Posted by shrunken head on 19:12:47
In Reply to: Re: Diving on the Baden... posted by shrunken head on 18:55:2501/14/2001:
: : Has anyone dived on the World War One battlecruiser SMS Baden which was scuttled by the RN off St Catherines Deep in 1928? Any info? : : Much Appreciated!
01/14/2001:
I'm not a diver but I'd be interested in seeing pictures of the Baden. Your info is a bit off. Baden was actually a battleship, widely held to be the prototype for the Bismarck, and she was sunk as a target by two of her opposite numbers, Royal Sovereign class battleships to see how her complex underwater subdivision would stand up. She was actually sunk in 1921. Her guns may have been removed prior to her sinking, but on the other hand she may have been sunk with a full load to simulate actual battle conditions, as she was definitely a special case. I didn't know she sank in St Catherine's Deep. I visited the Isle of Wight last year and while I was there I bought a book about IOW shipwrecks, and there was no mention of the Baden. I always thought she had been sunk off Portsmouth. While I was there I stayed at Ventnor which overlooks St Catherine's Deep. Strange, that. Sorry I can't give you any practical advice but good luck with your dive. You'll not find another one like that in a hurry. Hope the history is of some use.