Gallipoli · Turkey · Wreck
HMS Louis
Four Yarrow boilers standing in 13 m of Suvla Bay sand
Photo: Agence Rol. Agence photographique (commanditaire) · Public domain
A Laforey-class destroyer built in 1913, wrecked in Suvla Bay on 31 October 1915 and then destroyed by Ottoman coastal artillery where she lay. What is left sits in 13 metres of sand at the north end of the bay: four Yarrow boilers standing clear of the bottom with much of the hull buried around them. She was the centrepiece of the underwater park's launch.
Where it is and how deep
40.3033° N, 26.2344° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This is one of the easy dives in the park: 13 metres of open sand in the north of Suvla Bay, reached from Kabatepe Harbour, with a long bottom time. The wreck announces itself as a line of four Yarrow boilers sitting proud of the seabed; much of the rest of the hull is under the sand, the result of Ottoman coastal artillery working over the destroyer after she was lost on 31 October 1915.
The guided route circles the boilers, which hold the sea life on an otherwise bare bottom and are the obvious place to spend a camera's worth of time, then follows what is exposed across the sand. Published depths give 13 metres, with 14 quoted for the wreck off Büyük Kemikli Cape, so the profile stays flat. Guides brief the ship's last two days before you go in — a tugboat collision on 30 October 1915, then the wrecking in the bay the following day.
The wreck
- Vessel
- HMS Louis
- Type
- Laforey-class destroyer
- Length
- 82 m (269 ft)
- Built
- 1913
- Sunk
- 1915
- Cause
- Wrecked in Suvla Bay after a tugboat collision, then destroyed by Ottoman coastal artillery
- Lies
- Four Yarrow boilers stand on sand with much of the hull buried
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 | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Gallipoli: April–May and August–September bring the best conditions; the wrecks can be dived all year.
Photos from HMS Louis
Omaha Daily Bee · Public domain
Nevit · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
HMS Louis · Gallipoli Wrecks Dive Centre on YouTube
4K DIVING TURQUIA BATALLA GALLIPOLI PECIO HMS LOUIS · PATXI URUBURU on YouTube
HMS LOUIS (Gallipoli campaign 1915) Louis savaş gemisi batığı Çanakkale · DIVETECH DALIŞ TEKNOLOJİLERİ on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is HMS Louis a good first wreck dive?+
Yes. It is 13 m of sand in a sheltered bay with long bottom times, and the four boilers give the dive an obvious focus. Every dive in the park goes with a guide.
Sources
- Gallipoli Wrecks dive site table — Gallipoli Wrecks
- Diving Çanakkale — Go Türkiye
- HMS Louis (1913) — Wikipedia
- East Cheshire Sub-Aqua Club Gallipoli trip report — ECSAC
- Deep Heritage: cathodic protection for Dardanelles wrecks — Western Front Association
- Eceabat — Wikivoyage
- HMS Louis — Gallipoli Historic Site Directorate (divinggelibolu.com)
Photo credits
- A 1915 press photograph of the destroyer HMS Louis lying wrecked and listing in Suvla Bay, a gun barrel in the foreground. by Agence Rol. Agence photographique (commanditaire), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- A grainy 1915 newspaper photograph of the destroyer HMS Louis stranded and listing in Suvla Bay. by Omaha Daily Bee, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- A marbled electric ray with brown mottling lying on sand off the Gallipoli peninsula. by Nevit, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Your first wreck dive: what to expect and whereFirst dives · 6 min read
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