Weymouth & Portland · United Kingdom · Wreck

Elena R

Boilers at 24 m on the edge of the Shambles Bank

The Elena R was a Greek steamship sunk on 22 November 1939, an early U-boat victim, and she lies on the edge of the Shambles Bank east of Portland Bill. The wreck is at 27 m and stands around 7 m high in places, with the boilers at 24 m big enough to show on an echo-sounder and the usual target for the shot. Slack water here arrives and departs in a rush.

Where it is and how deep

Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

50.5035° N, 2.3448° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

The shot usually goes onto the boilers, which sit at 24 m and are the easiest part of the wreck to find on an echo-sounder. From there the structure drops away to a 27 m seabed and stands about 7 m proud in places, so this is a wreck with real height rather than a flattened debris field. The hull lies with its bow to the south-east, which gives you a direction to work in when the visibility is poor.

Follow the wreck from the boilers towards the bow, then turn and come back over the same ground; there is enough relief to keep it in sight the whole way. Conger eels hold in the broken structure and crabs work the plating. The Elena R sits on the edge of the Shambles Bank and slack water arrives and departs in a rush, so the dive is short and ends back on the shotline rather than drifting off the site.

The wreck

Vessel: Elena R
Type: Greek steamship
Sunk: 1939
Cause: Sunk by a U-boat on 22 November 1939
Lies: On the edge of the Shambles Bank east of Portland Bill, bow to the south-east, about 7 m proud of a 27 m seabed

The Elena R was a Greek steamship and an early U-boat victim of the Second World War, sunk on 22 November 1939. She came to rest on the edge of the Shambles Bank, the sandbank east of Portland Bill, where the tide runs hard over her and holds the dive to a short slack window. Her boilers still stand clear enough of the wreck to be picked up on an echo-sounder.

Marine life and season

Macro critters

Month-by-month season rating for Elena R
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Fair	Fair	Fair	Good	Good	Prime	Prime	Prime	Prime	Good	Fair	Fair

Season follows Weymouth & Portland: Sea temperature runs from about 7 °C in February to 17 °C in August; winter gales off the Atlantic rather than the cold are what stop the boats.