Malin Head · Ireland · Wreck
SS Justicia
A 226 m troop ship sunk in 1918, broken on the seabed at 70 m off Malin Head
Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domain
Justicia was a troop ship of 32,120 gross register tons, laid down in Belfast as the Holland America liner Statendam and torpedoed off County Donegal over two days in July 1918. Only Britannic was a larger ship lost to enemy action in the First World War. She lies very broken in water to 70 metres, 21 nautical miles north-west of Malin Head, with the bow the one part that still reads as a ship, and diving her requires a state licence.
Also known as RMS Justicia, HMT Justicia, Statendam.
Where it is and how deep
55.6631° N, 7.7203° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Everything here happens on one shot line dropped onto a wreck 21 nautical miles offshore. There is 70 metres of water over a ship that has been broken apart, so the dive is mixed gas, the bottom time is short and the plan is made on the boat: one part of her per dive, with the shot placed accordingly rather than a swim from end to end.
The bow is the part that still reads as a ship. It is largely intact and her starboard anchor is still visible in its hawse, which is the picture most teams come back with. The wreck runs north to south and stands on average only about 3 metres off the seabed, with the bridge collapsed to port. The rest is machinery in a debris field: twelve Scotch boilers, two reciprocating engines and a single steam turbine are all identifiable, along with her rudder quadrant and the gun from her poop deck.
Justicia is a national monument and divers must hold a licence from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media before going in the water on her, so the paperwork is part of planning the trip rather than an afterthought. She is dived look-only. The ascent takes far longer than the time on the wreck, run on the line and finished drifting on a marker.
The wreck
- Vessel
- SS Justicia
- Type
- British troop ship
- Length
- 225.7 m (740 ft)
- Built
- 1914
- Sunk
- 1918
- Cause
- Torpedoed amidships by UB-124 on 20 July 1918, a day after an attack by UB-64
- Lies
- Very broken, running north to south, 21 nautical miles (38 km) north-west of Malin Head in water to 70 m
Harland & Wolff laid her down in Belfast in 1912 as Statendam, a new flagship for the Holland America Line, on the slipway that had built Titanic. War stalled her, and in 1915 the British government requisitioned her. She was completed in 1917 as Justicia, and when Cunard could not crew her, White Star Line took her over; she entered service that April, carrying troops from North America to Liverpool. On 19 July 1918 UB-64 torpedoed her off Scotland; under tow for Lough Swilly the next morning, she took two more torpedoes from UB-124, which killed 10 or 16 of her engine-room crew (sources differ), and sank by noon. Her escorts then sank UB-124.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Malin Head: May–Sep only, and even then the charter runs on a handful of settled days; Atlantic swell closes the ground for weeks.
Know before you go
- At 70 metres this is a mixed-gas dive with staged decompression, 21 nautical miles offshore and with no shallow ground to fall back on.
- The ship is very broken and the debris field is wider than a single dive, so the shot is the only fixed reference: mark it before leaving and navigate back to it.
- She is a national monument: a licence from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is required before anyone dives her, and charters dive her look-only.
Photos from SS Justicia
William Lionel Wyllie · Public domain
Dive videos
Diving the SS Justicia - Britain's Biggest WW1 Shipwreck · Deep Wreck Diver on YouTube
RMS Justicia Scooter cam 2014 · Norman Woods on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Do you need a licence to dive the Justicia?+
Yes. The wreck is a national monument, and divers must obtain a licence from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media before diving on her.
How deep is the Justicia wreck?+
She lies in water to 70 metres, 21 nautical miles north-west of Malin Head. That is mixed-gas territory: trimix, staged decompression and a hard-boat charter working around slack water and a settled forecast.
How did the Justicia sink?+
UB-64 torpedoed her on 19 July 1918, but closed watertight doors kept her afloat and a tug took her in tow for Lough Swilly. The next morning UB-124 hit her amidships with two torpedoes, and she rolled onto her starboard side and sank by noon. Six torpedoes struck her in all.
How big was the Justicia?+
She was 225.7 m (740.5 ft) long and 26.3 m in the beam, 32,120 gross register tons, built to carry about 4,000 troops. Only the hospital ship Britannic was a larger ship sunk by enemy action in the First World War.
Sources
- SS Justicia — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- The liner Justicia at sea painted in wartime dazzle grey, with three funnels and a tall superstructure. by Unknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Artist's annotated sketch of Justicia settling by the stern under tow, escorting ships and tugs standing by. by William Lionel Wyllie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
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