Stroll through the corridors of the cargo ship among the shimmeringly colored barbers…
Route details
Description
The Astrée was a steam steel coal freighter, built in 1921 in England. Under its original name Bellbro, it belonged to the Halifax Shipping Corporation based in Hull. It measured 87 meters long by 13 meters wide and weighed 2147 tons. In 1939, the ship came under the control of the Société Maritime Nationale as part of the war effort and was assigned to the transport of heavy goods (coal, ore) in the Western Mediterranean (Oran) and on the Atlantic (Casablanca ). On board, the crew consisted of 26 sailors, including two machine gunners responsible for ensuring the protection of the ship against enemy planes. On December 5, 1942, the Astrée was requisitioned by the Germans, transferred to the Italians and renamed Siena, then recovered again by the Germans.
On May 1, 1944, arriving from Barcelona with a load of iron ore, she was torpedoed near Port-Vendres by the English submarine HMS Untiring.
Today, the wreck lies upright on its keel on a depth of 47 meters. The two forward holds are destroyed, but the rest of the ship and the bow are quite well preserved. The wreck is accessible to supervised N2 divers. (Sea Fortunes and Wrecks in the Gulf of Lion Natural Park 1850-2018 by Laurent Urios, Hervé Levano, Patrice Strazzera)
On May 1, 1944, arriving from Barcelona with a load of iron ore, she was torpedoed near Port-Vendres by the English submarine HMS Untiring.
Today, the wreck lies upright on its keel on a depth of 47 meters. The two forward holds are destroyed, but the rest of the ship and the bow are quite well preserved. The wreck is accessible to supervised N2 divers. (Sea Fortunes and Wrecks in the Gulf of Lion Natural Park 1850-2018 by Laurent Urios, Hervé Levano, Patrice Strazzera)