Austrian express steamboat near Pula
Data & Description
Downloads:
Diving Center Petra - Wracktauchplätze
(16. September 2005, 262.0 KiB, 533 Downloads)
Rating¹:
Difficulty²:
Type of vessel:
Express steamboat
Port of registry:
Austria
Losses:
~150 people
Length:
84.5 meters
Beam:
11.64 meters
Draft:
7.5 meters
Tonnage:
2069 GRT
Launched:
1908
Sunk:
August 13th 1914
Reason sunk:
accumulated on a sea mine laid by its own merchant navy
Position:
7 nautical miles north of the Brionian Islands
Boat trip:
~35 minutes from Rovinj
Minimum depth:
28 meters
Maximum depth:
40 meters
Local dive center:
Scuba Rovinj
Description local dive center:
Scuba Rovinj is located a few kilometers southeast of Rovinj at Camping Veštar.
The Diving Center Petra, where we went diving in the 2000s, no longer exists, but the great diving boat continues going out to the dive spots with Scuba Rovinj.
Weather:
Book recommendations:
Teti in Vis Island - New Art to Media Underwater Waterproof 3D Dive Site Mapa
Vassilios in Vis Island - New Art to Media Underwater Waterproof 3D Dive Site Mapa
Dive Atlas of the World: An Illustrated Reference to the Best Sitesa
Description dive spot:
The ship is named after Baron Paul Gautsch of Frankenthurn from Carinthia, minister of education at the end of the 19th century, later Minister President and Minister of the Interior of the k.u.k. Monarchy. The Baron Gautsch was one of three identical ships and carried out passenger rides between the seaside resorts of the Northern Adriatic and Trieste at the time of the accident.
Due to a navigation error Baron Gautsch ran into the newly laid minefield of his own navy, which was to serve the protection of the port of Pula. Two explosions tore the port side, the Baron Gautsch sank within 7 minutes. There was much speculation about the cause of the accident, as several warnings and hints not have been considered. When sinking, about 150 people were killed.
Today you can perform wonderful wreck dives at the Baron Gautsch. The wreck is considered the most beautiful of the Adriatic. The wreck is overgrown all over, lots of fish is around and in the wreck, you meet congers everywhere. Current is usually present, it can also be strong. The visibility varies, of course, due to the current from very good to rather moderate or bad. Much of the wooden construction is rotten, so divers can dive safely through the three decks. The lowest level is heavily silted and dark and is not necessarily worth it, especially not for air divers. The bow area and superstructures are also interesting. The propellers were recovered long ago, when you visit there you only find the big rudder. One of the chimneys is missing, the other is bent over and protrudes into the ship's interior. Even engine rooms and holds can be dived.
All in all, you should plan several dives on this wreck, due to the depth and the variety of things to discover there.
Contributed by:
Martin Sebald, Alexander Schönleber
Last content update:
2021/09/15
Gallery
¹ Dive site rating: The rating is a five star rating ("poor" to "outstanding") and based on the dive site itself and on the comparison of all dive sites in the area. It also reflects the personal opinion and preference of the contributor.
² Dive site difficulty: The difficulty rating is a five star rating ("beginner" to "technical diver") and based on the personal opinion of the contributor and maybe also on the experience the contributor had when diving this site. We take absolutly no responsibility for diving accidents or anything else. Please always be a safe diver and dive your level of experience and please also be aware of local laws and regulations there might be.
a Amazon affiliate link: If you order we get a very little commision. Important: The price on Amazon does not change for you! It is just a bonus which we receive for the recommendation.
