Heritage underwater

Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU)’s WreckLife project has been endorsed by the United Nations Ocean Decade, underscoring the importance of the unique 360-degree virtual reality experience.

WreckLife deepens understanding of the intricate relationship between historic wrecks in Maltese coastal waters and their surrounding marine environments.

By examining temporal changes in climate and their effects on the marine environment, the project helps experts predict future degradation and develop effective strategies for preserving these underwater cultural heritage sites.

Heritage Malta’s UCHU works to disseminate underwater findings to the public. Chief amongst these are Heritage Malta’s Virtual Museum, a platform that invites the public to explore the historical sites found in Maltese coastal waters, and the Dive into History 360 programme, which brings these sites to life through high-resolution 360-degree virtual reality experiences offered to diverse audiences in schools, active ageing centres, conferences, and events both locally and globally.

The WreckLife project takes the UCHU’s work to new levels, as it aligns itself with the United Nation’s Ocean Decade global initiative.

The shipwrecks are studied as ecological islands, merging archaeological methodologies with biological research that includes sediment sampling, temperature mapping and light measurements.

Scientific diving operations as well as other undersea technologies are utilised for monitoring and data collection, providing high-resolution data for unprecedented insights into the ecological dynamics around these underwater archaeological sites.

WreckLife brings together a diverse team of experts from various fields and institutions, including various departments at the University of Malta, generating valuable knowledge and new research methodologies.

By publishing open-access articles and engaging with the public through educational programmes and interactive online platforms, the project ensures its research findings reach a broad audience, promoting ocean literacy and environmental stewardship. WreckLife sets a new standard for managing historic shipwrecks and their ecologies, contributing to the conservation of underwater cultural heritage worldwide.

HMS Urge

Depth: 112m

HMS Urge was a Royal Navy U-class submarine that formed part of the 10th Submarine Flotilla based at the Lazaretto on Manoel Island, Malta. These small, 630-tonne submarines were found to be ideal for use in the shallow waters of the Mediterranean.

The wreck site was discovered at a depth of 112 metres approximately 2km outside the Grand Harbour.

HMS Urge operated in the Mediterranean where it had an intense patrol career, damaging or sinking significant numbers of Axis shipping. It was also one of the first submarines from which special forces raids on enemy coastlines were carried out.

The most well-known achievement of HMS Urge was the attack on the Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto near the Straits of Messina on 14 December 1941, the largest enemy battleship to be torpedoed at sea by a Royal Navy submarine during the Second World War.

Eventually, the location of the 10th Submarine Flotilla on Manoel Island was no longer viable, and the remaining submarines were ordered to evacuate to Alexandria, Egypt. After leaving the harbour on 27 April 1942, HMS Urge was expected in Alexandria on 6 May 1942, but never arrived, and was never heard from again, along with its 32-member crew and 12 passengers.

HMS Urge struck a mine on its departure from the Grand Harbour, with the resulting explosion breaking off the bow section and revealing the inner torpedo tube compartment.

This, however, would remain a mystery until 2019, when the wreck site of HMS Urge was discovered during a remote sensing survey, jointly organised between the Maritime Archaeology Programme of the University of Malta, and the grandson of the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant EP Tomkinson.

Martin Maryland

Depth: 70m

The Maryland lies upside down on a gravelly/sandy seabed at a depth of 70 metres off the coast of Marsaskala. The starboard engine and its three-bladed propeller are located some distance away. The wreck site consists of the well-preserved wings, the broken nose compartment, the debris of the main fuselage, tail with trim flaps and the port engine. The site was discovered during a side scan sonar survey conducted by the University of Malta’s shipwreck survey project in the spring of 2020.

The Martin Maryland 167 was a light bomber designed by the Glenn L. Martin Company in response to the light-bomber requirements issued by the United States Army Air Corps in 1938.

The Maryland 167 was a twin-engine all-metal construction, with a three-member crew consisting of the pilot, navigator/bomb aimer and a radio-operator/gunner.

The first three Maryland aircraft to arrive in Malta were fitted with vertical cameras, having successfully attempting a non-stop flight over occupied France, in an aircraft that was unproven in RAF service. On 9 October 1940 the reconnaissance flights from Malta over Taranto started, continuing almost every day until on the night of 11-12 November 1940 Operation Judgement (the Battle of Taranto) was launched by the Royal Navy, shifting the balance of power in the Mediterranean.

B-24 Liberator

Depth: 55m

The Consolidated B24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, and is the world’s most produced heavy bomber, multi-engine aircraft and American military aircraft. Throughout the Second World War the B24 was used in all branches of the American Armed Forces and even saw action with Allied forces.

The extensive bombing that took place over the Western European theatre was carried out by B4 liberator aircrafts. This also included most of the heavy bombing that was part of the Italian Campaign between 1942-1943. Reggio Calabria was an important and strategic target for the Allied forces, owing to its harbour and railroad facilities.

On 6th May, B24 Liberators dropped 110 tons of bombs over the city, mainly targeting the harbour.

One B24 Liberator developed engine trouble over the city and after dropping its bomb load the crew decided to fly back to Malta, often used a safe haven for damaged aircrafts returning from Sicily and Italy.

After several failed landing attempts at Luqa, the 10-member crew was forced to ditch the plane in the sea. The wheels of the aircraft were lowered when it hit the surface, flipping the plane upside down, and after floating for a few minutes, the tail section sank first and the nose last.

Nine crew members survived and were rescued by the Royal Air Force Air Sea Rescue, but one member of the crew remained unaccounted for.

The wreck site of the B24 Liberator was discovered in 2015 through a side-scan sonar remote sensing survey and lies approximately 1.5km south-west of Marsaxlokk at a depth of 55 metres on a sandy seabed.

In 2023, the US Defence Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Accounting Agency – the DPAA – announced that remains recovered from the wreck could be identified as Sgt Newman.

Supermarine Spitfire

Depth: 70m

The Supermarine Spitfire was the backbone of the Royal Air Force, in service on the frontlines from the beginning to the end of the Second World War.

The history of the Spitfire wreck located off the coast of Gozo is linked to Operation Husky – the Allied invasion of Sicily (10 July 1943-17 August 1943). After the Allied victory in North Africa (Operation Torch), a decision was made to focus on Italy next, considered to be the ‘soft underbelly’ and the weakest Axis power.

In preparation for Operation Husky, 25 Spitfire Squadrons comprising some 400 aircraft were to be based in Malta. By May 1943 it was decided that an airfield in Gozo was required, with Xewkija chosen as the aerodrome site.

The construction of the airfield was completed in 20 days and on 30 June 1943 the first Spitfires landed in Gozo, marking the first-time aircraft safely landed on the island. The Gozo airfield USAAF Spitfire Squadrons from the 31st Group – the 307th, 308th, 309th fighter squadrons – were tasked with providing coverage of the invasion fleet during Operation Husky.

A missing air crew report dated to 30 June 1943 provides information on the Spitfire that was lost off the coast of Gozo. The missing Spitfire was a Twelfth Air Force asset from the 308th fighter squadron of the 31st Group, having departed from Korba, Tunisia, on a route to Pantelleria and Gozo. The aircraft disappeared after a missed approach on the Xewkija airfield and it was at this point when radio contact was lost. The aircraft is listed as having been lost as a result of crashing into the sea.

The lost aircraft was reported as a Spitfire Mk Vc with a Merlin 45 engine, and unknown armaments. The Malta Air/Sea Rescue is recorded as having picked up the distress call and conducting a search in the area where the aircraft was last noted, with no success.

HMS Nasturtium

Depth: 67m

Today, HMS Nasturtium lies approximately 10km outside the Grand Harbour at a depth of 67 metres. First discovered by fishermen, HMS Nasturtium lies upright on the seabed and is well-preserved but for some damage to her stern. Armaments and other nautical elements such as portholes and navigational instruments are still visible. The wooden elements of the deck have since deteriorated due to shipworm, and the site is now heavily colonised with sponges and other marine life.

On 24 April 1916, HMS Nasturtium left Malta but was ordered to return immediately to search for submarines and mines, laid by the German submarine U-73. In the evening of 27 April, HMS Nasturtium was located approximately 10km off the coast of Valletta, steaming at 10 knots, when she struck a mine. The mine exploded below the waterline on the starboard side next to the foremost funnel.

Both boiler rooms flooded and a significant amount of coal was forced out of the hole caused by the explosion. This caused the sloop to list to port, and it was this excessive list that caused the ship to slowly flood. Later reports by the commanding officer reveal that all the bulkheads and portholes held well.

Several attempts were made to tow the minesweeper to safety, ultimately, however, the crew had to be evacuated and HMS Nasturtium sunk in the early morning hours of 28 April 1916. The same minefield caused the sinking of HMS Russell the previous day, and HMY Aegusa on the same day as she attempted to aid HMS Nasturtium.