Resurgam dives
Protected wrecks are special dives, a chance to drop on a piece of history and see something unique. Resurgam (Latin: “I shall rise again”) is an early submarine from the Victorian era and its prototype, designed and built in Britain by Reverend George Garrett. It sank in 1880 and was only found again in 1995. It is the first powered submarine and as such is a holds a special place in submarine history. Article on the Resurgam in the vintage Gazette The Victorian Submarine “Resurgam”: Hailed by many as one of the world’s earliest ‘powered’ submarines (thevintagenews.com)
To dive a protected wreck there is a procedure to follow which begins with registering the divers names with the keeper of the wreck and then, once permission is gained, the dives need to be planned.
In total about twenty people signed up but over two dives we could only accommodate twelve of those signed up due to dates and tidal restrictions.
Prior to our dives some of us had attended a dry dive in Liverpool and took the chance to visit the replica housed on Merseyside. This was useful as it gave us an idea of the size and shape and with the potential of poor visibility in Liverpool Bay, it gave us an idea of what we diving and how to navigate around the wreck successfully.
North Wales and Liverpool bay on a Sunday, the target was the Resurgam submarine.
Our first dive took place on the 5th August and also included the use of a sidemount sonar which gave us an interesting view of the submarine. the team dived in pairs exploring the wreck in 2m visibility. Despite the visibility not being the best had a successful and enjoyable day’s diving.
Our second dive also had a great dive off the Rhyl coast. Locating the tiny sub in the vast sea with no visual references was a challenge, but totally worth it to see one of the first submarines, which sank in 1880 and was only found again in 1995. Covered in crabs, and orange and yellow plumose anemones, it is now a hub of life. Whether it will live up to it’s Latin meaning ‘I will rise again’ remains to be seen.
