Vanderbilt’s Warrior
The Warrior II, sunk off Portland Bill in the English Channel, has been a magnet for deep divers since the early 1980s. Leigh Bishop investigated a wreck that, during the heyday of Edwardian splendour, entertained the world’s wealthiest and most famous people.
Despite the darkness of the water, my field of vision stretched as far as the beam of my powerful torch would take it. With wreckage above me, I had swum into what was once the sheer splendor of Edwardian opulence, inside an interior stateroom once decorated by turn-of-the-century Parisian architecture. I made my way across a millionaire’s private yacht that had become twisted and broken metal, hunting for interesting artifacts to ponder over. Walls had become ceilings and ceilings the walls. My dive buddy, Graham Blackmore, flashed his lamp above our heads and we both illuminated a tropical letterbox porthole. Fixed firmly to what was the ship’s hull, this rare artifact symbolized the wealth of the ship and the wonders of the voyages she took. Designed specifically for ships travelling in hot climates, these portholes allowed cabin tenants to keep windows shut in an effort to prevent storm water entering, whilst still keeping ventilation circulating via small internal valves.
My gauge read 56m deep, and, as we swam over a hard stone and pebble seabed, more windows of grandeur were presented to us, this time in rows and flat to the seabed. These large square windows with oval tops still bolted into the superstructure once allowed light into the dining rooms where some of the richest people in the world shared both business and pleasure. Standing at the highest point off the seabed were the remaining boilers at a height of almost 3.6m, and, from this central point, a diver would be able to circumnavigate the remainder of the wreckage. Two engines remain that also stand high off the seabed and they both still have many of their fittings, oil boxes, and pipe-work still firmly attached. Between these two engines, a resident and mean-looking Angler
