Taranto Wreck

Experience level: advanced divers 
Depth: 23 – 52 m
Boat ride to location: 5 minutes
Currents: occasionaly (depends on waves and wind)

 

Just five minutes by boat from the Blue Planet diving center lies the wreck of the steamship Taranto (Totonno). This Austro-Hungarian merchant ship was built in 1899 and was used by the Italian army as a transport ship in World War II. While transporting flour and tractors to Dubrovnik, on February 15, 1943, Taranto encountered a British underwater mine, struck the Grebeni islets, and sank. Both tractors can still be seen on the seabed as a testimony of this ill-fated ship. 

Today, Taranto lies on the seabed at an angle of 45o so the first thing you will see at a depth of 23 meters is its bow. The stern of the ship rests at a depth of 40 meters and the bottom of the stern is 12 meters deeper on the seabed itself. Chains and anchoring equipment can still be seen on the deck, but if you go to the other side of the hull you will see that the anchors are missing, which were most likely removed in the post-WW2 period. Descending deeper down the deck, you can also see the opening towards the cargo area, and further on is the main part of the ship. As was the custom for shipbuilding at that time, the wheelhouse was probably made of wood, and that is the reason why almost nothing remains of it. Scattered around Taranto, you can also see the remains of rescue equipment covered in yellow sponges. Swimming further above the sandy seabed at a depth of about 50 meters, 20 meters to the left of the ship itself, you will come across the most beautiful sight related to the sinking of Taranto – a tractor stands on the light sand in a position as if it is ready to drive. It is an interesting example of interwar agricultural engineering and is completely overgrown with soft pink sea sponges. 

Although Taranto experienced a tragedy and violently invaded Dubrovnik’s underwater world, today it represents an imposing sight but also an ideal home for many plant and animal marine species. As the sea embraces everything and appropriates every novelty, the flora and fauna have also appropriated the wreck. Divers can enjoy exploring dusky groupers, shoals of the Mediterranean cardinalfish, the red scorpionfish, lobsters, various sponges, and corals.
The engine room, the bedrooms, the bathrooms... you can dive through it all if you explore this wreck, and one dive will certainly not be enough. 

 

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