Freediving on Melania wreck Apnea sul relitto Melania intotheblue.it

Rates: 22

Melania was a coastal freighter that transported goods and more between the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago and Livorno.
It is located a short distance from the coast off the coast of Vada (in the area of the beautiful “Secche di Vada“) and as can be seen from the images and video at depths that are quite accessible even in apnea, it ranges from a depth of 6 meters to the deepest part. high of the bow to a maximum depth of 12/15 meters of the lowest part.

Freediving on Melania wreck – Apnea sul relitto Melania – intotheblue.it

The ship is broken into three points: the bow lying on its side, the largest part of the ship resting on the seabed almost as if it were in navigation trim and the stern practically overturned.
Freediving on Melania wreck Apnea sul relitto Melania intotheblue.it
Practically from the day of the shipwreck on February 9, 1970 due to a storm until today, there is not much left intact. Like all wrecks it is slowly collapsing on itself and the low depth of the seabed and the frequent storm surges to which it is subjected cause its slow and inexorable decay.

Freediving on Melania wreck – Apnea sul relitto Melania – intotheblue.it

However, there is always a nice wreck to explore with cylinders and with a little training even in apnea. With clear water you can see the entire length of the ship well from the surface and with about ten dives you can practically see almost everything.

Freediving on Melania wreck – Apnea sul relitto Melania – intotheblue.it

It is also possible to notice some features such as the double hull, the slender shape of the stern, the housing of the rudder and the propeller shaft, the anchor winch, and a lot of hatches inside which they find the classic fish of the wrecks shelter such as sea bream and damselfish.

Freediving on Melania wreck – intotheblue.it

From the information found on the web it appears:

“The boat was a small coastal freighter in steel 53.3 meters long, 8.5 meters wide, 3.4 meters high and with a gross tonnage of 499 tons, which traveled the Livorno coast carrying goods and liquids between the islands and the Tuscan capital.

relitto-Melania-MV-Suffolk-Coast-600x380

relitto-Melania-MV-Suffolk-Coast-600×380

She was launched back in 1938 in the Netherlands, at the E.J. Smit & Zoons (Sons, sons), a construction company founded in 1785 and still active today, while the diesel engine was manufactured in Germany and its 94 horsepower managed to make it reach a maximum speed of 9.5 knots. Her original name was “MV Marali” and she was bought by the British shipping company M. Porn.

In 1939 it was then sold to Coast Lines Ltd of Liverpool, which changed its name to “MV Suffolk Coast” and used it for twelve years, until it was acquired by Tyne-Tees Steam Shipping Co. Ltd of Newcastle upon Tyne, which it remained the owner until 1963. In that year there was the last change of ownership and change of name: it was bought by a Savona company, Melloni L.G., which renamed it “MV Melania“. “