On 16 December 1928, the SS Delfina struck rocks off the Skerries, Anglesey.
Photo: Paul Webster
She was abandoned and sank the next day in Liverpool Bay, and now lies at a depth of about 40m, 16km offshore.
The Delfina was commissioned during the First World War. It is a very attractive wreck, covered in plumose anemones, and it is located sufficiently far of shore for the visibility to be excellent. By British standards, this is a mid-sized wreck, weighing 3,096 tonnes and 116m in length. With such dimensions, it is fairly easy to make a complete circuit of the wreck to identify all the key features, even at 40m, in the time allowed. This is no heap of twisted metal, as it sits upright and is pretty much intact, but with the stern section slightly twisted to one side.
When I dived the Delfina, fishing nets lay draped over the mast and line criss-crossed the decks, indicating that the area is fished commercially and by sport anglers. There are numerous winches and deck gear spread over the deck. The propeller and rudder are also intact.
