Curse of the Albatross
Having reached the stern section of the wreck, I knew many champagne bottles could possibly be found there, apparently still with their wire and lead-sealed numbers stamped and clearly visible. During the early exploration dives when this wreck was first discovered, quantities of fine examples of perfectly preserved pottery were recovered, and, from time to time, still come to light as the sea uncovers them each season. This summer was no different and divers were discovering, inspecting, and photographing numerous artifacts that had become visible from the shifting sands of the winter past.
As I watched other divers approach the stern section, I could see from their lights that the wreck had begun to peter out slightly, as well as having become more significantly damaged and lying flat to the contours of the seabed. With the wreck broken, it was obvious that it was here that salvage operations over the years had concentrated their efforts in the search for wealth that was said to be stowed in the stern belonging to emigrants aboard who were destined for a new life on the other side of the world.
In the busiest waterway in the world, it was inevitable that occasionally there would be collisions in the English Channel, and marine disasters ensued. This wreck, the Avalanche, bound for New Zealand and lost in 1877 with great loss of life, is one such example that is still being explored by deep divers today. Like many other sailing vessels sunk in the area, the tragic Avalanche makes for an excellent dive, not only to the wreck itself, but also back into history.
The was a smart-looking iron ship of 1,210 gross tons built in Aberdeen in 1874 and owned by the Shaw Savil and Albion Company. Her fine lines and neatness aloft bore the impeccable stamp of that famous clipper-ship builder, Alexander Hall, who had turned out some of the fastest and most beautiful ships afloat, such as the and The had made some good runs in. After completing three successful voyages to Wellington, she came to grief when starting out again in 1877 from London with sixty passengers. She collided in the English Channel with a ship named and went down with almost all of the passengers and crew in three minutes, a total loss of 99 souls – only three of the crew being saved.
