Diving the M2

**Alastair** · April 30th, 2006, 08:31 PM

Did a dive on the M2 out of Weymouth on Friday. Weather was excellent, sea flat and visbility about 10-12m. The wreck itself sunk in 1932 during exercises and went down with all 60 of her crew. The submarine was unique as the worlds first undersea aircraft carrier. It appears that the hangar on the sub was opened while it was still underwater which led to it’s loss.

Myself and Clare were both using 30/30 for the dive and I took a stage of 50 and 100 in order to get some practise using 2 stages. We descended to the wreck and found ourselves next to the conning tower and did a quick tour near the rear of the conning tower before heading forward. We did a circuit of the sub near the seabed looking at the hydroplanes, the bow, torpedo tubes, rudder and screws. We saw plenty of life on our tour including a huge shoal of fish just off to the right of the sub. Visibility was 10-15m so it was easy to pick out features and appreciate the shape of the wreck. Along the port side of the sub we came across a very odd object about 4m off the wreck on the seabed which was a sort of cylindrical metal object about the size of a drum from an industrial washing machine with some old line attached to it.

We ascended to a shallower level and went forward to the hangar. I swam into the hangar and was surprised at the huge mound of silt. I back-kicked out of the hangar and we followed the catapult forward to the bow before turning back. Clare found a lobster in the catapult and we saw Izzy wrestling with another. As we passed the conning tower I found a conger in one of the holes which was pretty sizeable.

We thumbed the dive as I reached minimum gas. As our ascent was underway we had gone up about 4m when I reached into my pocket for the smb and stupidly lost my watch. Given our proximity to the seabed and lack of depth I dropped back down, picked it up and we had another go at ascending now with an extra 2mins of dive time. I gas switched at 21m and we added a little time to ensure the gas circulated. Deco was pretty quick in the deeper section as Clare was only using an 02 stage so the next activity was onto back gas at 9m and I re-stowed the 50% reg before the 02 switch at 6m. Total dive time was 73mins.

Really nice dive - much better than a day at work

Clare should turn up with some photo's shortly.

mstroeck · April 30th, 2006, 08:57 PM

Very nice! Piccies please :-) !

Adrian Kelland · April 30th, 2006, 09:06 PM

I remember that drum on the port side Al, last time I saw it, it was occupied - filled - by a lobster.

Sounds like you had a great dive.

Adrian

GLOC · April 30th, 2006, 09:42 PM

Nice report Al. Last year I dived the M2, it was my first deep UK dive and I do remember being narc'd as I was about to enter the hanger! I also remember the conger in the conning tower tube, as I looked down it poked its head up and out, and I quickly backed off

MJH · April 30th, 2006, 10:35 PM

Yesterday I also dived the M2 along with Gareth (Garf) and Rob Dobson. Once again the seas were flat and the sun shone making it a very enjoyable day out.

The Boat
We had the pleasure of diving off of ‘Scimitar’ a brand new Evolution 3 skippered by Smudge & Helena.

The boat is fully equipped for diving and amenities include hot and cold running water, a toilet on the dive deck and a hose for rinsing kit. Oh and hot pasties and fresh fruit for lunch. http://www.scimitardiving.co.uk/

The M2
One of only three M (Monitor) Class submarines ever built and originally designed as the K19 the M2 was launched in 1919 at Vickers Yard at Barrow. She was designed with two twelve -cylinder diesel engines allowing a maximum speed on the surface was 15.5 knots. Her main armament was a 12-inch gun taken from an obsolete battleship as well as the normal torpedo tubes.

On the 12th of November 1925 the M2’s sister ship the M1 was tragically sunk in a collision with the freighter Vidar. All hands on board were lost. Following public outcry the M2 and M3 were retired from active duty and assigned to an experimental flotilla. Here the M2 was converted to the first and only British submarine aircraft carrier

It is not known exactly why or how the M2 sank on the 26th January 1932. As the hanger door was open and the Parnell Peto plane was still inside the hanger.

Sixty men died when the M2 was lost. Most of the bodies still lie within her and she is classed as a war grave.

The Dive
On descending down the shot line my first glimpse of the M2 was disappointing. Having spoken to Howard Payne (who also dived the previous day) I was expecting absolutely fantastic vis. This however was clearly not the case and it very quickly became apparant that he best we were going to get was 3-4m.

It was a great dive though. Garf lead, with me as number two and Rob bringing up the rear. We did two laps of the wreck which sits very upright in the sea bead and it is easy to distinguish its main features.

The dive went absolutely to plan. At 26mins we left the bottom (32.7m) and ascended to 21m where we switched to 50% and remained for three minutes. We then slowly started to ascend again pausing at 12m and 9m for I minute each, which meant that we reached 6m at 34 minutes. We then proceeded to complete a slow ascent to the surface with the dive ended bang on 40 mins as planned.

For me the dive was more than just my first sub – it was also my first insight into the world of technical diving. Both Rob and Garf did an excellent job of talking me through the dive both on msn the previous evening as well as before dive itself. They were extremely thorough not only making sure that I understood the plan exactly but also making sure that I also fully understood the way the team would work and signals that would be used. As a result I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the dive and they have me hooked.

Looking back my experience has taught me two things. Firstly I was too far back behind Garf. This meant that he could not see my light properly. It also meant that poor Rob had to swim so close to me in order to shine his torch on Garf’s cylinders that I spent the whole dive kicking him. The second thing I learnt from the dive was that I really need to learn to back kick.

Thanks Garf and Rob for taking so much time and trouble to look after me yesterday – I had a fantastic time. And also Gareth (GLOC) for all his help with the planning as well. Blobs will be issued shortly – green I hope!

Rob Dobson · April 30th, 2006, 11:27 PM

Nice write up Marianne.

The Scimitar is *top* boat, the owners are very friendly and can't do enough for you. I will definately be using them again.

The weather yesterady was perfect for diving - flat calm sea and pleasant without being so hot that you melted inside your drysuit.

The viz was pants. I would like to dive the M2 again midweek and in better viz just see what it looks like because right now I'm not really sure. It was like pea soup with lots of divers in it kicking up silt for a laugh - or were they trying to make sandcastles???.

The second dive was supposed to be on the James Fennel but I never saw anything that looked like wreck or even vaguely man made and we were dropped in 24m which is a little deep for a wreck that's supposed to be in about 14m. Still there were plenty of fish for Garf to fry with his 24W Salvo.

Top day - really enjoyed it.

*Clare Gledhill* · May 1st, 2006, 01:27 PM

It was a great day – lots of p!ss taking on the surface and a great dive too.

SML (Simon), DDC (Dianne) and Howard joined us on the boats (although Simon ended up booked on the wrong boat which was going to the same site). They would dive together as a three as Al and I wanted a slightly longer time on the bottom.

Al, Dianne and Howard (or should that be the Xerotherm triplets

)

Simon and Diving Dude (Howard)

Al and I have wanted to do the M2 for a while but Fraser who we normally dive with has refused classing it as ‘boring’ – as does Kerslake and a few others, so we’ve never booked it. A day on our own gave us the opportunity.

Al and I jumped in first and for a few minutes had the wreck (which is very small) to ourselves. I took a shot of Al swimming past the conning tower….

and he took one of me…and then the camera declared memory full – which is less disappointing now I’ve seen them as they are not great – but nice to have a memento.

We covered the sub which is very small thoroughly – and were very glad that we heeded AK’s no scooters advice. It was nice though in the excellent viz to dive something small scale (it is about 90meters from end to end) and see it all laid out in front of me.

**Howard Payne** · May 1st, 2006, 08:20 PM

My first taste of Portland diving and loved every minute of it, especially Howard The Diving Dude who's a lovely fella and clearly lives up to his legendary status (Izzy Imset: "Who was that lawnmower with the YBOD hoovering up my viz") Great day - thanks for organising folks.

SML · May 2nd, 2006, 11:20 AM

Nice to catch up with you guys. Next time I will even try and book the same boat, never actually lost my buddies before a dive.

April 30th, 2006, 08:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
Alastair(Offline) DIRX Supporter Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: UK Posts: 693	Diving the M2 Did a dive on the M2 out of Weymouth on Friday. Weather was excellent, sea flat and visbility about 10-12m. The wreck itself sunk in 1932 during exercises and went down with all 60 of her crew. The submarine was unique as the worlds first undersea aircraft carrier. It appears that the hangar on the sub was opened while it was still underwater which led to it’s loss. Myself and Clare were both using 30/30 for the dive and I took a stage of 50 and 100 in order to get some practise using 2 stages. We descended to the wreck and found ourselves next to the conning tower and did a quick tour near the rear of the conning tower before heading forward. We did a circuit of the sub near the seabed looking at the hydroplanes, the bow, torpedo tubes, rudder and screws. We saw plenty of life on our tour including a huge shoal of fish just off to the right of the sub. Visibility was 10-15m so it was easy to pick out features and appreciate the shape of the wreck. Along the port side of the sub we came across a very odd object about 4m off the wreck on the seabed which was a sort of cylindrical metal object about the size of a drum from an industrial washing machine with some old line attached to it. We ascended to a shallower level and went forward to the hangar. I swam into the hangar and was surprised at the huge mound of silt. I back-kicked out of the hangar and we followed the catapult forward to the bow before turning back. Clare found a lobster in the catapult and we saw Izzy wrestling with another. As we passed the conning tower I found a conger in one of the holes which was pretty sizeable. We thumbed the dive as I reached minimum gas. As our ascent was underway we had gone up about 4m when I reached into my pocket for the smb and stupidly lost my watch. Given our proximity to the seabed and lack of depth I dropped back down, picked it up and we had another go at ascending now with an extra 2mins of dive time. I gas switched at 21m and we added a little time to ensure the gas circulated. Deco was pretty quick in the deeper section as Clare was only using an 02 stage so the next activity was onto back gas at 9m and I re-stowed the 50% reg before the 02 switch at 6m. Total dive time was 73mins. Really nice dive - much better than a day at work Clare should turn up with some photo's shortly. __________________ Helium is our friend - GI3

April 30th, 2006, 09:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
GLOC (Online) Moderator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Fleet, Hants Posts: 1,964	Nice report Al. Last year I dived the M2, it was my first deep UK dive and I do remember being narc'd as I was about to enter the hanger! I also remember the conger in the conning tower tube, as I looked down it poked its head up and out, and I quickly backed off __________________ Gareth Images of Life Photography DIR Team Foxturd Travels Underwater and Further Afar If you don't have the time to do something right, where are you going to find the time to fix it? - Stephen King

April 30th, 2006, 10:35 PM	#5 (permalink)
MJH(Offline) Mask? Oh yes, I thought it was cold.... Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Orpington, Kent Posts: 389	Yesterday I also dived the M2 along with Gareth (Garf) and Rob Dobson. Once again the seas were flat and the sun shone making it a very enjoyable day out. The Boat We had the pleasure of diving off of ‘Scimitar’ a brand new Evolution 3 skippered by Smudge & Helena. The boat is fully equipped for diving and amenities include hot and cold running water, a toilet on the dive deck and a hose for rinsing kit. Oh and hot pasties and fresh fruit for lunch. http://www.scimitardiving.co.uk/ The M2 One of only three M (Monitor) Class submarines ever built and originally designed as the K19 the M2 was launched in 1919 at Vickers Yard at Barrow. She was designed with two twelve -cylinder diesel engines allowing a maximum speed on the surface was 15.5 knots. Her main armament was a 12-inch gun taken from an obsolete battleship as well as the normal torpedo tubes. On the 12th of November 1925 the M2’s sister ship the M1 was tragically sunk in a collision with the freighter Vidar. All hands on board were lost. Following public outcry the M2 and M3 were retired from active duty and assigned to an experimental flotilla. Here the M2 was converted to the first and only British submarine aircraft carrier It is not known exactly why or how the M2 sank on the 26th January 1932. As the hanger door was open and the Parnell Peto plane was still inside the hanger. Sixty men died when the M2 was lost. Most of the bodies still lie within her and she is classed as a war grave. The Dive On descending down the shot line my first glimpse of the M2 was disappointing. Having spoken to Howard Payne (who also dived the previous day) I was expecting absolutely fantastic vis. This however was clearly not the case and it very quickly became apparant that he best we were going to get was 3-4m. It was a great dive though. Garf lead, with me as number two and Rob bringing up the rear. We did two laps of the wreck which sits very upright in the sea bead and it is easy to distinguish its main features. The dive went absolutely to plan. At 26mins we left the bottom (32.7m) and ascended to 21m where we switched to 50% and remained for three minutes. We then slowly started to ascend again pausing at 12m and 9m for I minute each, which meant that we reached 6m at 34 minutes. We then proceeded to complete a slow ascent to the surface with the dive ended bang on 40 mins as planned. For me the dive was more than just my first sub – it was also my first insight into the world of technical diving. Both Rob and Garf did an excellent job of talking me through the dive both on msn the previous evening as well as before dive itself. They were extremely thorough not only making sure that I understood the plan exactly but also making sure that I also fully understood the way the team would work and signals that would be used. As a result I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the dive and they have me hooked. Looking back my experience has taught me two things. Firstly I was too far back behind Garf. This meant that he could not see my light properly. It also meant that poor Rob had to swim so close to me in order to shine his torch on Garf’s cylinders that I spent the whole dive kicking him. The second thing I learnt from the dive was that I really need to learn to back kick. Thanks Garf and Rob for taking so much time and trouble to look after me yesterday – I had a fantastic time. And also Gareth (GLOC) for all his help with the planning as well. Blobs will be issued shortly – green I hope! Last edited by MJH; April 30th, 2006 at 11:41 PM.

May 1st, 2006, 01:27 PM	#7 (permalink)
Clare Gledhill(Offline) GUE Instructor Site Admin Pacman Champion! Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: UK Posts: 1,541	It was a great day – lots of p!ss taking on the surface and a great dive too. SML (Simon), DDC (Dianne) and Howard joined us on the boats (although Simon ended up booked on the wrong boat which was going to the same site). They would dive together as a three as Al and I wanted a slightly longer time on the bottom. Al, Dianne and Howard (or should that be the Xerotherm triplets ) Simon and Diving Dude (Howard) Al and I have wanted to do the M2 for a while but Fraser who we normally dive with has refused classing it as ‘boring’ – as does Kerslake and a few others, so we’ve never booked it. A day on our own gave us the opportunity. Al and I jumped in first and for a few minutes had the wreck (which is very small) to ourselves. I took a shot of Al swimming past the conning tower…. and he took one of me…and then the camera declared memory full – which is less disappointing now I’ve seen them as they are not great – but nice to have a memento. We covered the sub which is very small thoroughly – and were very glad that we heeded AK’s no scooters advice. It was nice though in the excellent viz to dive something small scale (it is about 90meters from end to end) and see it all laid out in front of me. __________________ Clare . "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions....Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great." Interested in DIR dive training? Always happy to chat/answer questions so get in touch via PM or visit www.dirdiver.co.uk

May 1st, 2006, 08:20 PM	#8 (permalink)
Howard Payne(Offline) Strokey Dokily Doo Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: London Posts: 1,202	My first taste of Portland diving and loved every minute of it, especially Howard The Diving Dude who's a lovely fella and clearly lives up to his legendary status (Izzy Imset: "Who was that lawnmower with the YBOD hoovering up my viz") Great day - thanks for organising folks. __________________ The Foxturd Chimp

April 30th, 2006, 08:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
mstroeck(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Vienna, Austria Posts: 156	Very nice! Piccies please :-) !

April 30th, 2006, 09:06 PM	#3 (permalink)
Adrian Kelland (Online) Can't remember Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Exeter - Team of 1 Posts: 268	I remember that drum on the port side Al, last time I saw it, it was occupied - filled - by a lobster. Sounds like you had a great dive. Adrian

April 30th, 2006, 11:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
Rob Dobson(Offline) Chillin' with the ninjas Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Oxford Posts: 536	Nice write up Marianne. The Scimitar is top boat, the owners are very friendly and can't do enough for you. I will definately be using them again. The weather yesterady was perfect for diving - flat calm sea and pleasant without being so hot that you melted inside your drysuit. The viz was pants. I would like to dive the M2 again midweek and in better viz just see what it looks like because right now I'm not really sure. It was like pea soup with lots of divers in it kicking up silt for a laugh - or were they trying to make sandcastles???. The second dive was supposed to be on the James Fennel but I never saw anything that looked like wreck or even vaguely man made and we were dropped in 24m which is a little deep for a wreck that's supposed to be in about 14m. Still there were plenty of fish for Garf to fry with his 24W Salvo. Top day - really enjoyed it.

May 2nd, 2006, 11:20 AM	#9 (permalink)
SML(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Southampton/Fleet Posts: 31	Nice to catch up with you guys. Next time I will even try and book the same boat, never actually lost my buddies before a dive.