SS Hispania wreck – amazing Sound of Mull diving weekend
The Sound of Mull - A deep dangerous stretch of water, some 25 miles long and between one and two miles wide, the Sound of Mull separates Mull from mainland Scotland. This narrow stretch of water offers some fascinating dives, with the added benefit of good visibility and protection from rougher waters further out. Many ships have sought out this sheltered passage for refuge from the fiercest Atlantic storms, although usually sheltered, in stormy weather and poor visibility the Sound of Mull can be treacherous. Just a few degrees off course from a safe route along the sound, and a ship can strike the rocks. This is exactly what happened to the Swedish steamship Hispania on 18th December 1954. SS Hispania a Swedish cargo steamer built in 1912, she was steaming from Liverpool to Varberg in Sweden with a cargo of steel, asbestos and rubber sheeting. She sunk with her Captain still aboard and saluting as she went down. At just over 70m long and a lowly 1337 tons gross, the Hispania is not a particularly large wreck, but it is truly amazing dive –my favourite Sound of Mull wreck.
The Hispania lies upright with a slight list to starboard - pointing towards the Mull, on a slope with the stern in 32m and the bows in 24m.
Hispania is one of the best and most dived wrecks in Scotland (and maybe UK) - but due to strong tides in this area should only be attempted at slack water – which itself is unpredictable - can be short and can be running on the surface and yet slack on the wreck, and vice-versa. Wreck is stunningly intact and the fierce currents have brought an abundance of sea life – Hispania is now almost completely blanketed in a carpet of white and orange big plumose anemones, peacock worms and dead man fingers. Lots of schooling fish, large Pollack and there always seems to be an abundance of colourful cuckoo and Ballan wrasse.
Amazingly she’s on the seabed for over 60 years but is nearly intact! Superstructure, deck, railings, spare propeller, cranes, lifeboat derricks and masts - they're all in place! Only the masts show any real damage having fallen across the deck but still connected at their bases (cargo was salvaged in the 1950`s and in 1957 a wire sweep was carried). Hispania offers fantastic swim trough’s where even the ceilings of the rooms and companion ways are covered in life.
On my dive we had around 10 m viz -shot line provided an easy route to the wreck (attached to the bridge) - we’ve been warned about slight current (with surprising strength) - thankfully (as skipper Allan predicted) it died down. We were able to swim right - towards stern; wondering around deck before dropping below the stern to check the rudder. Back on deck we were able to explore stern accommodation (swim thru corridors) -cabins and corridors are brightly lit from above (roofs have all rotted away) - moving forward above the deck to check out the masts, spars and winches, festooned with yet more marine life- again we were able to swim towards block of cabins, then the engine room and the bridge -guarded by big wrasse (probably Captain Ivan Dahn ghost). In front of the bridge were three more holds, with a further array of masts, winches and spars. The foremast and a large winch at its base were particularly photogenic. This was definitely the dive of the trip for me and the beauty of this wreck has to be seen to be believed.