H.M.S. MAORI
Malta
The H.M.S. Maori took part in the destruction of one of the most feared ships of the German Empire, the Bismarck. The wreck lies in the bay of St. Elmo in Valletta, a few 100 meters offshore. Named after the natives of New Zealand, the Maori. The main part of the Maori lies below the sand. The forward deck and superstructure are still visible. Since the 2016 November storm there's a Toyota to be found near the ship. A dive on the Maori can easily be combined with Fort St Elmo's reef dive.
Particulars
Type: Destroyer. Class: Tribal class destroyer. Length: 115m. Width: 11m. Weight: 1850 tons. Speed: 36 knots. Builder: Fairfild Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan. Year built: 1936. Immersion admission: September 2, 1937. Submerged in the bay of St. Elmo: July 1945. Deepest point 17m. Shallowest point: 12m.
Warnings
Bad visibility in northweast current. Going inside the wreck is not recommended due to instability. The wreck has many sharp edges.
H.M.S. MAORI Features
- Nicknames
- HMS Maori, St Elmo Bay
- Address
- St Elmo Bay, Triq Il-Lanca, Valetta, Malta
- Parking
- Sufficient parking, at busy times turning the car is difficult
- Distance
- 30 m.
- Suitable for
- Beginners (do not enter wreck), day out with the family, underwater photography
- Permit
- N.v.t.
- Access
- Free access, 5 min. swimming to wreck, entry with handrail, swell can make exiting difficult
- Facilities
- Restaurant with toilet
- Water
- Salt
- Tide
- N.v.t.
- Kind of dive
- Shore dive, night dive, shallow dive, explorer dive
- Current
- Limited, none
- Visibility
- 10 - 30 m.
- Average visibility
- 20 m.
- Depth
- 15 m.
- Bottom
- rotsen, zand
- Life
- Scorpionfish, mediterranean cardinalfish or king of the mullets, wrasse, mediterranean moray or roman eel, common octopus, parrotfish, ornate- or turkish wrasse, sea bass, john dory or peter's fish, black faced blenny, saddled bream
- Other recreation
- Swimming and snorkeling, museum Fort St Elmo, visit monument(s)
- Emergency
- 112
Current weather conditions
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