Diving Hippocampus: Wreck Istrien

, Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, Video 4

Baron Gautsch
Greatest depth 39m, smallest depth 28m, length 89m, width 11,5m.
Built in 1908., this Austrian passenger ship sank after hitting a mine in 1914. It was carrying the families of Austrian officers on the Boka Kotorska-Mali Lošinj-Trieste route. Wanting to shorten the voyage, the ship attempted to pass through a minefield, 9 nautical miles off Rovinj.
The Baron Gautsch touched a mine amid ship portside, and the ship quickly sank.
Remorker- Greatest depth 37m, smallest depth 35m, length 15m, width 3,5m.
This tugboat that sank in the 1960s was used for maneuvering larger ships in the harbor. Because of its fairly small size, it is not possible to dive inside the wreck but only around it. The greatest attraction at this dive site is the many fish that inhabit the wreck.

Draga
Greatest depth 37m, smallest depth 34m, length 25m, width 6m.
The Draga was a sand-dredging boat. It sank in the 1960s due to poor weather and overloading that caused a breach in the prow, after which the vessel began to take in water. This wreck is exceptionally rich in fish. Its permanent inhabitants mostly include eels, scorpion fish, lobsters, crabs and sea catfish. You can also find a variety of marine flora and fauna around the wreck.

Submarine
Greatest depth 38m, smallest depth 35m, length 26m, width 4m.
This Germany submarine was sunk towards the end of World War I in the open sea near the Stoja swimming beach in Pula. It was one of the seven submarines that the Germans themselves sank immediately before the war ended. The submarine is not whole; only its stern, which is open, has been found. Still visible on the submarine are the remains of military equipment and air holes. Because of the vicinity of the beach, diving is also possible in unfavorable weather conditions.

Varese
Greatest depth 42m, smallest depth 33m, length 60m, width 9m.
The Italian merchant steamship Varese sank in 1915 while transporting cargo from Trieste to Tunisia. Because of stormy weather in the northern Adriatic, the captain decided to seek refuge in the port of Pula. Sailing towards the harbor, the ship struck a mine that destroyed the prow, causing the ship to sink to the spot it is located today. It is possible to dive inside the wreck, which is quite wide and safe in its entire length.

John Gilmore
Greatest depth 44m, smallest depth 36m, length 50m, width 8m.
A merchant steamship, whose true name is not known, it changed owners and flags several times during its history, so we cannot say with certainty what was the last name that it carried. It is considered to be one of the first ships to sink in the waters of Istria at the beginning of World War I. The information available tells us that it was built in an English shipyard
and equipped with John Gilmore engines that gave it the name it has today. It is possible to dive inside the wreck, which is well preserved.

Giuseppe Dezza
Greatest depth 37m, smallest depth 32m, length 40m (prow), 25m (stern) width 7,5m.
Built in 1913, this Italian minesweeper sunk in 1944. Until 1929, it carried the name “Pilade Bronzetti”. It was sunk by English aircraft that spotted it during a routine reconnaissance flight. A torpedo tore the vessel in two, so the prow and the stern are now located at a
distance of about 50 m. The stern has a greater appeal to divers. The Giuseppe Dezza lies on the seabed in an upright position as if frozen in time, and the cannons and military equipment on its stern are well visible.

Flamingo
Greatest depth 45m, smallest depth 42m, length 22m, width 4,8m.
Shortly before it sank, the Italian ship was armed with two torpedoes on its fore end. Built as early as 1889, it sank in 1914 after hitting one of its own mines. Captain J.O. Krieg managed to send up a distress flare and launch a lifeboat. Due to strong winds and high waves, the lifeboat was soon destroyed, leaving the crew to struggle against the sea and the storm. Today
the Flamingo resides in the silence of the sea depths, and its loyal visitors, apart from divers, are a multitude of fish and crabs.

Hans Schmidt
Greatest depth 43m, smallest depth 35m, length 99m, width 11,5m.
For a long time, this wreck was known as the Istria, because its true name was not known. It was built in 1920 in the Netherlands (under the name of the Albireo), but it carries the name of its last owner from Germany. This cargo steamship was ripped in two by an explosion when it struck an underwater anti-watercraft mine on 23 January 1943. On its fatal voyage, it was transporting armament and ammunition. Particularly interesting and of historical interest is the special type of anchor that has not been in production for more than 100 years.

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