Gotland & Fårö · Sweden · Wreck
Mulan wreck (Ytterholmen)
A steel minelayer at 13 m, an easy first wreck off Ytterholmen
Mulan is a steel minelayer sunk off the nature reserve of Ytterholmen in 1958, lying in the island's north-east corner below a mushroom-shaped rauk. The hull is about 25 m long and the dive stays within 13 m. It is a popular, fairly easy wreck and a good first one for divers who have not tried wreck diving before.
Also known as Mulan, MUL 1, Ytterholmen Mulan.
Where it is and how deep
57.7133° N, 18.9232° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wreck is a steel hull of about 25 m by 5 m, the MUL 1 minelayer known locally as Mulan, standing upright on sand with its stern a few metres from the ledge on the north-east corner of Ytterholmen. Part of the hull was blown away by the torpedo that sank her, and divers can swim in through a hatch at the bow and out at the break. It is an easily dived wreck and a good one for those who have never tried wreck diving, with the whole dive inside 13 m. Conditions on the wreck vary a lot, from half a metre to more than 20 m of visibility, and at times there is a little current.
The wreck
- Vessel
- MUL 1 (Mulan)
- Type
- Steel minelayer
- Length
- 25 m (82 ft)
- Sunk
- 1958
- Cause
- Decommissioned after service in the Second World War, then sunk as the target of a torpedo exercise in 1958
- Lies
- Off the north-east corner of Ytterholmen, below a mushroom-shaped rauk
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 | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Gotland & Fårö: Club dives run all year; weather picks each day's shore, and the water swings from about 2 °C to 19 °C.
Know before you go
- Visibility on the wreck can drop to half a metre, and at times there is a little current.
- The hull is fragile and has sharp edges to keep clear of.
Dive videos
Vrakdyk på Mulan, Ytterholmen, Gotland · J H on YouTube
Sources
- Ytterholmen Mulan dykplats — dykarna.nu
- Dykning i Östersjön — Visit Gotland
- Ytterholmen – Wikipedia — Wikipedia
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