The Wreck of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a fabulous ship accident that has brought to life a lovely marine park. It is just one of the most preferred dives in the Caribbean. Its terrible tale continues to attract and mesmerize us.


Captain Woolley selected the closest path to ocean blue with the channel between Dead Chest Island and Black Rock Point on Salt Island. As Rhone came around to come close to the factor the tail end of the storm threw her onto the rocks.

The History
Throughout the yellow high temperature epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic traveler ships quit consistently at Road Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to move guests and cargo between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had actually been advised by a dropping barometer that a tornado was coming, yet thinking that the cyclone period was over, he chose to stay at Great Harbour for the transfer with an additional RMS ship, Conway.

Equally as they were passing Black Rock Factor between Salt and Dead Chest islands, the weather unexpectedly transformed instructions. The first lurch caught the Rhone on her side and she shattered versus the rough coral reef. Tale has it that Captain Wooley was using a silver teaspoon (which remains encrusted in the coral reefs today) to mix his favorite at the time. The wreckage is currently a popular dive site, home to a fascinating variety of aquatic life. Most people concur that a complete expedition of the website calls for 2 separate dives, as the bow and stern sections are spread apart at different depths.

The Wreck
The Rhone rests underneath the cozy clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a popular dive site today. Visitors can explore the remarkably intact bow section, see where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were shot, and swim under the stern near its large 15 foot propeller. This brimming marine park is a pointer of the delicate balance between man and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to anchor the Rhone in Road Harbor, the wind and waves shifted and he chose to try to beat the approaching storm out into the open sea. He steered the ship to Black Rock Point between Dead Upper Body and Blond Rock, a set of rough peaks rising from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in two sections with the cold water of the incoming tide contacting the hot boilers causing an explosion and sinking the vessel with all 123 guests still linked to their beds.

Snorkeling
Among one of the most popular accident dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can quickly check out much of the Rhone by simply floating on a mask and breathing via the sea. The much deeper bow area is especially well-preserved, a kaleidoscope of orange mug corals reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes from the 1977 motion picture The Deep were filmed.

The strict and belly are extra separated, but they provide a haunting look of a previous age. Scuba divers need to plan on at least 2 dives to fully experience the Rhone, particularly considering that presence can in some cases be complicated. Highlights consist of the lucky porthole, which scuba divers massage permanently luck, and the popular bronze prop. The rusting skeletal system of the Rhone is a legendary sight in the BVI and is a must-see for any diving or boating lover. The ship is open to the public for expedition, and many neighborhood dive watercrafts visit daily. The Rhone is secured by the National Park Service, and entry is for free.

Diving
Among the Caribbean's most popular wreck dives, Rhone all-inclusive yacht vacations is a desired website for its historic allure and brimming aquatic life. It's open and reasonably safe, making it appropriate for scuba divers of all experience degrees.

The story behind the wreck is awful: as she was moving guests to another ship, Conway, at Roadway Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Factor and ran into it at full speed. Hot central heating boilers wrecked against chilly salt water and exploded, sending the Rhone crashing right into the rocks and sinking in minutes. Just 23 of the 146 individuals aboard endured. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.

The wreckage split in two when it sank, and the bow area drifted to much deeper waters, while the strict cleared up at concerning 80 feet. Both are swallowed up in coral reefs and populated by aquatic life, including institutions of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes a minimum of 2 dives to discover the entire wreck, however, given that the bow and stern sections are separated by regarding 100 feet of water.