The Accident of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a legendary ship wreck that has brought to life a beautiful marine park. It is among one of the most popular dives in the Caribbean. Its heartbreaking story continues to interest and astound us.


Captain Woolley went with the closest course to ocean blue via the network in between Dead Breast Island and Black Rock Point on Salt Island. As Rhone came around to approach the point the tail end of the hurricane threw her onto the rocks.

The Background
Throughout the yellow high temperature epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic passenger ships quit frequently at Road Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to transfer guests and freight in between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been cautioned by a dropping barometer that a tornado was coming, yet thinking that the cyclone season was over, he decided 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 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 dirtied in the coral reefs today) to stir his favorite at the time. The wreckage is currently a preferred dive site, home to an interesting range of marine life. Most people concur that a complete exploration of the site calls for 2 separate dives, as the bow and stern areas are spread out apart at different depths.

The Wreckage
The Rhone relaxes below the warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a popular dive website today. Visitors can explore the extremely undamaged bow section, see where scenes from the 1977 movie 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 between male and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to anchor the Rhone in Road Harbor, the wind and waves changed and he chose to try to defeat the approaching storm out right into the ocean blue. He steered the ship to Black Rock Factor between Dead yacht rentals Chest and Blond Rock, a pair of rough peaks rising up from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in 2 sections with the cold water of the incoming trend getting in touch with the hot central heating boilers creating a surge and sinking the vessel with all 123 passengers still tied to their beds.

Snorkeling
Among one of the most well-known wreck dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can quickly explore much of the Rhone by merely 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 more separated, but they use a haunting peek of a previous era. Scuba divers ought to intend on at least 2 dives to fully experience the Rhone, specifically because presence can often be tricky. Emphasizes consist of the lucky porthole, which scuba divers rub 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 lots of local dive watercrafts see daily. The Rhone is safeguarded by the National forest Service, and entry is at no cost.

Diving
Among the Caribbean's most celebrated accident dives, Rhone is a coveted website for its historic appeal and bristling marine life. It's open and fairly secure, making it appropriate for scuba divers of all experience levels.

The story behind the wreckage is terrible: as she was moving passengers to one more ship, Conway, at Roadway Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Point and encountered it at full speed. Warm boilers shattered versus cold seawater and took off, sending the Rhone crashing right into the rocks and sinking in minutes. Only 23 of the 146 individuals aboard survived. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.

The accident split in two when it sank, and the bow area drifted to much deeper waters, while the strict settled at regarding 80 feet. Both are swallowed up in coral and populated by aquatic life, including institutions of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes at the very least 2 dives to explore the entire wreckage, though, because the bow and demanding areas are separated by regarding 100 feet of water.