Baltimore & Cape Clear Island · Ireland · Wreck
Kowloon Bridge
A collapsed bow on a 294 m ore-bulk-oil carrier wrecked on the Stag Rocks
The Kowloon Bridge is a 294 m British ore-bulk-oil carrier that ran aground on a submerged reef at the Stag Rocks off West Cork in a gale in 1986, then broke her back on the rocks. Divers come for the scale of the steel and a wreck that spans recreational and deep depths.
Also known as MV Kowloon Bridge, The Kowloon Bridge.
Where it is and how deep
51.4670° N, 9.2330° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Since the bow collapsed in recent years, the shallowest wreckage lies at around 17 m, and the hull runs down to the seabed at 36 m, giving a multi-level dive over the remains of a ship 294 m long.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Kowloon Bridge
- Type
- Ore-bulk-oil combination carrier
- Length
- 294.2 m (965 ft)
- Built
- 1973
- Sunk
- 1986
- Cause
- Ran aground on the Stag Rocks in a strong south-westerly gale
- Lies
- From around 17 m down to 36 m on the Stag Rocks, her bow collapsed
The Kowloon Bridge was built by Swan Hunter in 1973 for the Bibby Line as the English Bridge, a sister ship to the Derbyshire, lost in 1980. On her last voyage from Quebec she sheltered in Bantry Bay with deck cracks, lost her anchor and steering, and in November 1986, in a strong south-westerly gale, drifted east and ran aground on a submerged reef near the Stag Rocks off West Cork. When she broke her back on the rocks, all salvage attempts were abandoned.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Baltimore & Cape Clear Island: No month stands out as the peak; the sea is coldest from January to April, and Atlantic conditions can turn foul quickly.
Know before you go
- The wreck is a slack-water dive only; outside the turn of the tide it cannot be dived.
Dive videos
Dive on the Kowloon Bridge, sunken bulk carrier, Ireland · Gert Eggink on YouTube
Sources
- Dive Sites – Aquaventures — Aquaventures
- MV Kowloon Bridge — Wikipedia
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