Type:   Iron Steamship 

Picture:

Wreck Information:     The "WALLACHIA" Built Southampton 1883 1077 NT 259' x 36' x 18' left Queen's Dock, Glasgow on a voyage to the West Indies and was rammed in the bows by a Norwegian steamer the Flos  and sank in 25 minutes. She was carrying a cargo of whisky, gin, beer and acid in stone jars on deck when she went down. She is a very interesting dive and used to have lots of old jars and bottles but few if none are left. As with most of the Clyde wrecks it is tempting to enter the holds as they are exposed but due to the silt you quickly lose visibility. She is one of the most popular attractions on the Clyde. The viz here is usually 3 to 4 meters. 

Harbour / slip:   RIBs can be launched from the nearby marina at Inverkip. You can also hire a mooring to save on launching and retrieving your boat every day. Contact Tel. 01475 521 485 or look them up on the web at: Inverkip marina.There is also a free slip at Largs RNLI 

Parking directions:    At the Marina or across the road from the RNLI slip (dont park in the RNLI spaces, they are for the RNLI in emergency's)

Distance from harbour:     From Inverkip its a five to ten min 6.9 km RIB ride to the wreck. Or you can launch at no cost from the RNLI slip at Largs its 8.7 km and ten mins away.

Lat & Long:   55 51.707N  004 57.189 W

Depth:   Today she lies in 34m and the average depth of her deck is 30m. The top of the wheelhouse is in 24m.

Tides:     Tide tables

Chart: 

Depth:      34m 

Dive Boat:   Flying eagle   Seren Las  Fyne pioneer

Dive Shop:    C&C Marine Services 

Accommodation:

Suggested experience:    Experienced sport diver 

Other comments:  The viz here is rarely beter than 3-4m and the wreck is on the ferry route so good boat cover is essential. You can get into the engine room a few ways,  through the hole where the funnel was, but its not for the faint hearted or through the broken greenhouse on top of the engine room or by following the companionways on either side of the engine room. The larger holds contain dark green McEwan's beer and stout bottles, the name of the brewery still clearly printed on the corks and the small hold at the stern had whisky in small bottles.The stern has the emergency steering gear, storerooms and toilets. The bow has broken plates where the collision was. See the wreck diagram below. 

Pub:          Inverkip marina. 

Created by:    John Nicolson 

Date:          30/4/07 

Thanks To:    Scottish Maritime Museum  for the picture of the bell and Pat Gallagher for the picture.

Revision:   2 

Links:    Link

Underwater photos:     This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Wreck diagram: 

Dive Report:   Hickdive, Mar 07, You can access the engine room from the funnel, through the greenhouse or through the companionway doors on either side i.e. heading forward on the deck just in front of the where the chloride jars were stowed go through the door, drop slightly and turn 90 degrees inboard to go through the door into the engine room. If you do get disorientated in the whisky hold STOP, stay very still and turn off/occlude your light, eventually the stoor will settle enough for you to see the green glow of the hatch.

Dive Report:   R0ckcrew, Feb 07 I enjoy diving the Wallachia. I think I must have over 100 dives on it OC and maybe 4 or 5 on the CCR. It is the ideal dive with a rebreather. I mainly dive it solo as I prefer the OC guys to buddy up and usually I am the odd number!! Forget the whisky - I know the guys who spent a week on it with a suction pump and emptied the hold!!

Dive Report:   Stew, Jan 07 This is one of my favourite dives on the river Clyde. For me this dive has just about everything, it has current running, it is dark, it has depth (35 meters), you need to navigate well as it often has bad viz. Sometimes it produces treasures in the form of beer bottles, some still full, I have a few at home, undrinkable of course, but now over 100 years old. The Wallachia sank in 1895, length is around 260 feet, seabed is around 34-35 meters & fortunately she sits bolt upright. The average depth over the main deck area is probably around 30 meters, give or take a meter with the tide height. This is best dived on slack water as she sits right next to the ferry lane from Weemyss bay to Rothesay. If you come off the wreck without using the shot line, you are danger of drifting into the ferry lane. An SMB is mandatory, I carry at least 2

Dive Report:   Fran, Jan 07 Oh am such a saddo, I went and got ma dive log book out, coz a was there wae Stew on the 1st Wallachia dive,It was in April last year. Feck it was awesome , the viz was incredible, 4 of us went down and I could keep an eye on everyone the viz was that good, virtually the whole ship, alas that was the 1 and only time the viz was good, dived 4 times after that and the viz/current/swell was awful. I have only got 1 bottle of beer which was donated to me cos a wis to girly to get ma own.