Banyuls-sur-Mer & the Côte Vermeille · France · Wreck
Épave Le Saumur
A 99 m collier on her keel at 45 m, stern broken off, emergency propeller still visible
Area photo: Florian Pépellin · CC BY-SA 3.0
A 99 m French cargo ship, built in 1920 as a collier, torpedoed by the Royal Navy submarine HMS Upstart as she arrived at Port-Vendres with a cargo of iron ore on 21 May 1944. She sits on her keel in 45 m of water with the top of the superstructure at 35 m and the foot of the bow at 48 m, her stern broken off and lying on its side.
Also known as Tolentino, Valentino.
Where it is and how deep
42.5251° N, 3.1336° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
You go down to the superstructure, the shallowest point at 35 m, and the ship resolves below you sitting upright on her keel in 45 m of water. The superstructure is the reference point for the whole dive: everything else is deeper, the bow at one end and the broken stern at the other, so fix it in your mind before you leave it.
The stern is the feature: it is separated from the rest of the ship and lies on its side. Near the aft cargo mast, on the port side, the emergency propeller is still clearly visible. The foot of the bow at the other end is the deepest point at 48 m, so a dive that takes in both ends is a long swim at depth and most plans choose one.
Life on the wreck is the deep Mediterranean set: congers in the plating, anthias over the fixed growth, pout and scorpionfish on the steel, octopus in the holes, flabellina nudibranchs on the growth, John Dory, and sea pens and starfish on the surrounding bottom. Bottom time is short at this depth, so the ascent to the decompression stops comes early.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Saumur
- Type
- Bulk cargo carrier, formerly a collier
- Length
- 99 m (325 ft)
- Built
- 1920
- Sunk
- 1944
- Cause
- Torpedoed by the British submarine HMS Upstart while arriving at Port-Vendres laden with iron ore
- Lies
- On her keel in 45 m off Port-Vendres; superstructure at 35 m, foot of the bow at 48 m, stern broken off and on its side
The Saumur was built in 1920 at Alloa in Scotland by the Forth Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, a bulk carrier that first worked as a collier for the Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Orléans. By 1944 she was a French cargo ship sailing under the German flag. On 21 May 1944, arriving within sight of Port-Vendres loaded with iron ore, she was torpedoed and sunk by HMS Upstart, a Royal Navy submarine. She settled on her keel off the port, where the stern broke away and now lies on its side.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Banyuls-sur-Mer & the Côte Vermeille: The Banyuls centres open year-round, but the sea averages 12 °C in February against 23 °C in August, the reserve's snorkel trail runs June to September, and the Tramontane can stop boats in any month.
Know before you go
- The whole wreck lies between 35 and 48 m: plan it as a deep dive with staged decompression and a strict bottom time.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Saumur wreck?+
The top of the superstructure is at 35 m, the ship sits on her keel in 45 m of water, and the foot of the bow is the deepest point at 48 m.
How did the Saumur sink?+
She was torpedoed by the Royal Navy submarine HMS Upstart on 21 May 1944 as she arrived at Port-Vendres carrying iron ore.
Sources
- Saumur (épave) — Wikipédia
- Épave Le Saumur - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Banyuls-sur-Mer & the Côte Vermeille
A 95 m WWII escort cut in two by a torpedo, mast top at 25 m, bow at 50 m
White gorgonians, nudibranchs and lobsters in the faults at 18 to 20 m
The sheltered fallback dive when the Tramontane blows
Reef
Faults and small caves between 5 and 30 m, with groupers and congers in the holes
Reef
Beach entry into a marine reserve, with a signposted underwater trail
Wreck
Broken collier at 44 m; follow the wreckage to a bow with its anchors still in place
Wall
Drop-offs, rocks and caves between 15 and 30 m off Banyuls
Reef
Groupers, dentex, brown meagre and barracuda in 5 to 20 m of reserve water
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