A team of Maltese marine archaeological explorers have discovered the wreck of the long-lost British submarine HMS Olympus, which sank off the Maltese coast when it hit a mine in World War II.
Submarine sank after hitting a mine
The wreck was found during a survey of the ocean floor last year and recently announced to the British and Maltese governments and the Royal Navy.
The find was made by Timmy Gambin, director of Marine Archaeology at the Florida-based Aurora Trust, and his Maltese team, in collaboration with Malta’s Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
The HMS Olympus sank on May 8, 1942 after hitting a mine while trying to dodge German and Italian warships blockading Grand Harbour. It had been missing for almost 70 years.
Under cover of darkness, the HMS Olympus was manoeuvring to clear the harbour when it struck a mine. Together with its 55-strong crew, the HMS Olympus was carrying 43 crewmen from another two British submarines that had been sunk in air raids. There were only nine survivors. The dead seamen were buried at the Kalkara naval cemetery.
The submarine is 86.5 metres in length and six metres wide with its distinctive deck gun and eight bow torpedo tubes. Craig Mullen, one of the founders of Aurora, said sonar images and photographs revealed the submarine was resting upright on the seabed.
The trust, which has headquarters in Key Largo, Florida, as well as a logistical base in Malta, visited the wreck and sent down a remotely operated vehicle equipped with video cameras to capture images that confirmed the 80-metre-long vessel’s identity.
Founded in 2004, the trust foundation explores the ocean depths and has made numerous significant discoveries in the Mediterranean Sea – including that of Roman shipwrecks which was documented by the National Geographic.