My sister in law and I went diving today which was great fun. Our first dive was on a wreck of the Pelinaion. See the video below for what the wreck looks like.

The Greek steamer, Pelinaion, was built in 1907 by Russell & Company, Port Glasgow, for Hill SS. Company, Ltd. and originally named Hill Glen. She was 385 feet in length, had a 49.9 foot beam, was powered by 384 n.p.h triple expansion engines and displaced 4,291 gross tons. In 1914, she was sold and re-named Doonholm. After serving with a number of British tramp owners, she was sold in 1927 to G.K. Ktistakis, Chios, Greece, and renamed K. Ktistakis. In 1939, she was re-named once again the Pelinaion.

On December 22, 1939, the ship sailed from Takiradi, West Africa, for Baltimore, Maryland, with a cargo of iron ore. On January 16,1939, under the command of Captain Janis Valikos, while heading for Bermuda to take on fuel, she was wrecked off David’s Head, Bermuda. Captain Valikos was apparently unaware that St. Davids Light was out due to the war, and he inaccurately calculated the position of his ship.

Today, the Pelinaion lies scattered in 65 feet of water. Her engine stands upright coming to within 10 feet of the surface, and her bow sits in only 20 feet of water. Mike Burke tells us of a tunnel like cave that starts on the reef, which allows divers to swim under the ship’s hull and end up in her stern. Divers can see her deck winches, propeller and anchor while exploring this magnificent shipwreck.

The second dive was a reef dive and we saw tarpen that were about 4-5 feet long, went through arches in the reef and saw a school of groupers.