The Accident of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a famous ship accident that has actually brought to life a gorgeous marine park. It is among one of the most preferred dives in the Caribbean. Its terrible tale remains to captivate and mesmerize us.


Captain Woolley chose the closest path to open sea through the channel between Dead Upper body Island and Black Rock Factor on Salt Island. As Rhone occurred to come close to the point the tail end of the typhoon tossed her onto the rocks.

The History
During the yellow high temperature epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic guest ships quit consistently at Roadway Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to move travelers and cargo between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been advised by a going down measure that a storm was coming, but believing that the storm period mored than, he made a decision to stay at Great Harbour for the transfer with another RMS ship, Conway.

Just as they were passing Black Rock Factor in between Salt and Dead Breast islands, the weather condition suddenly changed instructions. The first lurch caught the Rhone on her side and she smashed versus the rough reef. Legend has it that Captain Wooley was making use of a silver tsp (which stays encrusted in the coral today) to mix his favorite at the time. The accident is now a preferred dive website, home to an interesting range of marine life. Most individuals concur that a full exploration of the website needs two separate dives, as the bow and strict areas are spread apart at various midsts.

The Accident
The Rhone rests under the cozy clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a well known dive website today. Site visitors can check out the remarkably undamaged bow section, see where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were fired, and swim under the demanding near its large 15 foot prop. This bursting marine park is a reminder of the fragile balance in between guy and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to anchor the Rhone in Roadway Harbor, the wind and waves moved and he chose to attempt to beat the coming close to storm out into the ocean blue. He steered the ship to Black Rock Point in between Dead Breast and Blonde Rock, a set of rocky peaks rising up from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in two areas with the cold water of the incoming trend calling the hot central heating boilers triggering an explosion and sinking the vessel with all 123 travelers still tied to their beds.

Snorkeling
Among the most famous accident dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can easily discover much of the Rhone by just drifting on a mask and breathing with the sea. The deeper bow area is particularly unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange cup reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes from the 1977 motion picture The Deep were filmed.

The strict and belly are extra broken up, yet they provide a haunting glimpse of a previous era. Scuba divers should intend on at least 2 dives to fully experience the Rhone, specifically because presence can in some cases be complicated. Highlights consist of the lucky porthole, which scuba divers scrub forever luck, and the well-known bronze prop. The rusting skeleton of the Rhone is a legendary sight in the BVI and is a must-see for any kind of diving or boating enthusiast. The ship is open to the general public for exploration, and numerous neighborhood all inclusive sailing trips dive boats see daily. The Rhone is safeguarded by the National forest Service, and entryway is for free.

Diving
Among the Caribbean's most celebrated accident dives, Rhone is a desirable site for its historic allure and bursting aquatic life. It's open and fairly secure, making it suitable for scuba divers of all experience degrees.

The story behind the accident is tragic: as she was transferring guests to another ship, Conway, at Roadway Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Factor and ran into it at full speed. Warm central heating boilers smashed versus cool seawater and blew up, sending out the Rhone crashing right into the rocks and sinking in mins. Only 23 of the 146 people aboard endured. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.

The accident split in two when it sank, and the bow area drifted to deeper waters, while the demanding resolved at about 80 feet. Both are swallowed up in reefs and inhabited by aquatic life, consisting of schools of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes a minimum of 2 dives to discover the entire accident, however, since the bow and stern areas are divided by about 100 feet of water.