First images from the wreck of the cruiser HMS Cassandra

Wreck search and documentation company SubZone has released the first photographs ever taken of the wreck of the British cruiser HMS Cassandra. The C Caledon class ship sank in June 1917 after running into a mine near the Estonian island of Saaremaa.

During a sonar search conducted in 2010, an Estonian trawler located the wrecks of the cruiser HMS Cassandra and two Flower class sloops, HMS Myrtle and HMS Gentian. All three vessels were found in deep waters near Estonia’s largest island of Saaremaa.

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These Royal Navy warships were sent to the Baltic region as part of Operation Red Trek, the aim of which was to prevent the Soviets and the German Empire from taking control of the Baltic States after the October Revolution of 1917.

The cruiser HMS Cassandra was sunk early in the campaign, in December 1917, after running into an unknown German mine. Most of the crew were rescued by the destroyers Westminster and Vendetta. Only 11 of the 327 people on board lost their lives as a result of Cassandra’s sinking.

The British cruiser was the last of the mentioned three wrecks that we documented during the dive. The depth here is 100 metres and unfortunately the lower layer is anaerobic, so sulphur bacteria create a white cloud around the wreck. Nevertheless, Sami Paakkarinen and Laura Tuominen were able to capture details of the wreck on video. Oil was leaking from the wreck, which could be observed on the surface in the form of oil stains with a characteristic smell. Thewreck of the cruiser, measuring 140 metres long, was partially covered by trawls, SubZone’s announcement reads