RMS Rhone

Also known as: R.M.S. Rhone

The Rhone was a 310 ft iron sail-steamer of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company that broke in two on Black Rock Point when a hurricane drove her ashore in 1867, and more than a hundred people lost their lives. The shallower stern and midship section, near 9 m, is broken up but still shows the large bronze propeller, the drive shaft, boilers, the condenser and scattered fittings such as giant wrenches and the so-called lucky porthole. The bow lies deeper, near 24 m, and remains largely intact, with the mast and davits still recognisable. Over time the hull has become covered in sponges, corals and orange cup corals, and it hosts schools of grunts, snappers and jacks as well as barracuda, turtles, rays and moray eels. Scenes of the 1977 film The Deep were shot here, and dive operators usually plan two dives to see both sections.