Berlengas & Peniche · Portugal · Wreck
Highland Hope Wreck
The 1930 Nelson Line liner lost on Farilhão Grande
Area photo: Alexkom000 · CC BY 4.0
The Highland Hope was a 14,000-ton British liner operated by the Nelson Line that ran aground on the cliffs of Farilhão Grande in dense fog on the night of 19 November 1930, one year after her construction, with 550 people aboard. Fishing boats took every one of them off to Peniche. What is left lies at 15 to 22 metres and shelters schools of fish.
Where it is and how deep
39.4789° N, 9.5450° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wreck lies off the Farilhão Grande cliffs at the north end of the archipelago, in 15 to 22 metres of water at around 18 degrees. Nearly a century on the granite has left debris and structural pieces rather than a ship, so the dive works as a sweep across the site: a shallow average depth, plenty of bottom time, and a route that goes wherever the metal is.
Divers encounter schools of fish and crustaceans sheltering among the wreck debris and structural pieces, which is what a site like this turns into once the ship itself has gone: shelter on an otherwise open bottom. Working the larger pieces slowly gets more out of it than covering distance, and the depth leaves room to do exactly that, with 22 metres at the deepest and most of the route shallower.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Highland Hope
- Type
- British passenger liner, Nelson Line
- Sunk
- 1930
- Cause
- Ran aground on the cliffs of Farilhão Grande in dense fog with 550 people aboard
- Lies
- Debris and structural pieces between 15 and 22 m off Farilhão Grande
The Highland Hope was a 14,000-ton ship operated by the Nelson Line company, and she was lost just one year after her construction. On the night of 19 November 1930 she ran aground on the cliffs of Farilhão Grande during dense fog, with 550 people aboard. Local fishing boats rescued all the occupants and carried them to Peniche, with no casualties reported. The stranded ship could not be salvaged and was ultimately lost.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Berlengas & Peniche: Jun–Sep is the practical season; Atlantic swell and 14°C water shut the crossing for most of the rest of the year.
Know before you go
- The wreck sits on the exposed outer rocks and the site needs very good sea conditions, so expect the trip to be called off when there is any swell.
Questions divers ask
Did anyone die on the Highland Hope?+
No. The ship struck the cliffs of Farilhão Grande in dense fog on the night of 19 November 1930 with 550 people aboard, and local fishing boats rescued all of them and carried them to Peniche, with no casualties reported. The ship itself could not be salvaged.
Sources
- Highland Hope Wreck dive site — Portugal Dive
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