The Maine

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History

The Maine was torpedoed on March 23rd 1917 by the U boat UC-17 and sunk just offshore from Soar Mill Cove. For a while her 2 masts remained 12 ft above the waves. The wreck lies at position 50:12:45N; 03:50:53W at a depth of around 35m, and is upright about 15m above the sea bed.

The Maine is just less than 400 ft long with a beam of 46 ft. The Maine was "discovered" by Torbay BSAC in 1961. They own the wreck having paid 100 pounds for her. The club salvaged the bronze propeller, and in 1983 they brought up the spare iron propeller off her deck which is now displayed in a shopping centre in Paignton.

Diving

Although the ship was robust she is beginning to deteriorate however, there is a lot to see on this wreck. The bows are the shallowest part and still support a loading gantry on the tip. There is a large anchor on the outside and the first hold supports a large population of marine life.

The engine room is well exposed and the boilers are massive while her stern section is largely intact. The tide runs strong in this area so slack water is a must, but the slack can vary so we normally try to be on site one and a half hours after high or low water using the Devonport tables. 0n a neap tide it is a bit more flexible as once on the bottom the hull offers some protection.

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