Trincomalee & Kalpitiya · Sri Lanka · Wreck
HMS Hermes
The first purpose-built aircraft carrier, at 53 m
Area photo: Kondephy · CC BY-SA 4.0
The world's first ship designed as an aircraft carrier, 182.9 m long, sunk on 9 April 1942 by Japanese dive-bombers during the air raid on Ceylon with the loss of 307 men including her captain. She lies at 53 m off Sri Lanka's east coast, a designated British war grave, and the training listed for the site is technical.
Also known as HMS Hermes (95).
Where it is and how deep
7.5912° N, 82.0986° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This is a technical dive and nothing else. The maximum depth on the site is 53 m, or 173 feet, and the training listed as recommended for it runs to Tec 40, 45 and 50, PADI Rebreather Diver and Diver Propulsion Vehicle Diver. Entry is by boat. Published positions for the wreck differ: the historical sinking position and the position PADI carries for the dive site are about 40 km apart, so the mark you drop on is the operator's.
What is down there is 182.9 m of warship: the first ship in the world designed from the keel up as an aircraft carrier, laid down in January 1918 and commissioned in February 1924. On 9 April 1942 roughly 85 Aichi D3A dive-bombers escorted by nine Mitsubishi A6M Zeros found her off Ceylon, at least 32 attacked, and she went down quickly. 307 men died, including Captain Onslow, and the wreck is a designated British war grave — the governing fact for how it is dived.
The wreck
- Vessel
- HMS Hermes
- Type
- Aircraft carrier
- Length
- 182.9 m (600 ft)
- Built
- 1924
- Sunk
- 1942
- Cause
- Bombed by Japanese carrier dive-bombers in the 9 April 1942 air raid on Ceylon
- Lies
- At 53 m off the east coast, a designated British war grave
Hermes was laid down on 15 January 1918, launched on 11 September 1919 and commissioned on 18 February 1924, the first ship in the world designed as an aircraft carrier. On 9 April 1942 she was caught off Ceylon by approximately 85 Aichi D3A dive-bombers escorted by nine Mitsubishi A6M Zeros; at least 32 attacked and sank her in quick order. 307 men were lost, including Captain Onslow, and the wreck is a designated British war grave.
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 | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Trincomalee & Kalpitiya: Trincomalee dives Apr–Sep; Kalpitiya's whale season runs Nov–Apr on the opposite monsoon, so one coast is always workable.
Know before you go
- At 53 m the wreck is well beyond recreational limits and needs decompression planning, mixed gas and the technical training listed for the site.
- The wreck is a designated British war grave with 307 men lost aboard, so nothing on it is to be disturbed or recovered.
Dive videos
HMS Hermes, part 1 - the ship · FinnborgBraga on YouTube
Dive Adventures Diving HMS Hermes - Sri Lanka · Dive Adventures on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can recreational divers dive HMS Hermes?+
No. The site bottoms out at 53 m, well past recreational limits, and the recommended training listed for it is Tec 40/45/50, PADI Rebreather Diver and Diver Propulsion Vehicle Diver. It is also a designated British war grave, so nothing on it may be disturbed.
Sources
- HMS Hermes dive site — PADI
- HMS Hermes (95) — Wikipedia
In The Logbook
- Why is 1.4 bar the oxygen limit in diving?Body & health · 13 min read
- Deep wreck diving: where recreational stopsWrecks · 8 min read
- How a dive computer calculates no-stop timeBody & health · 10 min read
- Air, nitrox or trimix: which gas, and when?Gear & kit · 15 min read
- WWII wrecks you can dive, by theatreWrecks · 7 min read
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