Kaiser Franz Jozef Wreck
Experience level: advanced divers
Depth: 28 – 44 m
Boat ride to location: 60 minutes
Currents: mild to strong
Not far from the southernmost point of Croatia, Cape Prevlaka, the armored cruiser Kaiser Franz Joseph lies at the bottom of the sea. The ship sailed for only 27 years and sank on the stormy night of October 17, 1919. More than 100 years have passed since the sinking, and her magnificent wreck attracts more and more divers to explore it.
The length of this torpedo cruiser is 104 meters, and the width is 14.8 meters. Due to its specially reinforced elongated lower part of the bow, due to attacks from the enemy hitting the ship, it proved to be very durable and ideal for sailing in all the seas of the world. In its glory days, "Kaiser Franz Joseph" led the Austro-Hungarian fleet detachment on the North Sea and at the opening ceremony of the Kiel Canal in Germany, and two years later the ship sailed the waters of East Asia and Portugal. The armament of the torpedo cruiser consisted of two guns on the bow and stern (originally 240 mm caliber, and later replaced by a larger one), three side guns on each side on the balcony platforms, 16 "Skoda" light guns distributed on the artillery deck, and four 400 mm caliber torpedo tubes.
There are several versions of the story as to why this Austro-Hungarian monstrosity sank, but none have been fully proven. It is most likely that her fate was sealed by the storm. The very location of "Kaiser Franz Josef" is very demanding! The Blue Planet diving center plans all dives in the best possible conditions, so if you decide on this dive, we can plan an optimal day for research with good visibility.
The wreck of the torpedo cruiser lies at a depth of 28-44 meters in Croatian territorial waters on the northeastern side of the Oštro Cape at the entrance to Boka Kotorska. The bow is facing the Austro-Hungarian fortress, and the stern is facing the passage in Boka. Its shallowest point is at 28 meters, and the bottom itself is at 44 meters. The cruiser is lying on her left side, partially sunk in the mud, so the divers go around her right side. The entire ship is "decorated" with the remains of nets, longlines, and ropes lost by fishermen, and all of it is overgrown with beautiful yellow sulfur sponges. This makes the diving atmosphere at this location even more beautiful.
The name inscription can still be seen on the stern of the ship, and on the bow one of the two anchors on the starboard side still stands in its berth, while the other is missing. It is assumed that it was removed from the wreck together with propellers, propeller shafts, cannons, and some other parts of the ship during the operations of extracting valuable non-ferrous metals from the wreck, which were carried out by the Split company Brodospas in the 1960s.
In the middle of the wreckage, your attention will be drawn to large empty cannon balconies, masts with fallen tops, and a reconnaissance basket thickly overgrown with yellow sulfur sponges. This is a very attractive place for underwater photography!
Pulling into the inside of the ship is not allowed or recommended because of the mud that is inside, but also the remaining fishing nets and long lines. Although you can "only" view it from the outside, you won’t get enough of it in just one dive. You can do multiple dives due to the impressive size of this wreck - and all our experienced divers love it!
A trip to this wreck is only possible for private and group tours (min. 10 divers) and includes an additional cost of speedboat transportation due to the remoteness of the location.
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