The RMS Rhone is a legendary ship wreck that has given birth to a lovely aquatic park. It is just one of one of the most preferred dives in the Caribbean. Its terrible story continues to amaze and mesmerize us.
Captain Woolley chose the closest course to open sea via the channel in between Dead Chest Island and Black Rock Factor on Salt Island. As Rhone came around to approach the factor the tail end of the typhoon threw her onto the rocks.
The Background
During the yellow high temperature epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic passenger ships stopped regularly at Roadway Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to move guests and freight in between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been alerted by a going down barometer that a tornado was coming, yet believing that the typhoon period was over, he made a decision to remain at Great Harbour for the transfer with another RMS ship, Conway.
Just as they were passing Black Rock Point between Salt and Dead Breast islands, the climate instantly changed direction. The initial stumble captured the Rhone on her side and she wrecked against the rocky reef. Legend has it that Captain Wooley was utilizing a silver teaspoon (which remains encrusted in the coral today) to stir his favorite at the time. The wreckage is currently a preferred dive website, home to a fascinating array of marine life. The majority of people agree that a full exploration of the site calls for 2 different dives, as the bow and demanding sections are spread out apart at various depths.
The Wreckage
The Rhone relaxes underneath the warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a well known dive website today. Site visitors can check out the incredibly intact bow section, see where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were shot, and swim under the stern near its big 15 foot prop. This teeming marine park is a tip of the fragile balance between man and nature.
On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to secure the Rhone in Roadway Harbor, the wind and waves shifted and he chose to try to beat the approaching storm out into the ocean blue. He steered the ship to Black Rock Point in between Dead Chest and Blonde Rock, a pair of rocky pinnacles rising up from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in 2 sections with the cold water of the inbound tide getting in touch with the hot boilers causing an explosion and sinking the vessel with all 123 passengers still tied to their beds.
Snorkeling
One of the most renowned wreckage dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can quickly discover much of the Rhone by just floating on a mask and breathing via the sea. The much deeper bow area is especially well-preserved, a kaleidoscope of orange cup reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were recorded.
The strict and stomach are a lot more separated, but they offer a haunting glimpse of a previous period. Scuba divers should plan on a minimum of two dives to completely experience the Rhone, especially considering that exposure can often be challenging. Highlights include the lucky porthole, which divers rub for good luck, and the popular bronze propeller. The rusting skeletal system of the Rhone is a renowned sight in the BVI and is a must-see for any diving or boating fanatic. The ship is open to the public for exploration, and several regional dive watercrafts check out daily. The Rhone is safeguarded by the National Park Solution, and entrance is for free.
Diving
One of the Caribbean's most renowned accident dives, Rhone is a desired site for its historical attraction and brimming aquatic life. It's open and fairly risk-free, making it appropriate for scuba divers of all experience degrees.
The tale behind the accident is terrible: as she was transferring travelers to another ship, Conway, at Roadway Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Factor and faced it at full speed. Hot boilers shattered versus chilly seawater and blew up, sending the Rhone crashing into the rocks and sinking in minutes. Only 23 of the 146 people aboard survived. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.
The accident split in two when it sank, and the bow area wandered to deeper waters, while the demanding resolved at concerning 80 feet. Both are engulfed in reefs and lived in by aquatic life, consisting of colleges of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes at the very least 2 dives to discover the entire wreck, however, since the bow and all inclusive sailing trips strict sections are separated by about 100 feet of water.
