The Wreck
The S.S. Stanfield was a 3370 ton steam powered merchant ship built in 1899 in Liverpool, England. It is 120m long, 15m beam and 9m high. The ship departed Norfolk, Virginia on June 5th 1916 towards Savona, Italy. It was skippered by captain Georges Yannaghas while transporting a shipment of coal for the Italian military. On June 25th 1916 at 23:30h it sunk near the underwater mountains of Islas Hormigas.
The causes of the sinking are uncertain as one version states that it might have been sunk by one of the u-boots operating in the area while another version indicates it might have actually struck one of the submerged mountains close to the NW boy of the Natural Reserve of Cabo de Palos. Either way, the bow of the ship is completely smashed which led to major flooding and subsequent sinking.
The wreck sits upright at about 60m depth. Average depth is 50m and minimum depth is 45m.
The Project
The project’s objective is to document the condition of the S.S. Stanfield and the dives done on this wreck by underwater UTD photographer Pedro Molina.
The Team
- Pedro Molina (Project co-director & Technical Diver)
- Rafa Cabello (Project co-director & Technical Diver)
- UTD divers
Execution
30 April 2022
14 May 2022
20 August 2022
22 October 2022
