South Funen Archipelago · Denmark · Wreck
The Augustenborg
A German trawler lost to a mine in the First World War
The Augustenborg is a German trawler lost in the First World War after hitting a mine, one of the oldest wrecks dived in the Langelands Belt. Very broken up, presumably by salvage, it lies at a moderate depth close to shore and away from the shipping lanes, so both newly qualified and experienced divers can make an exciting dive on it.
Also known as Augustenborg.
Where it is and how deep
54.7292° N, 10.7469° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck lies east–west on a bottom between 13 and 15 m. Its two sides are the most intact part, rising from the seabed towards the light, and a circuit of the whole wreck comes before the jumbled wreckage amidships, where currents and sand uncover and bury different parts over time. Old timbers there show how ships were built in the past.
The shallow depth gives the wreck a richer growth of brown and red algae than deeper hulls carry, along with large colonies of breadcrumb sponges. Cod of up to 10 kg are often seen around and under the wreck, and in winter lumpsuckers lay their eggs in it. Good light and infrequent strong currents allow long bottom times all year round.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Augustenborg
- Type
- Steamer or trawler
- Length
- 25 m (82 ft)
- Cause
- Hit a mine during the First World War
- Lies
- East–west on the seabed at 13–15 m, very broken up
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 | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows South Funen Archipelago: Dive trips run all year; December to March is the cold end, and no month is singled out as the best for the wrecks.
Know before you go
- The current ranges from slack water to 3 knots, though strong currents are infrequent.
Sources
- The Augustenborg – dive spot, South Fyn Archipelago — Dyk Sydfyn
More dive sites in South Funen Archipelago
Chalk deposits and flatfish under the cliffs of southern Langeland
An easy pebble-beach entry beneath the Keldsnor lighthouse
Wreck
Denmark's last train ferry, scuttled to grow into an artificial reef
Wreck
A warship rolled so far over that its keel nearly points up
Wreck
A dredger that went down while working on a lighthouse
Similar dives elsewhere
Boilers in 7 m on the rocks that took a 1907 steamer
Wreck
Anna Katrina Fritzen
Klaipėda & Curonian Spit · Lithuania
A torpedoed steam freighter, pieced together from scattered wreckage
Wreck
Anna Maria
Stockholm Archipelago & Dalarö · Sweden
An Amsterdam-built fluit that caught fire and sank at the Dalarö quay
A century-old cargo wreck open to French Level 1 divers