Costa da Morte · Spain · Wreck
Solway
A Royal Mail paddle steamer lost on the Baldaio shallows in 1843
The Solway is a nineteenth-century Royal Mail paddle steamer that ran aground on the Baldaio shallows off Carballo and sank there in 1843. Divers come for the history of a wooden-hulled passenger and mail ship from the early steam era, whose remains now carry plenty of marine life.
Also known as RMS Solway.
Where it is and how deep
43.2954° N, 8.6545° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The Solway struck the Baldaio shallows several times before going down to about 20 m, and her boilers exploded as she sank. The remains of the 74.7 m paddle steamer are now thick with marine life.
The wreck
- Vessel
- RMS Solway
- Type
- Paddle steamer (passenger and mail ship)
- Length
- 74.7 m (245 ft)
- Built
- 1841
- Sunk
- 1843
- Cause
- Ran aground on the Baldaio shallows; her boilers exploded as she sank
- Lies
- On the Baldaio shallows off Carballo, at about 20 m
The Solway was a wooden-hulled paddle steamer of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., built in 1841 by J. Macmillan & Co at Greenock. On 8 April 1843 she struck the Baldaio shallows off Carballo several times and sank about 20 minutes after the first collision, once her boilers exploded. Most of the crew were saved, but of the 88 people aboard, 45 of them passengers, 35 died.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows Costa da Morte: Both centres open all year. Easter to November is the busy stretch, but rising phytoplankton turns the water greener, so it is not the best time for diving.
Dive videos
INMERSIÓN EN PECIO SOLWAY · Valentin190169 on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is the Solway wreck a dive for beginners?+
No. The Solway is an advanced-level dive on a wreck at about 20 m, reached by boat from Malpica in about 15 minutes.
Sources
- Solway – Rimartes — Rimartes
- Tono García, de Buceo Malpica – Rimartes — Rimartes
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