merchant ship to the harbour. Sailed out, but a mine exploded under the engine room. A tow was attached, but the damage was too severe. The sides of the HMS Southwold broke and split and eventually sunk.

The stern section

is in 65-72 m depth, where you can find ammunition, depth charges, 4” guns. The wreck is only about 30m long, but plenty to see. You can find big groupers and plenty of marine life around. On the port side, there is a section full of little glass bottles, and down on the seabed, you can see another gun laying down. There is a plaque saying the name of the ship which gives you great photo opportunities, not even mentioning the gun pointing upwards…

The bow section

is on her stern side, about 50m long, 60-67 m deep. Guns, ammunition, and many more can be found around her, you can look into the engine room, where the ship split up. Also, you can see the bathrooms (not much privacy on these kinds of ships). You can have a good look around in 15-25 minutes with an average depth of 65 m. There is no place for penetration in either section, please don’t even try because you can damage the wreck.

Can I dive them?

In order to visit the HMS Southwold, previously you needed the TDI Advanced Trimix certification. However, now you can upgrade the Trimix cert to Trimix 75m! Check out this new option. She is under the protection of Heritage Malta as well, therefore permit is required to dive it. Only licensed boats and dive centres are allowed to visit. To see both sections, 2 dives are necessary. You can not swim from one part to the other.