Southern Baltic

MF JAN HEWELIUSZ

Photo: Balcer

RoRo type ferry (3015 GRT) owned by Polish Oceanliners (PLO) that worked on the Świnoujscie-Ystad line transporting trucks and railway wagons. Built in 1977 suffered from several accidents in his history including collisions, leaning to the side at sea and in the harbour. The improperly conducted renovation after the fire expanded ships problems with stability, which in turn had probably a major impact on the disaster that happened on 14th of January 1993. The ship got into severe storm with hurricane-force winds and capsized. The accident claimed the lives of 20 crewmen and 35 passengers, 10 bodies were never found, only 9 people were rescued. To-date it is the most deadly peacetime maritime disaster involving a Polish ship. Seeing the rescue operation live on TV news I never really planned to dive there.

SS MARGARETHE CORDS

German steam cargo ship (1912 GRT) built in 1927 and torpedoed in 1945 by Russian submarine K-53 south west of Bornholm. Two casualties have been reported. The wreck has been discovered fairly recently so it is still quite prisitne. Unfortunately, that changes - you can see this on photographs. She lies on keel on 52 m.

SS FRITZ HUGO
ex. STINNES 5
ex. KOHLENSCHIFF 5

Photo: Allan Jensen archive

German steam freighter (1487 GRT) built in 1910. Foundered 14 miles of Sandhammeren Light when transporting a cargo of iron ore from Lulea to Hamburg. Lies on keel on 45 m.

SS ELSA MARTINI
ex. SS VENDEE

Photo: Allan Jensen archive

German steam cargo ship (2211 GRT) built in 1906. She went missing on 22nd of October 1916 when heading from Oxelösund (Sweden) to Germany. She lies east of Bornholm on 34 m.

M/T TERRA
ex. GUSTAV SCHINDLER
ex. OELSCHINDLER

German tanker (1533 GRT) built in 1935 in Nobiskrug shipyard in Rendsburg. After her work for Hamburger Tankreederei GmbH, she served in Kriegsmarine as an auxiliary tanker (since 1941 for 27th U-boat Flotilla). On October 13th 1944 got hit on starboard side by two torpedoes shot form the Soviet SS Lembit (S-4). Lying straight on keel on 45 m depth. Until recently one of the most beautifull wrecks in the area. Unfortunately she is falling apart qucikly.

LEBBIN II
ex. HANS KYVIG
ex. ITZEHOE

Lebbin II as Hans Kyvig most probably in Holland. Photo thanks to Skipshistorie.net

General cargo steam ship (370 GRT) built in 1904/1905 as ITZEHOE at Schomer & Jensen (later Eiderwerft AG) yard in Tönning, Germany, for Gahde & Compas Dampfschiffsreederei m.b.H. Itzehoe, Germany. In 1910 she was sold to A/S Hans Kyvig (Johan Amundsen), Haugesund, Norway. Four years later she was sold back to Germany to Pommerrsche Industrie Verein auf Aktien, Stettin and renamed LEBBIN II. From now on used mostly to transport the Rugen chalk to the cement factory in Lebbin on Wolin Island. She was mined and sunk December 16th 1914 north of Łeba. She now lies at 27m depth with still visible cargo - compacted lumps of cement, hence the colloquial Polish name “cementowiec” or “betonowiec”. For detailed history of the ship, including the names of 10-people crew lost, refer to PodwodneDziedzictwo.pl