S.S. Ardeola

S.S. Ardeola

BY GRAVITAZERO

 

SS Ardeola

Ardeola was a smart English passenger ship, of a customary three-masted profile, with the funnel mounted slightly aft, a layout typical of the Yeoward Line. She was built by the Caledon Shipbuilding Co., Dundee, in 1912, weighing 2609 gross tons and powered by a single triple-expansion steam engine.

Built originally for the Ardeola Steam Ship Co., she was designed to carry around 80 first class passengers, but was later used as a cargo vessel transporting fruit on the Liverpool-Lisbon-Casablanca-Madeira-Canary Islands run.

In 1920, the Yeoward Line purchased her; but, 15 years later, during the Italian invasion of Abyssinia, she was requisitioned as a stores ship based at Aden. She was returned to the owners in 1936, by which time her passenger certificate had been cancelled.

On November 9, 1942, while delivering stores to the besieged island of Malta, she was captured by Vichy French motor torpedo boats near Cape Bon, North Africa, and taken to the port of Biserta. On November 24, the Ardeola's crew was taken first to a POW camp at Sfax and then transferred to Algiers; meanwhile, the ship was handed over to German forces.

On January 11, management of the Ardeola was handed over to ORIENSNSociet Anonima di Navigazione Linee Triestine per l'Orientena pseudonym used by Lloyds Triestino between 1941 and 1946 when the English language was not well received in the region. At this time, the Italian government changed the ship's name to "Aderno" and she was assigned to stores transport duty in the Mediterranean Sea, chartered to the Carboni monopoly. Her story continued unremarkably until her fateful meeting with the submarine

H.M.S. Torbay
H.M.S. Torbay, a British T-class submarine, was launched on April 9, 1940. Under the command of Lt. Anthony Miers, she operated in the Atlantic Ocean and, later, based in Alexandria, patrolled the Aegean Sea and the Sicilian channel. On October 27, 1942, command of the Torbay passed to Lt. Robert Clutterbuck, who remained her commanding officer until the end of the war.

 

HMS Torbay

In April 1943, in Algiers, during an air raid on the port, a bomb exploded close to the Torbay, causing her considerable internal damage. She subsequently had to be towed to Gibraltar for repairs, after which she returned to the Mediterranean Sea to continue her patrolling operation.

Meanwhile, in Italy, the greater part of the population thought that the war was irremediably lost, and that continuing to fight was suicidal madness. By the summer of 1943, diesel oil was exhausted, the railway system was crippled and the Air Force was practically destroyed. The few surviving Italian naval units limited themselves to escorting the few remaining convoys around the Mediterranean. Supply requests to the Third Reich fell on deaf ears and allied forces landed on Sicily unopposed by the Italian forces. During the allied invasion of Sicily, Torbay relieved the Dutch submarine Dolphin off the Sicilian coast. Her task was to form a patrol line between Corsica and Italy along with H.M.S. Sybil, H.M.S. Simon, H.M.S. Saracen and H.M.S. Trespasser, with orders to sink any ships of the Italian western fleet venturing forth to challenge the invasion.

On July 23, 1943, a few hours before the overthrow of Mussolini, Aderno sailed from Naples escorted by two torpedo boat destroyers. At 19:45 she was in view of the port of Civitavecchia when Lt. Robert Clutterbuck spotted the convoy from the periscope of the H.M.S. Torbay. It seems incredible that an English submarine could approach, undetected, to only two miles off Civitavecchia, but Aderno's fate was sealed; three torpedoes hit the ship before the escort vessels could react.

During the course of World War II, H.M.S. Torbay sank a total of 53,516 tons of enemy shipping, the sixth highest total of the conflict. Lt. Clutterbuck was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. H.M.S. Torbay survived the world war and was sold to and subsequently dismantled by the British Iron and Steel Corporation in 1946.

In the summer of 2001, team Gravitazero carried out several dives with the aim of observing and photographing the wreck of the Aderno. The wreck is located a few miles out of Civitavecchia, in the central Tyrrhenian Sea. At the same time, the team researched the history of the various vessels and of the crews involved in this story.

 

Gravitazero Diver

The Dive
The wreck is laid down on navigation trim at approximately 58 meters (191 feet) below the surface of the sea. Very fine (silty-clay) sediment characterizes the bottom. Such sediment usually causes muddy water, and while it complicates the scuba exploration of the Aderno, it also helps to preserve it. Moreover, the less-than-perfect visibility increases the charm of this wreck, lending it an atmosphere that makes diving it that much more engaging.

Approaching the Ardeola

We reach the ship by descending from a platform anchored to the aft mast, which rises from the main deck up to about 35 meters (115 feet). From the base of the mast, at about 48 meters (158 feet), we begin to follow the portside of the ship in the direction of the bow. The long row of below-deck cabin portholes is visible, portholes that in large part are perfectly preserved. Beyond the portholes are the promenades that grant access to the first class cabins. Continuing along the ship's side for almost its entire length we meet up with one of its two big anchors, Hall, still in its original resting position. In spite of restricted visibility, we allow ourselves some distance (a few meters) from the ship to admire the vertical bow, typical of ships of that age.

Heading back towards our point of descent, turning and passing over the main deck, we come across a large object that at first looks like a torpedo; on closer inspection, however, one can see that it has no propeller, so it is probably some kind of anti-mine device. After a little while we return to the bow to inspect the fo'c'sle, the original wooden floors of which have collapsed, leaving only the sidewalls remaining. Here we find one of the several antiaircraft positions, still equipped with a machine gun, the mountings for which, surprisingly, are still movable. These towers were not part of the original equipment of the ship, but were added during the war to provide some defense against enemy aircraft. We then come to the large central hold, which allows access to the ship's lower decks. Access here can be difficult due to the large quantity of sediment that has accumulated since her sinking. The first deck we meet is probably the one that allows the easiest access to the first class cabins. Continuing towards the stern we come to the funnel which is now completely collapsed across the starboard side of the ship; through the large hole caused by its collapse it is possible, though difficult, to gain access to the boiler room.

SS Ardeola

Below the stern mast there is a large skylight made of large doors, each one having four brass portholes. Through one of these doors, dislodged from its mountings, it is possible to reach a large open space created by the collapse of the lower decks. The light of the sun filtered by the portholes hints at the possibilities for beautiful photographs.

We descend further until we see a vaguely outlined narrow stairwell that leads to the engine room. Aft of the mast, the stern is connected to the rest of the ship only by the starboard side due to a large hole made by one of the torpedoes that sank the ship. As we rise towards the surface alongside the stern mast, we can see that it is completely surrounded by shoals of Anthias, which make the scene even more beautiful. The final surprise the wreck has in store for us are the blocks once used for loading and unloading the ship which are now completely colonized by madreporas.

SS Ardeola

The whole wreck is covered by an enormous quantity of benthonic organisms, which have surely found an ideal habitat on the ship's structures. Water torpidity should also be credited for this abundance of life as it often means a high production rate of nutritional material. The Aderno is also an important refuge for the reproduction of many species of fish; for this reason, it is a favorite place for local fishermen who sometimes lose their nets when they get driven onto the wreck. The possible presence of ghost nets is one amongst the many reasons why it is necessary to approach this dive with a great deal of caution.

 

SS Ardeola

Local Information
Civitavecchia is about one hour from Rome and easily reachable by motorway. There are several dive shops in the area, but only a couple of them are familiar with the Aderno's exact position.

It is difficult to find Trimix locally, so, it is better to equip yourself with the necessary mix beforehand.

Acknowledgements
Research Assistance: Andrea Moro, Trieste; Armando Morali, Civitavecchia; Bob McQueen; John Charlton, Ship in focus; Martin Navarro, Perth; Italian Navy, Historical Office Translation Assistance: Nick Connell; Marcella Pesce

Diving support: Armando Morali
Additional Reading
Barry, T.W.S. Sunward by Yeoward: The Story of Yeoward of Liverpool. Granata, 1994.
Greene & Massignani. Naval war in the Mediterranean 1940-1943.
Burrell, David. "Ships in Focus." Issue No.3 Volume 1.

Gravitazero is a team of DIR divers from Lazio and Tuscany (Central Italian regions). They dive principally in the Tyrrhenian Sea and founded Gravitazero at the beginning of the year 2001. Its members consist of: Alberto Baldazzi, Roberto Contu, Edoardo Costa, Davide De Benedictis, Maurizio Ferrari, Renzo Gemignani, Mauro Mari, Stefano Martelli, Riccardo Mestici, Claudio Provenzani, Elena Romano, Andrea Tarlati.