Ushuaia & the Beagle Channel · Argentina · Wreck
Monte Cervantes wreck
Deck and cabins of a 1930 cruise liner wreck near Les Eclaireurs
Photo: Liam Quinn from Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Monte Cervantes was a German passenger liner that hit an uncharted rock near Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse in 1930 and now lies in the Beagle Channel off Ushuaia. It is the crown jewel of the channel's wrecks, and divers come to tour the upper works of a 150 m cruise ship in cold subantarctic water.
Also known as Monte Cervantes, MV Monte Cervantes.
Where it is and how deep
54.8715° S, 68.0832° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
When the current is calm and the water clear, the dive tours the superstructure. Local divers have found the deck, the cabins, the masts and part of the upper hull caught between 35 and 45 m, and the visit stays on that band of wreckage. The rest of the ship sank into the channel's 130 m depths, out of reach of sport diving, so the route never follows the ship down past the upper works.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Monte Cervantes
- Type
- German passenger liner
- Length
- 150 m (492 ft)
- Built
- 1927
- Sunk
- 1930
- Cause
- Struck a rock that was not on the nautical charts
- Lies
- Upper works between 35 and 45 m near Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse; the rest of the ship sank into the channel's 130 m depths
Blohm + Voss christened the Monte Cervantes on 25 August 1927 as the third ship of the Monte class, and she sailed the South American route from Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn, Punta Arenas and Ushuaia. On 22 January 1930 she left Ushuaia and within 30 minutes struck submerged rocks in the Pan de Indio, on a rock that the nautical charts of the time did not show.
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 | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Ushuaia & the Beagle Channel: Diving runs all year; the clearest water comes in winter, when it is also coldest, while summer plankton cuts visibility.
Know before you go
- Currents and winds at the wreck are strong and changeable, and there is no shelter nearby.
Dive videos
Expedición Subacua al Monte Cervantes. Organizada por Carlos Pane · NAUTICA SAVINO on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What experience does the Monte Cervantes wreck need?+
It is a dive for experienced divers only. The deck and cabins lie between 35 and 45 m, and the currents and winds there are strong and changeable.
Sources
- The Unfathomable Southern Seas — InterPatagonia
- MV Monte Cervantes — Wikipedia
- Faro Les Éclaireurs — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- A red and white striped lighthouse on a low, lichen-covered rocky islet, with snow-capped mountains behind and calm blue water in front by Liam Quinn from Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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