Malta & Gozo · Malta · Wreck
Bristol Blenheim
A ditched light bomber sitting upright on sand and small reefs
Area photo: Michaela Yos Niki Loxa · CC BY 4.0
The Bristol Blenheim is a twin-engine light bomber that came down off Xrobb l-Għaġin after an enemy aircraft damaged it on a wartime mission. The bomber touched down on the sea in one piece and now rests on the seabed as a deep boat dive for experienced divers.
Also known as Blenheim Bomber, Bristol Blenheim Bomber.
Where it is and how deep
35.8353° N, 14.5747° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The aircraft lies upright at 42 m on a seabed of sand and small reefs, about 800 m due east of Xrobb l-Għaġin. The airframe of this three-crew bomber is about 13 m long with a 17.2 m wingspan.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Bristol Blenheim
- Type
- Twin-engine light bomber
- Length
- 13 m (43 ft)
- Sunk
- 1941
- Cause
- Ditched tail first after an Italian aircraft damaged its port engine
- Lies
- Upright on sand and small reefs at 42 m
On 13 December 1941, on a mission to Kefalonia in Greece, this Blenheim bomber was attacked en route by an Italian aircraft that damaged its port engine. The bomber descended and touched down on the sea tail first, a clean ditching, and sank to the seabed off Xrobb l-Għaġin where it lies today.
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 | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Malta & Gozo: Jun–Sep is the main season, with the sea averaging 21–26 °C; it never drops below 14 °C, so diving carries on through the winter.
Know before you go
- Currents over the wreck are sometimes strong.
Dive videos
Bristol Blenheim Fighter-Bomber Wreck : Malta · ModelDiver on YouTube
Sources
- maltadives.com/sites/bristolblenheimbomber/en — maltadives.com
- www.calypsosac.org/blenheim-bomber/ — www.calypsosac.org
- www.divinginfo.mt/bristol-blenheim-z7858-m/ — www.divinginfo.mt
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