Duo-Divers

A part view of the plans of SS Somali! Showing the 'special cargo' area which is relevant on a few fronts.

Flat bits of plate, be that deck or hull are all over the site, I think they are deck as they are flat with very little in the way of thick metal ribs, but I do get things wrong.

Looking back towards the Carnatic from the bowsprit, Abu Nuhas Reef

D - In the end the woodshop on the Duke of Northumberlands estate did the honour

Harbour Crab (Liocarcinus depurator), quite a common critter but usually very skitterish and keen to be out of the way.

Typical geology, the surfaces are covered in Dead mans fingers (Alcyonium digitatum), the bottom being small vertical faces, rocks and large boulders....all very scenic and pretty in good vis!

George Jacob run by the Marine Quest at Eyemouth

You can probably see from the general topography that the reef or should that be reefs run east west and as you get closer to the access point you will start seeing more bits of reef poking up, kinda pointing the way out!

A large lobster (Homarus gammarus) in between two plates, these only come out at night!

Leopard Spotted Goby (thorogobius ephippiatus) the knack is getting them to stay still, lots of phtographs come out as a puff of silt and a tail.  

As is my wont a scenic shot of the bows.

Everywhere that you look the bottom isn't bedrock, it is formed from sections of ship.

On the West side of the site, towards the North end. It looks ideal for scallops but no sign of any or indeed empty predated shells.

A large edible crab (Cancer pagurus) in among the dead-mans fingers.

A very scenic dip with dead mans fingers (Alcyonium digitatum) covering hard rock with boulders in some of the larger gullies.

Part of a shoal of lesser sandeels (Ammodytes tobianus) there are huge bait balls of this foodstuff through the summer, some of which are attacked from above and below. These fish were quite happy to stay relatively close, they obviously didn't see a diver as a threat.

Kelp (Family laminariales) does tend to be quite a long lived plant with the stem above say the first twenty centimeters quite a safe place for a plant to grow without the risk of sea-urchins 'browsing' you away. In this case dulse and other sea-weed encases the stem, making an eco-system up in the water column!

The reel/rod feet were a bit of a chew, I tried to machine the brass to take a couple of M3 cheesehead screws but that wasn't 'right' so ended up brazing on the feet and then 'back filling' the machined holes for that little bit extra strength

Gas works!

A small shellfish, probably some type of oyster. I took this photograph as I have never seen one before and thought it may be a 'foreign invader', it isn't!

One of the hull plates, which as you can see were double rivetted in place, a much more time consuming method of construction than welding which was made commonplace during WWII

The inside or West side of the boiler with fire hole etc on show

The seal eventually lay on the bottom and wanted to have its photo taken.....

When looking for 'bits' look for colours that leap out at you, this piece of copper just doesn't blend in with the sea-bed.