The Mikhail Lermontov has to be one of the best wreck dives in the Southern Hemisphere.

Diving the Lermontov is for all levels of wreck diving enthusiast. Top of the wreck sits in 12meters and 36 meters to the silt!

Have a good look at my gallery. There are many fantastic photo opportunities in this wreck.

Vodka on the Rocks
by Kevin Dekker (January 30, 2006)

The Mikhail Lermontov - A brief history

The building of the Mikhail Lermontov can be traced back to the years just after World War Two when the Soviet Union embarked on a large ship building program, part of which was carried out at the MTW shipyards in Wismar, East Germany.

At 176 metres / 577 feet and with a gross tonnage of 20,500, the Ivan Franko class were the largest passenger ships then built by an East German shipyard. As such they became symbols of the renewed industrial capacity of East Germany.

The final of five Ivan Franko class ships completed was the Mikhail Lermontov which was handed over in March 1972.

As with all Soviet-built merchant ships these ships were designed for rapid conversion to military use. The Ivan Franko class vessels would have made very useful military transports; they featured a hull strengthened for ice, reasonable speed of 20 knots at full maximum, large cargo capacity, vehicle decks, and a very good range of 10,000 miles.

The original design included no less than six large cargo handling cranes arranged in two superimposed pairs forward with another pair aft. The resulting balanced profile with staggered cranes forward gave the ships a purposeful appearance.

The ships were originally fitted out to carry 750 passengers and had a typical crew complement of 330. In 1982 the Mikhail Lermontov received her largest and final facelift. Her cabins were reconfigured to carry only 550 passengers, but in greater comfort.

The Lermi lives in Gore Bay at the top of the South Island, NZ

A summer cruise in the South Pacific

In 1985-86 the Mikhail Lermontov was chartered to travel company 'CTC' for a summer cruising season in the South Pacific with stopovers in Australia and New Zealand. The passengers on cruise number 561 from Sydney included a large contingent of Australians.

She left Sydney on the 7th of February 1986 and visited a number of north eastern New Zealand ports before arriving in Wellington on the 15th of February. A brief stop allowed passengers the opportunity of sightseeing in New Zealand's capital city.

Joining the vessel while she was in Wellington was the Marlborough Harbour Board Pilot and Acting General Manager Captain Don Jamison. He was to pilot the vessel into and out of the restricted waters of the Marlborough Sounds during her visit to Picton on the 16th. He was also qualified to act as Pilot in Milford Sound and it had been arranged that he would carry out this duty under a private contract when the ship reached Fiordland. Just who Jamison was actually working for at various stages of the cruise would later be contested in court as the Baltic Shipping Company sought to recover some of its losses as a result of the sinking. Also joining the ship to assist Jamison was Captain G.F. Neill, Marlborough's Deputy Harbour Master who was receiving pilotage training.

The 52 year old Pilot Captain Jamison had spent 15 years at sea attaining the rank of Chief Officer before coming ashore and working for the Southland Harbour Board as Tug Master and Pilot. In 1970 he was appointed Harbour Master at Picton. He was described as enjoying an excellent reputation with the Soviet Navigators and had previously piloted the Mikhail Lermontov's sister ship Alexander Pushkin into Picton.

A series of decisions to navigate through restricted waters

Leading up to the sinking Jamison had been working long hours including involvement in legal proceedings. He later implied that as a result of his workload he was mentally and physically exhausted when he took the Lermontov out of Picton, but was not aware of his condition at the time. His working day while piloting the ship in and out of Picton was a long one. He had some drinks the night the ship departed Wellington then was up at 5:00 a.m. the following morning to guide the ship in through Tory channel. He was again piloting the ship at 5:37 p.m. that evening over twelve hours later having consumed more alcohol that day.

In command of the ship was captain Vladislav Vorobyov. Since October he had been relieving the regular Captain, Aram Oganov, who was taking long service leave but was due to rejoin the ship on its return to Sydney.

The vessel set sail from Wellington at midnight on the 15th of February. Just before daybreak the following morning she was off the entrance of Tory Channel. The vessel's agent had arranged for a helicopter to take pictures of her steaming through the Marlborough Sounds so the Captain waited until daybreak (7 a.m.) before allowing the Pilot to negotiate the narrow entrance.

Tory Channel was an unusual route inbound to Picton for a ship of the Lermontov's size. Although the scenery here can be impressive, the early morning timing meant most passengers would still be in bed and the dreary weather was not conducive to sightseeing. Most visiting ships of the Lermontov's size used the safer Queen Charlotte Sound route. Taking the vessel in through this narrow channel marked the first of a series of decisions to navigate the ship through restricted waters rather than through the main shipping channels.

Setting the scene for disaster

Ironically, Jamison's confident handling of the ship through Tory Channel helped set the scene for impending disaster. The Russian officers on the bridge were at first uncomfortable with the close proximity of the rocks as the ship negotiated the narrow passage but Jamison confidently guided the ship through this entry. He completed the mornings' duties by docking the ship in Picton at 8 a.m. without the assistance of tugs. After witnessing such a display the Russians would be inclined to accept the Pilot's judgement in future.

Present on the bridge at that time were Chief Navigator Stephanishchev and Second Mate Gusev, the two Russian officers who would be on the bridge when Jamison made his decision to take the ship through the Cape Jackson passage.

Gusev was later reported as stating that the Pilot, "very competently manoeuvred the ship through the passage and into Tory Channel. His actions were sure and clear. He performed the same sure actions when turning between Cape Jackson and the lighthouse."

With the ship berthed in Picton, passengers had a variety of activities ashore to choose from. There were bus trips to wineries, boat trips around the Sounds, or just a leisurely stroll around the township of Picton. The sight of a visiting cruise liner in Picton dominated the small port and most locals could only think with envy of the exotic holiday experiences being shared by the passengers.

A vodka or two!

The vessel was the scene of a luncheon reception and the first hint of controversy. How much alcohol was consumed by those present including Jamison? Was it possible that the tired and overworked Pilot could have been affected by even a small amount of alcohol? Don Jamison reportedly had two Vodkas and a glass of beer at the reception. Of his decision to drink that day before taking the ship out Jamison stated:

"I considered I was not impaired by any consumption of alcohol. However again in hindsight it may be indicative of my condition in that I would normally never consume alcohol for several hours prior to carrying out a pilotage function, and would normally have requested in such circumstances a glass of fruit juice or something similar."

According to one report, Jamison had requested a good cabin be made available for himself and his wife. After completing his Pilot duties he would effectively be on holiday and taking a well earned break. He visited his office ashore but when he returned to the ship his wife did not accompany him. What would make her miss the opportunity of a cruise through Fiordland and then on to Sydney? Whatever the reason, it was to be a fortuitous decision, for the next leg of the ship's cruise would be anything but routine.

Leaving Picton

The ship sailed from Picton just after 3 p.m. with 408 passengers and 330 crew aboard. The passengers looked forward to a cruise down the South Island's West Coast and the beautiful scenery of Milford Sound. Little did they know they were not to view those majestic vistas on this cruise. A series of near groundings foreshadowed approaching disaster.

The first close encounter with the shore occurred when the vessel backed out of the wharf and turned to leave Picton. The stern came perilously close to the shore on the eastern side of the harbour. A crew member commented he had never seen a ship so close to the shore. One passenger thought that the ship had touched lightly on a sand bank near the shore.

The vessel then nosed out of Picton harbour but instead of heading straight out of the Sounds, Jamison decided to take her into Shakespeare Bay. He wanted to give passengers a view of the remains of the historic sailing vessel 'Edwin Fox', one of the oldest wooden merchant ships in existence. Shakespeare Bay was a very small area for a ship of the Mikhail Lermontov's size to manoeuvre in and a tight turn was required. The ship did not respond as Jamison had anticipated and the engines had to be put full astern to prevent another grounding. A crew member on the bow estimated that the ship came within 30 meters of the shore. The Pilot had assumed the bow thrusters were available to assist in turning the ship. In fact they had been turned off but no one had informed him of this, and it took 30 seconds from first switching the system on before it could be used.

In the midst of all this Jamison slipped and fell, hitting his head in the process. He recovered his composure and appeared to have suffered no obvious injury so continued conning the ship. Was this fall indicative of the alcohol he had recently consumed and did the blow to the head further compound the effects of fatigue and alcohol? No one else on the bridge interpreted the incident in this light even though they had no trouble with their own footing.

Shortly after this incident the Pilot discussed the course with the Captain and they agreed that in view of the weather the passengers would not be interested in sightseeing and that it would be best to slowly steam out of Queen Charlotte Sound.

The Pilot is instructed to keep further from the shore

If the previous events had shaken the Pilot it did not alter his persistence to take the vessel close to shore and through restricted channels. The usual route for vessels leaving Picton is to the East of Allports Island. Jamison chose to take her behind the island. This necessitated a hard turn to starboard to clear Golden Point. Once again the ship passed dangerously close to the shore. One cruise staff member later commented that it seemed they were so close if she had reached out her hand she could have touched the land.

Captain Vorobyov was concerned by this incident and instructed the Pilot to maintain a greater distance from the shore.

At about 4 p.m. the watch crew change occurred on the bridge. Those on duty now included Chief Navigator Sergey Stephanishchev, Second Mate Sergey Gusev, and Helmsman Anatoliy Burin. Neither the Chief Navigator or the Second Mate had been on the bridge during the earlier near misses. They had last seen Jamison in action when he gave the flawless display of ship handling through Tory Channel that morning and had little reason to doubt his judgement.

At 4:15 p.m. Assistant Pilot Neill disembarked onto the pilot boat, near Luke Rock. After this, the Pilot again discussed the planned route with the Captain. The Captain apparently changed his mind from his earlier decision and insisted that the purpose of the voyage was to show the passengers the best of the scenery. With the permission of the Captain, Jamison increased the speed of the ship to the full manoeuvring speed of 15 knots. As with most vessels, the big ship would answer the helm more positively at speed. Jamison probably anticipated the need for such responsiveness as he planned further close-up views of the scenery.

The Captain leaves the bridge

At about 4:30 p.m. the Captain left the bridge having instructed the Chief Navigator that the Pilot had changed the planned course and would manoeuvre the ship into Ship Cove. The cruise then carried on relatively uneventfully towards the outer Queen Charlotte Sound. However, after visiting Ship Cove Jamison took the ship out to the west of Motuara Island. Again this was an unusual course for a large ship like the Lermontov.

Captain Vorobyov justified leaving the bridge on the grounds that he had to change his wet clothes, yet he was still absent from the bridge over an hour later when the ship struck the rocks. He had instructed the Chief Navigator to call him when the ship reached Ship Cove. He was called at this time but merely acknowledged the call and did not return to the bridge. By informing the Chief Navigator that the Pilot had changed the planned course and would stay close to shore he had effectively handed control of the ship to the Pilot who now had a free reign in the navigation of the vessel.

The Captain's decision to leave the bridge while the ship was in restricted waters was unusual. A captain has overall responsibility for the safety of the ship even with a pilot on board and under the Soviet system could expect to be held completely accountable. Another Ex-Soviet captain has commented that leaving the bridge under such circumstances would have been unthinkable to him.

By 5:10 p.m. the Lermontov had cleared Ship Cove and was on course to the open water beyond Cape Jackson. David Baker who at that time lived at the Cape Jackson Homestead recalled seeing the ship pass between Motuara Island and the mainland. He described it as a magnificent sight and unusual because they had never seen such a large ship taking that course before. As the ship passed North of Motuara Island it passed beyond the pilotage limit but it was still in the Queen Charlotte Harbour limits. The ship's officers did not assume control and take an active role in the navigation of the ship other than to plot the ship's progress. It was a decision they would later regret but understandable given that the ship was still in the Pilot's local area. Of those who were on the bridge he should have been the best man to navigate the ship in that area. He was also the local Harbour Master and with the ship still within the harbour limits it could be argued that any navigational instructions he issued in this area were binding instructions to the crew.

Cape Jackson

At 5:21 p.m. Jamison ordered the first of three incremental course changes to port that would send the ship onto the rocks at Cape Jackson. Had this first new heading been maintained it would still have allowed the ship to safely clear the headland and the reef that extended out to Walker rock. Jamison had been giving a commentary on the ship's public address system up to this point then said goodbye to the passengers. He hung up the microphone and told Second Mate Gusev he no longer required the P.A. Apparently the microphone may have been left on as some passengers reported hearing what sounded like an argument between Jamison and someone else on the bridge as the ship approached Cape Jackson.

At 5:30 p.m. when the ship was off Waihi Point, Jamison ordered a second turn to port, now heading the ship directly at the Cape Jackson Lighthouse. This change of course with only 7 minutes to run until the ship reached the lighthouse necessitated a further change of course within a very short period of time. In placing the ship on this course one assumes that Jamison had considered what he would do before reaching the lighthouse. The only reasonable order would have been a turn to starboard to clear the lighthouse and Walker Rock. The Cape Jackson inner channel ahead of the ship was clearly visible through the forward bridge windows and had been since the ship rounded Waihi Point.

Gusev indicated to Stepanishchev that the ship was heading towards danger. Stepanishchev questioned Jamison about his new course and was told he was going to show Cape Jackson to the passengers.

At 5:34 p.m. with the ship rapidly approaching the lighthouse Jamison made a sudden, spur of the moment decision and ordered a further turn to port committing the ship to a course through the Cape Jackson passage, rather than turning to starboard to clear the dangerous reef.

Second Mate Gusev told the Chief Navigator that he saw currents meeting in the area between Cape Jackson and the lighthouse. The Chief Navigator then asked Jamison whether the passage through there was possible. The Pilot answered with words to the effect that he intended to pass through there, that he knew that place, and that everything would be alright.

The Cape Jackson Lighthouse was almost directly ahead. The Pilot gave the command Port 10 and the ship moved to port towards the passage between the cape and the lighthouse. The ship entered the passage closer to the shore than to the lighthouse. The Pilot gave the order "midships" then "steady so." As the ship approached the passage the approximate course was 325 degrees True.

The Chief Navigator was checking the distance from the cape on the radar and when the ship was 7 or 8 cables (almost a mile) off the cape, the ship was heading between the cape and the lighthouse. Even at full manoeuvring speed of fifteen knots there was still time to reconsider the decision to take the ship through the passage. The decision may have been made on the spur of the moment but obviously Jamison was happy to persist with this course.

Initially the Chief Navigator was not concerned about the Pilot's intention to take the ship through the passage as he believed the assurances he had just been given about the safety of such a course. However as the ship neared the passage he noticed turbulent water indicating strong currents. Fearing these might push the ship off course he stood by the engine telegraphs ready to give split forward and astern commands to the engines to assist in maintaining the desired heading. The vessel did not appear to be affected by these tidal currents as it entered the passage and took the course the Pilot intended.

One of the passengers remembered looking out his cabin porthole and seeing the Cape Jackson Lighthouse with nothing behind it but open water. He thought it strange because a lighthouse usually marks an area of dangerous coast yet he could see no land. The reason the danger was not evident was because the ship was steaming right through the hazardous area rather than to seaward of it. Another passenger seeing white water ahead realised that the ship was heading into danger. "If we don't hit those rocks I'll eat my hat," he thought.

Jamison was of the understanding that a depth of 10 to 12 meters existed in the passage close to Cape Jackson and if true this would have been sufficient for the Mikhail Lermontov's 8.5 meter draught. He took the ship closer to Cape Jackson than the lighthouse, consistent with his previous manoeuvres that day taking the ship close to shore.

Impact!

Assistant Harbour Master Gary Neill later spoke to Don Jamison about those final moments before the grounding. Jamison compared his mental state during this period as similar to falling asleep at the wheel of a car at night and drifting off into the gravel. Perhaps the long hours he had been working finally caught up with him and he simply forgot that he was on a 20,000 ton cruise liner with a draught of over 8 meters. In such a state of fatigue the possibility must also be considered that the effects of his earlier consumption of alcohol or his fall in Shakespeare Bay had further impaired his judgement.

At 5:37 p.m. the ship struck a rock close to Cape Jackson. A series of about three shocks was felt through the vessel lasting only two or three seconds. The ship struck approximately five and a half meters below the waterline on the port side, buckling the hull plates inward and shearing open a tear in the hull a further half meter below that. Such a depth corresponds with the depth of Hawea Rock at the time of impact about three hours before low tide at Cape Jackson. The Helmsman reported that the ship was thrown a little to the right, further indication that the impact was on the port side. He tried to steady the ship on its previous course.

The ship hit with a sudden jolt that sent wine glasses flying in the Bolshoi Lounge. One or two passengers were thrown from their feet by the totally unexpected impact.

Many witnesses felt that the shocks had come from the starboard side of the ship. Jamison thought the ship had struck on the starboard side about the vicinity of the bridge and continued as if the vessel ran over a sharp pinnacle, but since the shocks only lasted a few seconds this could not have been the case. The shock of a grounding along the bottom of the ship would have been felt for longer than two or three seconds.

Staff Captain Melnik who was in his cabin at the time of impact recalled that there were about three shocks from the direction of the bow. This is consistent with the damage to the port side of the hull. Almost immediately the vessel developed a list to starboard. That may seem strange given that the ship was holed on the port side but the vessel left Picton trimmed two degrees to starboard so water entering the ship would flow to the lower starboard side. The impact low down on the port side where the hull plates begin to curve under the ship may also have had the effect of throwing the ship over to starboard.

First Engineer Boris Alekseev was on duty in the Main Engine Room at the time of impact. It seemed to him that the shocks were coming from the area of the port bow back to the Auxiliary Engine Room.

Directly after the impact there was shocked silence on the bridge. Because the ship suffered only a glancing blow and had carried on through the channel the seriousness of the incident was not immediately apparent but there would certainly be some damage. Each senior officer on the bridge experienced the sinking feeling of knowing they were partly responsible and there would be hell to pay for such a blunder.

Why are we in this place?

The Russians claimed Jamison then ordered a further turn to port, although the Pilot himself could not recall giving such an order after the impact. The helmsman had attempted to correct the jolt to starboard and this action may have been misinterpreted by some as a further turn to port.

Alarmed officers began hurrying to the bridge. A large patch of dirty water could be seen astern marking the point of impact.

When the Captain returned to the bridge he was furious and immediately took control turning the ship to starboard and towards open water. He asked the Chief Navigator to explain why the ship was in its present position. The Chief Navigator replied that on the recommendation of the Pilot they had steered the ship between the cape and the lighthouse. The Captain asked if he had agreed to that and was told that the Pilot had insisted the passage was safe.

The Captain then asked the shocked and confused Pilot what had happened and received the reply: "I don't know."

It was obvious that the ship had hit something but the extent of the damage was not yet known. It had been a glancing blow and there was some doubt that the hull had been penetrated. Usual practice when a submerged object had been hit would be the immediate closure of all watertight doors. However even before this could be done considerable amounts of water flooded from damaged compartments into adjacent ones.

Water pours in

Damage control parties were dispatched to assess the situation throughout the ship but no one had to tell crew members working in the Refrigerated Stores compartment on Deck 5 what had happened. Working directly above the impact point they heard the horrifying sound of rock on tortured metal and felt the deck below them flex upwards as the hull was severely deformed. The rocks opened up the water tanks on the deck directly below them, while lower still a line of dents ran along the double bottom, a kind of "crumple zone" designed to absorb just such impacts. The upper tank joints were no doubt ruptured as the hull buckled inwards and a loose access panel located in one of the tank tops may have added significantly to the amount of water flowing upwards into the dry compartments above.

Crew members in this area bolted for the nearest stairway to the higher decks, fearing that one of their number was still in the general area. Refrigeration Engineer Parvee Zagliadimov was last seen working in this area. When the impact occurred, heavy food laden trolleys intended for that night's dinner rolled against the door he was seen to have entered, jamming it shut. Inflowing water also began building up against the door making it almost impossible for him to escape if he was still in that compartment.

A report came from the Engine Room that water was entering the Refrigerated Store followed by reports of flooding in the Laundry, Gymnasium, Refrigeration Machinery Compartment, and the Printing Room. The starboard ballast tanks and the swimming pool were pumped out in an attempt to reduce the list to starboard which quickly developed to about 10 degrees.

The Chief Engineer carried out an inspection of some of the affected areas. There was a continuous flow of water back into the Refrigeration Machinery Compartment from the Refrigerated Stores area, with sufficient strength to make closer inspection impossible. The bulkheads of the Refrigeration Machinery Compartment appeared to be intact so the flooding was originating forward of this point. The Chief Engineer reported that he closed the watertight door between the Refrigeration Machinery Compartment and the Air Conditioning Compartment on the starboard side of Deck 5 under local control, however Navy divers who later searched this area looking for the missing Refrigeration Engineer suggested this door was found open.

The fact that the Refrigeration Compartments on Deck 5 could be inspected several minutes after impact proves that the rate of flooding was not as great as some claims suggest. The rather fanciful figure of 63 tonnes per second has often been quoted as the initial rate of flooding. Nevertheless she was shipping water at an alarming rate.

The vessel is in danger of sinking

The bridge crew received reports that the Air Conditioning Room was dry but the Stabiliser Compartment below had about 1 metre of water in it. A pump with a capacity of 160 tonnes per hour was activated but this did not stop the water level from rising.

At 5:43 p.m. the general alarm was sounded and the remaining watertight doors were finally ordered closed by remote control. It's possible the 7 minute delay in taking this action allowed seawater to affect some of the electrical circuits before the order could be completed. This may explain why some of the doors on Deck 5 were later found open by Navy divers. While each watertight door could also be operated by a hydraulic hand pump, these were located at the doors themselves and would soon have been impossible to reach due to flooding. Emergency parties began checking for flooding in all compartments. Reports indicated that flooding was occurring rapidly in the Garage, Refrigeration Compartments, and the Stabiliser Compartment. This represented four watertight compartments. Referring to the ship's damage control data, it was clear that if the flooding could not be controlled the ship was in danger of sinking. Some reports claim the vessel was only designed to stay afloat with any two compartments fully flooded. With the total amount of flooding now occurring the situation was serious. Captain Vorobyov realised he may have to beach his ship if he was going to save her. Vorobyov conferred with the Pilot as to the best position to beach the ship and they decided to head for Port Gore.

Passengers in the accommodation areas who were leaving their cabins shortly after the impact were suddenly confronted by watertight doors closing in their faces. Some experienced mild panic as their usual routes to the main stairways were cut off. In fact, there were stairways leading out of every watertight compartment but in some cases these were crew stairways that passengers were not familiar with. Most people who found themselves in this situation had to work out the exit route themselves or were helped by crew members. Many signs in the ship were in Russian or German only.

At 6:01 p.m. the following message was sent by Don Jamison using a VHF radio on the ship's bridge:

"This is a Mayday situation. The Mikhail Lermontov. We have struck a rock at Cape Jackson, and we are proceeding into Port Gore. Would you please advise Wellington we will require emergency services. The vessel in danger of sinking. The vessel in danger of sinking. Making water. Proceeding into Port Gore. Over."

It appears that Jamison made this call on his own initiative. Throughout the drama Jamison continued operating the VHF while the crew appeared totally disinterested in communicating with local authorities and rescue vessels. He found on several occasions that when he went to the port wing of the bridge to observe developments outside, calls were being made to the vessel on VHF which were not being answered. He therefore restricted his movements and tended to stay in the wheelhouse and within earshot of the VHF.

The rather informal Mayday message was acknowledged by Wellington radio who asked for confirmation but by 6:19 p.m. Jamison relayed a message from the ship's Captain advising that no Mayday situation existed. Vorobyov recently denied that he instructed Jamison to cancel the Mayday but to the inquiry immediately after the sinking he stated unequivocally that, "at no stage did I give permission to send a Mayday or any other distress signal by VHF or any other radio communication."

It seemed inexplicable not to send a distress or Urgency message under the circumstances. The Captain apparently knew that four watertight compartments were flooding and the vessel could not stay afloat indefinitely. Even if the ship was not in immediate danger of sinking, she was known to be badly holed and passengers would require evacuating. The cruise could not continue until the damage had been repaired. The bizarre behaviour of the Russian Captain was to continue on through the night as his lack of decisive action conspired to make a serious but manageable situation far worse.

If they have offered help, then why don't you accept?

While it was true that Jamison had been responsible for the decision to take the ship through the Cape Jackson passage, he now began fighting a lone battle among those on the bridge to take rational steps to save or evacuate the ship in good time. Captain Vorobyov appeared to be in a state of denial regarding the seriousness of the situation. Time and again he refused to request assistance, to accept offers of assistance from vessels nearby, or to take the necessary steps to save his ship as the opportunity presented itself. Local fishing boat skippers were given the impression that their presence was not required or appreciated.

The failure to declare and maintain an emergency situation caused delays in the rescue operation and could have cost lives. Luckily many of the local ship captains and fishing boat skippers decided on their own initiative to head into Port Gore. This was in no small part due to the Baker family who operated Cape Jackson Radio and were able to observe the drama as it unfolded. They correctly assessed that assistance would be required at some stage and called a number of local boats to head towards Port Gore despite messages from the ship indicating "no assistance required."

The Russian Captain had a full complement of trained radio operators and other English speaking officers at his disposal who could have operated the radios. It was a vital task under the circumstances and it seems strange that Vorobyov was prepared to let Jamison take responsibility for VHF radio communication after all that had happened. Bridge staff on the Mikhail Lermontov knew that soon after 6:20 p.m. the rail ferry Arahura, the best potential rescue vessel in the area, had turned away from the scene. The CTC cruise secretary was overheard shouting over the phone to someone on the bridge, "if they have offered help then why don't you accept?"

Without knowing the exact extent of the damage it seems incredible that a message claiming "no assistance required" was sent, especially with in excess of 400 passengers on board. Normally this message could only have been contemplated if the Captain was sure the ship was in a stable condition and not in immediate danger of sinking. Photographs taken on the night by fisherman Mike Harris seem to verify that the vessel did maintain a fairly constant trim from a time shortly after she struck rocks at Cape Jackson until she beached in the South East corner of Port Gore. At 6:30 p.m. the interisland ferry Arahura which had diverted to Port Gore to assist was instructed to continue on her original course to Picton. This decision delayed the rescue of the passengers. Had the Arahura been on the scene hours earlier and in daylight, the passengers could have been evacuated in an orderly fashion and the liner possibly towed to safety.

A member of the cruise staff called the bridge to ask what was going on. He received the rather improbable explanation from the Navigator that the ship had hit a submarine! While a ship's crew sometimes downplayed the seriousness of an emergency to avoid panic, this response was hardly reassuring. If it was a belief held with any conviction by the Russian Officers it illustrated a high degree of paranoia and might help explain why they were so reticent to ask for further help from "Westerners."

Meanwhile the Mikhail Lermontov's radio operators set to work establishing contact with Vladisvostok and the Soviet Embassy in New Zealand. They ignored local authorities who tried to establish contact with the ship on HF and MF frequencies. The VHF circuits were becoming very difficult to use due to the amount of traffic and the local terrain. The Russian operators did not appear to understand English when advised on the best frequencies to use for working with local authorities. This seems strange given that the ship was operating in a part of the world where English would be the main language used by marine radio stations. Many of the ship's officers were fluent in English so there must be some doubt that the Russian crew made any real effort to cooperate with the local rescue effort. A frustrated Rescue Coordination Centre in Wellington would have appreciated a phone call direct from the Russian Captain telling them exactly what the situation was. The ship had a Satellite Phone system, but this was used only to inform Soviet officials of the situation when they couldn't possibly assist.

Time and again throughout the night the Russian crew members appeared to understand and speak English quite well when spoken to casually, but when given instructions by anyone other than their own officers they conveniently acted as though they could not understand what was being said.

Tarihiko decides to take a look at the situation

The bulk LPG carrier Tarihiko which responded to the initial Mayday and was steaming towards Port Gore also received the "no assistance required" message but decided to continue to the scene anyway. Her crew would spend a frustrating night standing by the Russian ship and offering assistance only to be repeatedly told they were not required.

On the liner, passengers were generally confused and unsure of what they should be doing. Initially there were few announcements in English over the public address system. Those who asked crew members got little information from them. CTC staff members were in the unenviable position of having to field passengers' questions when they themselves had been told nothing.

Eventually an announcement was made in the Bolshoi Lounge to the effect that the ship had hit rocks and would have to head to the shore. The passengers were asked whether the show should continue. In the best show business tradition they all said "the show must go on!", but musicians began to experience difficulty keeping the entertainment going as the list increased and the band's equipment began sliding across the stage. Despite the confusion, many did not believe the ship was actually in danger of sinking and the gravity of the situation was taking some time to register.

Cruise Director Peter Warren was asked to make public announcements in English. One of the first announcements the passengers received was along the lines of, "there has been a slight water intrusion in the lower decks but we have a good captain and crew and they have the situation in hand."

However, passengers using the forward passenger stairway noticed an ominous sight. When they looked down the centre of the stairwell they could see water swirling in the lower deck levels beneath them. The crew tried unsuccessfully to rig a tarpaulin to hide this from view.

Pilot Jamison called Picton Harbour radio for advice on the best place to beach the ship. Despite difficulties with radio reception a reply was eventually received advising the South East corner of Port Gore.

Struggling into Port Gore

The vessel had bled off much of her original 15 knots of speed during the various turns she had undertaken immediately after the grounding and with so much water onboard was now sluggish.

The run towards the beach in Port Gore was very slow and difficulty was experienced in keeping the ship on a constant heading. This may have been partly due to a large section of bilge keel that had been torn from the ship and now hung at right angles across the bottom of the hull. On deck, lifeboats and other survival equipment were being prepared for use. The condition of this equipment would later become quite controversial. As the ship struggled towards the safety of shallow water a southerly head wind increased the starboard list and forced the speed to be kept down.

According to the Russian account, from about 7:00 p.m. water began entering the main Switchboard Compartment from a three metre long crack in the forward bulkhead. It seems doubtful that an isolated crack this large could occur in a major reinforced watertight bulkhead so far from the damaged area of the ship because the impact of the grounding was not reported as being particularly severe. If such flooding did occur, it seems more likely that holes left in the bulkhead during ongoing maintenance were the real reason. Ian Lockley, a senior member of the salvage team removing oil from the ship, recalled someone on his dive team noting just such problems in the bulkhead forward of the switchboard. The ship's crew claimed that the flow developed into a torrent that sprayed both sides of the split switchboard. Either side could power the ship independently but now both sides were in danger of being disabled.

The bridge was apparently warned of the danger, so the crew must have known how important it was to plug this crack or deflect water away from the switchboard. There was an access passage behind the switchboard and it seems strange that a well trained and determined crew could not prevent the total loss of electrical power as claimed. The water level at this time would have resulted in a maximum pressure of only 5.5 psi at the position of the crack. Captain Vorobyov ordered speed increased in an attempt to get to the beach in less time but this also increased the rate of flooding, so the ship's speed was reduced again.

Power and main engine operation is lost

At 7:15 p.m. electrical power reportedly failed at the main switchboard and main engine operation was lost. The emergency generator activated automatically but was not capable of supporting main engine operation. Main lighting failed but some backup lighting was powered by the emergency generator. A radio message from the ship at 7:19 p.m. indicated they were running the ship onto the beach.

At about 7:35 p.m. Wellington received the following message from Mikhail Lermontov: "Present situation is that we have a list of about 12 degrees. We have lost main engines. We were in the process of beaching at the head of Port Gore. We are still drifting slowly in towards the beach and are about six lengths off the beach."

Weather at the time was South Easterly wind of 25 knots, moderate rain, visibility of 2 to 3 miles, and choppy seas.

The vessel beaches in Port Gore

After the loss of power the vessel continued to drift until she grounded close to the beach. The Pilot claimed there was a light grounding and other passengers and crew reported a gentle bump at that time. The passengers had been instructed to brace themselves for the beaching, but when it happened it was so gentle that many did not even realise that they were aground. Photographs taken of the ship at this time support the pilot's claim that the ship came to rest about one ship length, 176 metres, from the shore. A subsequent divers' inspection of the seabed in the same spot also confirmed that she had beached successfully. At the expected location a large furrow in the sand caused by the bow of the ship was found. The bow shows signs of a low speed impact presumably occurring when the thin forward section penetrated the soft seabed down to bedrock. This would also explain the slight bump reported by some, as a low speed grounding into soft sand at a speed of only a few knots would have been so gentle and gradual as to have been undetected by those aboard.

At 7:42 p.m. the following message from the ship confirmed the beaching: "We are neatly aground at the head of Port Gore and we are now starting to, ah... ...they'll be disembarking the passengers and putting them ashore. Arrangements will need to be made to uplift the passengers from the shore at Port Gore over."

Russian crew statements to the inquiry contradict this evidence. They stated the ship never came closer than eight cables, or 1.4 km, to the shore. This estimate appears to be a deliberate exaggeration perhaps designed to avoid the obvious question; why weren't the anchors dropped once the ship beached? Had this action been taken the ship would almost certainly have been saved. Apparently Jamison suggested this course of action but Captain Vorobyov ignored him.

Further evidence to support the claim that the ship was beached close to shore was available from passengers and the skippers of the small local fishing vessels on the scene, none of whom were required to give evidence at the Preliminary Inquiry. At least one local skipper present did not believe the ship had beached because he thought she was still settling and the tide was going out. He therefore concluded that if she had beached she would have settled firmly on the sea bed. In fact, the ship appeared to be maintaining a constant trim at this time and the tide was within two hours of low water and ebbing very slowly so the ship was able to float off again under the action of the South-West wind.

Captain Reedman of the Tarihiko also stated that when they first sighted the Mikhail Lermontov she was "very close inshore" and "aground or nearly aground," a description that hardly supports the crew claim of being not closer than 1.4 km to the shore. If that assessment had been correct, it would have placed the ship out in the middle of the bay.

Captain Vorobyov estimated that the ship would stay afloat for two more hours and claimed he did not drop the anchors because he hoped that the ship would drift into shallower waters off Gannet Point.

An alternative explanation offered for the failure to lower the anchors was that Vorobyov feared passengers would panic and try swimming to the nearby shoreline. But they had shown no signs of panic up to that point and would have been spared the worst of their ordeal had the ship been anchored on the beach and prevented from sinking in deep water. One cruise staff member commented that most of the passengers were so old they couldn't have panicked if they'd wanted to!

Other accounts suggest that Vorobyov knew the ship was beached but thought the incoming tide would carry her in even further, however it is extremely doubtful that she would have got any closer to shore than where she initially beached. No satisfactory explanation has ever been forthcoming for the failure to lower the anchors while the ship was on the beach. As Vorobyov hesitated, one of the last opportunities to save the ship was slipping away.

Watertight doors begin to fail

According to the crew account, watertight doors were "sprung" shortly after the ship left the beach and the list increased. Various sources suggest that the list of the ship or the pressure of flood water caused the opening of watertight doors at this time. Both explanations seem unlikely however as watertight doors are designed to close and remain sealed even under the adverse conditions existing in a damaged ship. It's possible that the Russian accounts refer instead to cracking and failure of bulkheads and frames around the doors, but this portion of their account lacks detail and was never clarified during the Preliminary Inquiry that was to follow. Flooding had by then occurred as far back as the forward bulkhead of the Auxiliary Engine Room, so presumably it was a watertight door in this bulkhead that was referred to as failing. In fact the engine rooms had supposedly been evacuated at 7:30 p.m. in a dry state, so it is hard to understand who could have reported their failure. No questions were asked at the inquiry regarding this point and no further clarification has been forthcoming.

By 7:41 p.m. a radio message from Tarihiko requested assistance from all ships in the area indicating that the seriousness of the situation was now fully understood. Incredibly, the Mikhail Lermontov had still failed to declare an emergency herself.

At about this time, a radio message from Mikhail Lermontov stated passengers were being put ashore 200 metres east of her position by a homestead on the shore. This message again suggests that the ship was close to shore rather than 1.4 km from the beach.

An attempt was made to land some passengers using one of the ship's tenders but this had to be abandoned due to the gently sloping beach which would force the elderly passengers to disembark some distance from the shore and then be required to wade or be carried in.

If he makes up his mind before dark it will be helpful

Shortly after, Vorobyov requested a tug from Wellington. Time to scene would have been four hours, far too late to be of assistance. The Mikhail Lermontov also advises Tarihiko that they do not wish to use the Tarihiko's lifeboats. Tarahiko advises Wellington Radio that the Mikhail Lermontov is refusing any offers of assistance for her passengers. The Captain of the Tarihiko advises Mikhail Lermontov they will stand by with lifeboats ready for rescue work anyway and at 8:19 p.m. Wellington Radio requests Tarihiko to pick up passengers. About this time there is a rather comic exchange of signals as Wellington makes futile efforts to get the Mikhail Lermontov's radio operators to use other channels. The Russian radio operators do not appear to understand simple instructions in English. Jamison also talks on VHF with the increasingly impatient Captain of the Tarahiko who wants to know when the Russian Captain will decide what he wants done, and "if he makes up his mind before it gets dark it will be helpful." Tempers were beginning to fray on the bridge of the Mikhail Lermontov as Jamison describes the Russian Captain as "getting a bit short."

At 8:35 p.m. Jamison relays a request to Tarihiko to push the Mikhail Lermontov further into the bay. This request was turned down because the Tarihiko was a gas carrier and any collision could have sparked an explosion. Even with a high degree of control, ship on ship contact would almost certainly have resulted in serious damage to both ships. Such a procedure is not usually attempted even in an emergency and certainly not with a laden gas carrier.

Up to this point passengers had been told very little and rumours spread through the ship. Some passengers went to their lifeboat stations outside but were told to wait inside. By 8:30 p.m. the decision had finally been made to abandon ship.

Passengers attempting to return to their cabins to retrieve valued belongings and passports had a frightening ordeal feeling their way around darkened corridors as the ship's electrical system began to fail.

A few hours earlier I had been readying for work, and now this...

Australian Entertainer Ken Tweddle recalled, "The biggest problem was that it was getting dark and the ship was leaning over a lot by now. I remember one lady started screaming across the room that her husband was having an epileptic fit and was going to die if nothing was done. I managed to get to them, as I seemed to be the only staff member around, and remember thinking "what is going on here?" It hit me all of a sudden that a few hours earlier I had been having a shower readying for work, and now this! I had heard somewhere that you had to make sure they didn't swallow their tongue so I made sure he was lying on his back and forced his jaws open. His wife gave me a tablet and told me to put it under his tongue after which he seemed to lie still and breathe calmly. His wife was in quite a state as you can imagine."

If you don't come with me now you will die here

"We began herding passengers aft and starboard as the ship had begun to get front heavy. They didn't seem to understand the danger they were in. I had to shout at more than one old dear who wanted to go back to their cabin to retrieve their purse, "if you don't come with me now you will die here," which I have to admit did the trick. It struck me that if you show calm and confidence in a situation in which you have no idea what to do people will want to believe that you do know what you're doing. So it's getting darker, light is coming in through windows (probably lights from the ferry Arahura) and we continue to move them back and up and sideways. The problems start when you have to get them up the stairs which due to the list are twice as steep as they would normally be. The Russian crew were waiting at the exits and had tied rope with knots to metal posts that fitted into sockets bolted to the floor. The trick was to get the old dears standing in front of you, grabbing the rope in front of them, and pull the two of you up the stairs. This was working fine until halfway up one such trip the post came out of it's socket sending us back down the stairs into what was now a flooded bulkhead. We both ended up under water. When we managed to surface I was confronted by the most bizarre sight I had ever seen. The post had gone into her knee and smashed it. She could have sucked her own toes, her foot was literally in her mouth bent straight up in the air. We both stared at it in disbelief. She began to vomit, so here we both were, relative strangers covered in blood, vomit and salt water. Not the best first date but definitely unforgettable! I got her to the top of the stairs somehow and the Russians got her into the lifeboat. There were times during all of this that I thought I was going to die there, the ship would let out a groan and shudder and I could see myself floating there forever. It's now seventeen years later but I can still feel it as vividly as if it were happening now."

At least one lifeboat was launched in the conventional manner by loading passengers at the Boat Deck level, however much difficulty was experienced in getting the boats away fully loaded against the side of the listing ship, so the decision was made to lower the boats empty and have passengers embark from the side doors on Deck H. This decision resulted in a painfully slow evacuation that was only just completed before the ship sank. Deficiencies in the life saving equipment identified by Ministry of Transport inspectors after the sinking suggested there was little evidence of regular maintenance or drills carried out using the ship's boats, but cruise staff did recall lifeboats being launched and motors run regularly in the six months leading up to the sinking. Of course, it's not possible to practice the launching of lifeboats with the ship listing twenty degrees or more and this added complication was the main reason for the decision to load the lifeboats once they were in the water.

Passengers were instructed to proceed to Deck H to embark the life boats. This was not an announcement greeted with any enthusiasm as the last thing they wanted to do was go back inside a dark, badly listing ship that was now obviously sinking. This fear turned out to be fully justified for a group of passengers who in the confusion were led deep inside the ship but apparently to the wrong area. They were then taken back another way by a Russian crew member and up a stairway that should have led back out to Promenade Deck. Incredibly the door at the top of the stairs was locked, an amazing situation because with watertight doors closed every stairway was effectively an emergency exit and should have been clear. The passengers were told to wait and the crew member disappeared. Many old and frail passengers were left in this darkened stairwell for quite some time. The air grew stale and they were terrified to discover that water was now rising up behind them. They were trapped and had no idea if anyone knew where they were. As the list of the ship increased, the angle of the stairway grew steeper until it was almost vertical. Exhausted passengers began loosing their grip and some suffered serious injuries as they fell. Eventually someone in the crew found a key and unlocked the door, one that should never have been locked in the first place. By the time they were freed, these passengers had to negotiate a steeply sloping deck and scramble down rope ladders to safety.

Some passengers recounted the experience of walking down long corridors on Deck H indicating that the watertight doors on this deck had been opened to allow passengers to reach the main embarkation doors. It appears these doors were not closed before the ship sank and this would have accelerated the final stages of the sinking. As it was claimed people were still leaving the ship only minutes before she sank, this was also a potentially serious oversight by the crew.

I don't like the look of the situation

At 8:38 p.m. the Tarihiko anchored about 800 metres from Mikhail Lermontov and by 8:52 p.m. had launched her port lifeboat to assist with passenger transfer. Choppy conditions made working in the small boats quite difficult. Shortly after at 8:56 p.m. it was noticed that the blacked out Mikhail Lermontov was drifting towards the Tarihiko, which began raising her anchors ready to take evasive action. In the meantime a Russian lifeboat drew up alongside the Tarihiko and began transferring passengers but this was interrupted at 9:08 p.m. and the Tarihiko had to move to avoid the drifting liner. Radio traffic around this time confirms that the Mikhail Lermontov was initially aground but had drifted off the beach and was moving into deeper water, "the Captain says to confirm that we have actually drifted off the beach, and at the moment are further off shore than we originally were."

Once more of the crucial watertight doors within the ship had opened she was effectively doomed. The previously stable condition of the vessel was rapidly deteriorating. On the radio, Don Jamison was heard to admit, "I don't like the look of the situation."

At 9:00 p.m. the Navy patrol boat Taupo, which was by then heading to the scene offered to act as a tug if required, with 3000 SHP at her disposal. This suggestion was accepted but she was not to arrive until just after 10:00 p.m. when it was already too late to save the ship.

Arahura arrives

By 9:35 p.m. the ferry Arahura arrived and assumed control of the rescue operation, using her large spot lights to illuminate the scene. By this time the Mikhail Lermontov was no longer responding to radio calls. Another large Russian lifeboat transferred its passengers to the Tarihiko but required extra fuel before it could depart again. It could not have travelled far before running out of fuel and was one of many examples of the Mikhail Lermontov's poorly maintained lifesaving equipment.

The following radio message from the Tarihiko at 10:15 p.m. warned that the end was imminent: "Mikhail Lermontov listing 40 degrees to starboard. Focsle is under water and the vessel is in danger of sinking."

A cruise staff member recounted the final minutes on the ship, "we got them all off and into the last lifeboat. Near the end the ship was listing so badly that the rope ladders wouldn't reach into the boats so we tied knotted rope to the ends of them. When the passengers got to the end of the ladder we had to stand on their hands to make them fall into the arms of the seamen below with screams of "I don't want to die" ringing in our ears."

The Tarihiko's port lifeboat was attempting to assist with the evacuation of passengers. It seemed that the embarkation of passengers from the port side would be very slow so the crew decided to come in alongside a lifeboat on the starboard side of the ship. This was achieved and eleven passengers were embarked.

When a Russian motor lifeboat was seen approaching an attempt was made to clear the liner's hull and allow the other vessel room to come alongside. During this manoeuvre the port grabline fouled one of the many lifeboat fall blocks, which because of the ship's list were hanging some four or five metres clear of the ship's side, just above the water. The boat heeled sharply to starboard and water entered through the open starboard door, flooding and stalling the engine.

Now you've got your swim!

Soon after this, Australian passenger John McLean boarded the Tarihiko's boat. A survivor of two previous sinkings during World War Two, he was alarmed to see so much water in the lifeboat and thinking the boat was still taking on water tried to make his concerns known to those in charge of the boat. The boat crew were already well aware of the situation and did not acknowledge his concerns. Afraid that the boat might sink beneath him, he moved to the outside of the covered boat and could not be convinced to shelter inside.

The Tarihiko's boat lay alongside the Mikhail Lermontov until the bulk of the water had been pumped out, then a tow was obtained from a Russian motor lifeboat. The towing boat had no clear idea as to where they should head and at first started toward the beach. Eventually the Tarihiko's boat crew managed to convince them they should head for the rail ferry Arahura.

During this rapid alteration of course, Mr. McLean slipped from the outside of the boat. He claimed that one of the boat crew had said as he fell, "you thought you were going into the water and now you've got your swim." Words to this effect may have been said by a member of the boat's crew in frustration at the problems they were encountering in trying to help but they definitely did not intend to ignore Mr. McLean and leave him in the water. Unfortunately, no amount of shouting and waving could convey to the Russian helmsman on the other boat what had happened. No one thought to cut the tow rope and so the unfortunate gentleman spent in excess of twenty minutes in the water and by that stage was beginning to suffer from hypothermia.

Eventually the Tarihiko's boat crew managed to get a message through on VHF about the missing man and HMNZS Taupo recovered him after a search of the area.

He had lost the use of his limbs and could not speak at first, but recovered after a shower and rest.

Lieutenant Batcheler, the Commanding Officer of Taupo claimed that Mr. McLean had had to dismantle the light on his life jacket to get it working again. If he had not been able to achieve that he may have become the only casualty among the passengers.

Just a matter of time

Members of the Mikhail Lermontov's crew carried out a final search of the vessel looking for any passengers that had been overlooked. This was an eerie exercise in the heavily listing and darkened ship, her death throes accompanied by what seemed like the last gasps of a dying person as air escaped from compartments within the rapidly sinking vessel.

At 10:25 p.m. the last boat left the stricken liner. The vessel had by then rolled onto her starboard side with her bow submerged and it was just a matter of time before she disappeared.

The end came at about 10:45 p.m. when the Mikhail Lermontov disappeared below the surface. Loud crashing sounds accompanied the liner's final plunge, followed by a boiling maelstrom on the surface as escaping air and various objects from the ship were ejected into the air. Then it was over and a great silence fell over the scene.

Like a scene from a disaster movie

Ken Tweddle described the surreal quality of the final moments, "I was in the boat for about ten minutes and approximately five hundred metres away when the ship disappeared under. I remember waiting to be sucked under from the backdraft or whatever they call it but there was nothing. I can't even remember the noise that others say they heard, it was just these lights shining down on the rump of her and then they were shining down on nothing. I remember waiting for the credits to come up; 'this has been a Stephen Spielberg Production!'"

Those on other boats who had time to watch the final moments of the liner were stunned by the spectacular sight of the massive vessel disappearing beneath the surface, an image that would forever remain in the memory of each witness.

maller vessels stayed on in Port Gore to continue searching for survivors who might have made it to shore or still be in the water. The Arahura and Tarihiko carrying the majority of survivors left the scene at about 2:00 a.m. and headed to Wellington, arriving around dawn on the 17th of February.

The night was marked by considerable confusion due to poor radio communications with the ships in Port Gore.

It was some time before it was realised that all the survivors would be taken by ship to Wellington. The Air Force base at Woodbourne had been preparing to receive hundreds of people reported to be heading towards Picton by boat and it was not until the next day that they were informed that their preparations would not be required.

Uncertainty existed over the passenger lists and there was a delay before confirmation was received that all the passengers had been rescued. The crew lists revealed that one refrigeration engineer was missing. His body has never been recovered despite a systematic compartment by compartment search of the wreck carried out by Navy divers. They were operating on the information that he was probably in one of the refrigeration compartments. Subsequent reports indicated he was trapped in one of the engine rooms.

Once the process of abandoning ship had begun, both the crew of the Mikhail Lermontov and those of other vessels in the area worked hard to evacuate passengers and crew, but it was a minor miracle that no one was lost other than the single crew member. There is little doubt that the evacuation could have been carried out under far more controlled conditions had a proper distress call been made early and not cancelled. There were also questions over the condition of the Mikhail Lermontov's lifesaving equipment, the way it was used, and damage control procedures in the ship. Though individual Russian sailors did all they could to ensure the safe evacuation of passengers, the overall management of damage control, declaring an emergency, and evacuation appeared to be open to criticism. It could be argued that with timely and appropriate decisions made by Captain Vorobyov and his officers, the passengers and crew would never have ended up fighting for their lives towards the end of the night, and the ship may well have been saved.

The Mikhail Lermontov never sent out a Mayday call in the prescribed format to local authorities, though Jamison sent a signal indicating a Mayday situation existed. He subsequently sent a signal claiming no assistance was required and the Mayday was never officially re-activated. It was only the good sense of local people deciding to stand by the stricken ship that prevented a complete tragedy unfolding.

When the Arahura and Tarihiko arrived in Wellington, Police were waiting to begin processing passengers and crew in an attempt to account as fully as possible for all who were aboard the Mikhail Lermontov. The Maritime Union was soon aware that Don Jamison was implicated in the sinking and would need protection. Since boarding the Arahura, he had been shadowed by two Soviet crew members who weren't letting him out of their sight. The Russians obviously wanted Jamison watched closely but Captain Brew of the Arahura cooperated with Union officials ashore to get Jamison quietly off the ship once she docked in Wellington. They told no one in authority of this however, which didn't help Police efforts to establish a reliable final head count. This incident marked the start of a concerted effort by Don Jamison's maritime and union colleagues to take care of their man and shield him from official investigation.

Captain Vorobyov was immediately taken away by Soviet Embassy officials when the Arahura berthed in Wellington.

In Port Gore, searchers continued to comb sea and shore while an RNZAF Orion maritime patrol aircraft carried out a radar and visual search for missing lifeboats and liferafts well into the morning.

Most of the Russian crew were allowed to return to the USSR almost immediately and only ten witnesses were held back for the New Zealand Preliminary Inquiry.

Erratic Final Cruise of the Mikhail Lermontov

The numbered markers indicate the following significant occurrences:

1. Vessel nearly grounded at stern when leaving Picton.

2. Vessel nearly grounded at the bow in Shakespeare Bay.

3. Vessel passes close to Golden Point while taking the unusual course west of Allports Island.

4. Vessel takes the unusual course west of Motuara Island.

5. First turn towards Cape Jackson just before Kempe Point.

6. Second turn towards Cape Jackson adjacent Waihi Point. Heading straight for lighthouse.

7. Final turn committing the vessel to sail through Jackson's Passage.

8. Point of impact. Pilot orders a further turn to port immediately afterwards.

9. Ship's Captain takes over and turns vessel to starboard and away from rocks.

10. With a 12 degree list the vessel limps to this point and is beached. Power is lost. The anchors are not dropped and the vessel subsequently drifts off and sinks in the position marked "X".

EXPERIENCE LEVELS

Don't worry if you are new to wreck diving. This wreck will satisfy every level of wreck diving experience level from beginner to Advanced Penetration.

With regards to what level of diver experience you need, you will need to be a competent diver. The conditions can be very trying at times, cold water, reduced viz. So you will really need to be a comfortable diver, min Adv O/W cert with 50 dives.

There are normally a good mix of experienced wreck divers on the trips so we plan the penetration of the dive groups very carefully. This is to reduce any problems with people swimming into areas that are already inhabited by divers. If you are going to be penetrating the wreck you will need to be suitably trained and experienced and MUST have redundant air system for overhead environment .

I am happy to take people round the wreck on an orientation and also the more experienced through the wreck if there are requests for this.  This is with out a doubt one of the best ocean liner dives in the world.

any other enquiries contact Pete Mesley info@petemesley.com

DIVING

This is a great ship for all experiences. Basically the only rules on this trip is to dive within your training and experience. Your first trip will be really based on figuring out where the hell you are on the ship!! If you are deco trained then no worries with going into deco! We DO limit penetration to suitably trained divers with the right experience and redundant gear. No redundant air  - no penetration! I have a few pony bottles for hire also if need be. There are many places to venture safely within the 166m long wreck. For experienced divers we have specific briefings each dive to make sure that people will not be entering in places where other groups are diving. For safety reasons this will really cause havoc if a group drops in on top of another group exiting the same hole. We take this very seriously and with a little organization ensures everyone has a great experience over the  trip. !!!

We will be running two compressors so you wont need to wait long to get back into the water. !!!

BOOKING

$250 non refundable deposit to secure your place. ALL monies 10 weeks before trip goes. If you cant make the trip for some reason and can get someone else to come in your place then we can transfer your deposit. To secure your place for the trip contact me at the above e-mail address. If you are using VISA there is a 4% surcharge (sorry  - visa companies screw us) and this trip there is no latitude to absorb these additional charges. Other than that just direct credit transfer, or bank cheque sent to me. Then we just focus on the diving!!

2010 Trip

This year we saw our friends from AB Ocean Divers in Melbourne come out with us. What a great time was had by all. Trip was over easter and we soon had the Sweet Georgia loaded, primed and ready for our Ozzi guests. As per usual the Wellington Taxi drivers were confused as to exactly which Queens Wharf it was. But after a few phone calls Warrick Macdonald and his merry bunch of divers were loaded and we were making way toward Queen Charlot Sounds for the night. Getting round Cape Jackson round 9am the next morning we soon steamed for the Rusty Rusky and after safety briefings everyone was in the water before long. Water was nice and warm at round the 15 degree mark. But with that came the real average viz. At a realistic 3m viz it was quite a challenge to accurately guage how big the wreck really is. but everyone just took it easy and we had some awesome dives over the next 5 days.

Its funny. No matter how many times you dive in an area there are still little jems that you have never seen before that just pop up!. Here in the back of Neptunes bar is an icecream sign above a vertical fridge of which I have never seen before! 

"THE GAUNTLET"!

Well, this dive has been 10 years in the making. I have known these seperate areas really well for years but I have never put it all together and made it into a dive. So Andrew Simo and I embarked on our Gauntlet dive taking pictures along the way. The dive took us about 75 mins in total. This has to be one of my best dives on this wreck.

We actually started the dive by dropping down, into the winter garden on the Lounge deck, right through to the pool, dropped into the pool and through the other side. Then dropping down, past the Atlantic Deck stairwell and into the starboard Lounge deck. Into the dolls room which has become iconic of the Lermi making it a "Must Dive" with everyone on the trip capable of such a dive.

The Sinister sight of twisted little bodies caught in lines, gets you really going in the Dolls room!

Just at the opening of the bulkhead is "Fatboy" who greats you with a gormless smile and a well preserved fro!

We then swam on through and had a good look at the clock.

We then ascended up through the two big doorways and forward immediately into the sadko bar. here we had a great time in here.

Here Simo is having a good look at a lamp which is upside down. Later on finding the shade but the viz was too bad after that!

I skipped over the top of the bar and came across something that I had come across about 5 years ago. A glass Becks beer sign. I actually found it a long time back but it slid into the depths. I was able to relocate it to a more sociable location so others could enjoy it in the future.

Then I turned round and there in all her glory was a coffee machine. Really well preserved. We then headed up and through the duty free room. Stopping in the Jasmine room and I sifted through the silt and pulled out a series of dolls too. I put them on a shelf but at this point the billowing silt made it impossible to take any pictures - next time!

We exited into the lobby, then down two flights of stairs and into the leningrad restaurant. It doesnt matter how many times I go into this place it still commands the uttermost respect. Andrew and I took some time to have a closer look at the piano.

Then we exited out of the forward entrance of the restaurant, Up 2 flights of stairs and into the Bolshoi lobby. Interesting little find was up one flight of stairs are many escape gas masks. Really interesting to see them actually. We then swam up into the Bolshoi lounge, cruised through and out of the forward door. What a great dive!

"Gauntlet" Route

Imfamous dolls room. This is who greets you!!

Clock in the starboard promenade

Becks Beer sign in Sadko bar

Coffee machine in Sadko Bar

Cinema

This is an absolute cracker. In a Russian Cruise liner, in the library and there are books on "Fundamental Law of the USSR" Great to still see.

Escape smoke gas masks

Trip Report  Mikhail Lermontov 12th – 14th November 2005

By Martin Tozer.

After reading Peter Mesley’s post on Dive Oz, a couple of quick emails and phone calls and the trip was organized. Myself, Richard and Mischa, were to join a group of Kiwi divers on a 4 day live aboard in the Marlborough sounds off the north east end of the South Island of New Zealand.

The objective was to dive the Mikhail Lermontov the 10,700 tonne Russian Cruise Liner. The Lermontov was sunk in an accident in 1986 when under control of a New Zealand Pilot. Further details on the sinking are detailed at www.nzmaritime.co.nz/lermontov.htm

We all met up at the port of Picton to board the Affinity, our home for the next 4 days. The Affinity is a well appointed live aboard that can easily sleep 16. A large rear deck area for kitting up and twin compressors. More details are at www.affinitycruises.co.nz. After introductions and loading of 6 Rebreathers (inspo’s), 6 sets of twins plus numerous single, stage, pony bottles and 3 G cylinders of O2 we were off and sailing by about 5.30pm.

The first night we dropped anchor at Cook cove, about half way to our destination. Setting sail early the next morning we were soon on the wreck and getting geared up to get under water. The Aussies were the last in as we spent some time rigging our kit with the new twin 100cuft tanks Pete had organized for us. The maximum depth was 37m so we decided to keep things simple and run a 32% mix on all dives.

The first dive was an orientation tour to familiarize ourselves with the wrecks layout. Due to its size it will take several dives to get this wreck figured out. We descended the mooring line to the Lermontov’s hull at 12m. Even with only 10m vis the wreck appears absolutely huge. The ship lies on its starboard side with the bow pointing towards the South East shore. White paint is still clearly visible on the hull and has a light covering of marine growth. Glass on many of the lower deck portholes is still intact and you can peer into some of the rooms. However you can’t make out a lot of detail in there. Swimming forward across the hull we moved out to the upper levels. Peering in at the Nevsky bar where the semi circular lounge chairs are arranged along the port side. The Bar is intact and there are tables and chairs still arranged around the floor. We waited a short while but no one came to serve us so we moved on. The Nevsky bar become an important orientation point for me as it was near the mooring line and you quickly identify it by the semi circular lounge chairs that can be seen from outside. The Bolshoi Ball room was next and this is just forward of the Nevsky bar. We entered through one of the large windows on the port side. All the glass has been removed so access is quite straight forward. This would be one of the biggest rooms on the ship and many of the small round tables are still all neatly arranged around the floor as they were prior to sinking. Anything loose has collapsed down to the bottom and lies in a tangled heap at about 34M. Due to the large windows, which ran all along the length of the port side of the ball room, the area has abundant natural light streaming in. We stayed fairly close to Port wall we moved forward. Exiting out of the front windows we then entered the bridge from the bottom (starboard). This is also an easily accessible room and is a great area to explore. The ships main control panels are still intact with various switch panels and other controls. I saw what may have been the binnacle but cant be sure as it was covered in marine growth. The Compass and other main instruments have been removed. There are metal plates with Russian writing on them that describe the function of some of the equipment. In the bridge you can look forward through the main windows as the Captain and Pilot would have done on that fateful day. What were they thinking? (or drinking). We exit the bridge and make our ascent on the mooring line for a great first dive.

A quick bite for lunch and we started preparing for our second dive. As we were filing our tanks the wind started to pick up and was gusting over 20 knots. Suddenly our mooring line parted and the Affinity was adrift. We had 4 divers on the wreck and 3 descending the line when it let go. The mooring was attached to an anchor chain from the Lermontov. When it broke the chain crashed down into the wreck narrowly missing Andrew and Scott who were about to ascend. We recovered the first 3 divers and then moved off to a second shot line where the other 4 divers were waiting patiently Soon there after the mooring line was replaced using one of Affinity’s ropes and we were back in action.

The second dive was off the stern and the viz had dropped to about 5m. This section has a lot more marine growth than other areas and I think that’s mainly due to the ships structure having more anchor points for the growth to attach, as opposed to the sheer wall of the hull and other areas. We entered the swimming pool, which is still intact and covered by a large glass house. The blue tiles of the pool can be clearly seen as well as the swimming lanes marked by white tiles. Neptune’s bar is at the end of the pool with the bar structure easily visible. We exited the pool area and followed the lines of the hull further towards the stern. The viz decreased further as we got deeper. We came across large letters on the hull marking the depth and knew we were near the prop, which was what we were looking for. Suddenly out of the gloom appeared the massive blades of the Port propeller. Each blade is huge and would be well over 2m in length.

The next day we were quickly back into it. We explored further into the Nevsky bar and the Bolshoi ball room. Checking out the huge light fittings attached to the ceiling of the Ball room. They are shaped like wagon wheels with lights on the end of each spoke. Several of the spokes still have the glass light shades attached. We’d previously devised a plan to search a pantry just off from the foyer of the ball room. However we bailed out on the first attempt when the site got silted out while attaching our line. A swim along the promenade deck is an amazing part of the wreck. Large steel doors that opened to the outer hull hang down vertically and still sway in the current. As you move along the promenade you can peer into each cabin and check out the furniture and various personal affect from the passengers. A couple of old suitcases and bits and pieces remind you of the inhabitants that once occupied the rooms. Curtains still hang in many of the rooms although now all at the wrong angle.

We completed 3 dives on this day and all with run times in excess of 1 hour and no deco time. This was one of the key features of this site in that you can do a lot of time under water and never get too deep to worry about decompression or having wait extended surface intervals.

The next day Pete Mesley took us on a guided tour of the engine room. We entered via the main ventilation shaft and swam down a short passage to the massive engines. Lines are necessary as the engine room itself is huge and it would be easy to get lost and not find the shaft entrance again. We checked out the engines and various gauges as well as the condensers and stairs and rails. This area is pitch black and no outside light enters. I get the feeling we only saw a very small part of this room as our dive lights only penetrated a short distance in front of us. The light beam ended in an empty void where you could not see any structures at all, just more blackness. We exited the engine room and swam up through the bridge again. Then over the side of the hull to view the impact damage that caused the sinking. There are several large tears that run along the hull and you can then appreciate why a ship this big sank. The gash in the hull runs for some distance and breached several bulkheads allowing water to flood the electrical system. Once power was lost the ship was doomed without the use of its engines or pumps.

The next dive we were determined to explore the pantry and went over our routine so as not to silt out again. We tied off our line and moved up a small corridor. Approaching the pantry Mischa entered while I held the line outside. It was a small room and only one person could squeeze in. Shortly after he returned empty handed as nothing much was in there. Turned out we were searching the toilet and had missed the pantry by one door. There always seems to be strong connection between wrecks, divers and toilets. We finally located the gymnasium, however there only remains two rowing machines with all the other equipment having fallen down to the bottom of the wreck. Coming back from the gym we located a small communications room in the upper stern section. This room had an old radio unit still mounted on its table and other equipment and furniture. We could have spent more time in this area however our dive time was due to end.

Soon it was all over and the Affinity was making its way back to Picton. A few quick beers and it was time for everyone to go there separate ways. A great weekend and great company with the Kiwi crew. Special thanks to Pete Mesley for organizing the trip and hopefully will be back again next year.

Any one interested in doing the same trip again next year can contact Peter Mesley at www.lust4rust.co

Diver observing one of the 6 rocker covers deep in the engineroom of the Lermi

Navigating the winding staircases is extremely disorientating

Another rocker cover shot in the engineroom

Lermontov April 2003

The adventures of “Secret Squirrel”

All adventures begin with drama!! And this adventure was no different. Low and behold it was weather related. Wellington is well known for a lot of things but this weekend it was famous for 5 meter swells, and 40 knot winds. ALL the ferries were cancelled and we were tied to the hard. These were the small mountains one has to scale to get out to the Infamous Jewel of the Marlborough Sounds – The Mikhail Lermontov. All we had to do was get there!!

Our charter for the weekend  - “Sweet Georgia” was nothing less than pure luxury. Having dived on many different dive boats over the years this certainly took my breath away. Not only was it one of the best platforms I have dived off but also the most comfortable to live on. {picture # SG 02}

The adventures of “Secret Squirrel” started with a reorientation to the wreck and funnily enough everything was where I remembered it. The viz wasn’t that good but once inside the wreck it was like old times. This time the adventure was to progress further into the wreck and learn a bit more about this ‘Rusty Rusky’. The viz was getting progressively worse and with the overcast day ambient light was at a minimum.

Here are a few areas that I dived.

Starboard Promenade Deck “Scary monster stuff!!”

The dive started in the pool area – a familiar place. Gary and I descended past Neptunes bar down down towards the starboard doorway. The double doors were caked in a foot of silt so entry into the prom deck was a tricky exercise.

Having the rebreather has huge advantages and not dislodging the silt on the ceiling was one of them!! I squeezed through the doorway and tied off. I have never experienced darkness like this before. Three head mounted torches and the Greenforce HID light lit the way. Armed with a reel in one hand and the video camera in the other I made my way down the corridor. The only sound was the anticipation of secret squirrel!! My eyes focused on an object in the silt. It was a hand!!!!! A dolls hand. Phew… Scary monster was out tonight! Then I looked round and shone my light shone directly into the faces of small people. More dolls. They were evil looking bloody things. Much like “Chukky” in those horror movies. No wonder why the Russian kids had issues – it stemmed from childhood. It was a store room. There were loads of little bodies suspended all round the room.
Pressing on… I came to the end of the deck and above my head was a doorway. This led into the lobby. Immediately to my left was the gents Barbour shop. A rectangular glass door with etched patterns and carved handle prevented entry into the shop. The hinges were at the highest point meaning that the weight of the door was pulling directly on them. Not a good idea to try and open and squeeze through!! I backtracked and headed back to the entry point where Gary was waiting for me. This is a different penetration technique used. Normally Two people enter a wreck and reel off. The front person will let the line out and the second person will come shortly behind. Personally in these situations when I enter an unfamiliar area I communicate to my buddy that I will spend no more than a certain amount of time in the area. He will then wait at the opening giving light at the opening while I reel off inside alone. This might seem reckless and unsafe to some. Far from it. When diving in such dangerous environments silt-outs are the biggest danger.

Shopping Arcade

Now this was a great dive! Secret Squirrel was working overtime!! Coming into the main lobby is really neat. We entered the ship around amidships, sneaking down and around a set of stairs leading to the winter garden. Right the way down to the bottom of the lobby, passing a staircase leading down into the Leningrad restaurant and for the more lazy passengers – a lift across from the stairwell. Here once again the blackness engulfed us swallowing us up into her belly. The same glass etched doors came into view leading into the shopping arcade. The top door was also still attached but the bottom one had fallen open. Slipping through easily I made my way into the arcade. Almost impossible to imagine that once a bustling place with keen shoppers. Now – silt city. Now all that can be seen are bottles of hand lotion resting on the ceiling in the Matreshka shop , must have been some sort of pharmacy. A set of empty shelves came into view as I passed through the main arcade floor. All I could hear was my heart and the air rushing past the one way valves of my rebreather. It was very quiet! Not having enough time to pass fully through the arcade I would have to leave it to next time to explore the Club bar Sadko positioned at the far end of the arcade. A well placed watering hole for the thirsty shoppers. On the way out I spent some time looking round a little corner shop – the “Jasmine”. At the opening, an ‘opening hours’ sign came into view Not much left in the way of decipherable objects except for a glass but a quaint little impulse shop none the less in it's time!

We then ascended up through and out of the lobby heading boward into the Bar Nevsky. Here hidden away in the depths of the silt are many bottles of the usual watered down poison, bars serve!! I came across bottles of champagne, bourbon, and gin! Still many little bits and pieces to find on this once gracious ship!

Inside the dolls room looking up through the door

Dolls that have fallen onto the floor below the playing room

Not the sort of thing you want to come across deep in the guts of the ship!!!

The adventures of Secret Squirrel part 2

Steaming over the Lermontov site brought a tingle through my body. That ever familiar feeling of anticipation and excitement. This was my 5th expedition to the Mickhail Lermontov and I was just as excited, if not more than on previous trips. The problem with this wreck is that no matter how much you dive on her, you always leave wanting more. To know whether that passage joins another exciting area, finding new rooms and getting to know the wreck that little bit more!!

This trip was no different. Over the last few trips we had been extensively diving one floor and this was the trip where, hopefully another piece of the puzzle would be put in place. There were a couple of objectives I had in mind. One was to have a really good look at the Leningrad Restaurant  and the other was to join all the dives I had previously done to make for one exciting penetration through most of the Boat deck, from stern to midships.

The first objective, the Leningrad restaurant. The last time I ventured there I had a mate of mine accompany me, Gary was on open circuit and his bubbles really caused a lot of “rain” to shower down on us making conditions really difficult for safe exploration. Because the wreck lies completely on her starboard site at 90 degrees, there is a lot of debris all pushed against thin walls, tables hanging by a thread and terrific breaking down of materials on the ceilings and walls. So any disturbance really made for a snowballing effect. So utmost care was needed. This time both of us were on Closed Circuit Rebreathers. No bubbles meant that we could spend long periods of time in the restaurant without worries. The challenge with getting to this place on the wreck was that you had to swim through two floors down two flights of stairs. Easy? Ahhhhhh no! Picture a flight of stairs, on its side. When you are swimming down to the next floor you are in actual fact ascending turning 180 degrees then descending to swim down the second flight of stairs. This certainly takes its toll on your head. It is extremely easy to become disoriented and this is not a good thing. Dave lined off and we entered the main room from the starboard entrance. The only thing I could hear was Dave Ohhhhing and Ahhhhhhing in excitement! We made our way to the far wall of the room, then made our way back slowly having a good look. In this room there was only one exit, that was the way we came. There was another exit one floor up also if the need arose. I came across a piano which was still fully intact. Debris stacked high behind it. Cups, saucers, glasses, platters you name it. All hanging there by a thread! Cautiously Dave and I made our way back slowly. Shelves stacked full of alcoholic bottles filled a wall. Untouched since her ill-fated sinking 18 years ago. Questions still sing out at what exactly happened and the circumstances that led to the sinking of the ship. Not that we were complaining!!!!! This is without a doubt the best wreck dive in the southern hemisphere. Infact, I would be so bold to say one of the best in the world. Where can you dive an ocean liner, penetrate the ship for 2 hours and have maybe10-15 minutes decompression? The President Coolidge is a great wreck but deep, thus minimizing your bottom time with maximum decompression.

The dive was great fun and Dave and I looked at eachother both thinking the same thing. Lets do that Again!  The wreck lies in about 34 meters of water, lying completely on here starboard side. The shallowest part of the wreck lies in 12m. The great thing about this wreck is that you can be a novice or be the most demanding wreck diver, both will have the time of their lives, and then some!!!! Penetrating the wreck is extremely dangerous and without the proper training and experience you could soon be in a whole lot of trouble. There are training programs available specifically designed for wreck penetration. If you are interested in furthering your wreck diving training and experience make sure that you get trained by people that have these skills.

The next objective was to piece together all the separate parts of the puzzle I had been gathering over past trips. In my first article in Dive NZ mag “Adventures of secret squirrel part one” I had found a long corridor with a storeroom and a playroom with all these scary dolls in them. I had also explored the main shopping area. Now I was going to see whether there was a link to these areas.

Starboard Promenade deck

Winter Garden and duty free

2001

Just give me the three “R’s” any day – “Wrecks, Rust and Rebreathers!! (well two out of three R’s anyway!!)
There is no feeling quite like descending onto a sunken ship wreck and watching the superstructure coming out of the gloom. This is what I like to do every possible chance I get. The lure of a sunken ship wreck does it for me every time. Here is some thoughts of my last Lermontov trip late last year in 2001.
The trip started with a bang! Coming from Auckland heading down to Welington is a bit of a shocker when you have to drive! Many thoughts were shed thinking about flying and freighting the gear but at the end of the day we just bit the bullet and drove down.

The first dive is as always a bit of a shakedown, blowing off any cobwebs and re-orientating oneself to the wreck. She really is a beautie!! The first thing that I noticed was the viz. It was great! The last time I was diving in ‘Dirty Ol Gore!” the viz was about 2-4 meters. So 10 to 14m was a treat!

With the great viz around, this made life a bit easier penetrating the wreck. The ambient light streamed into the depths of the wreck making it quite picturesque. Not the usual pitch black scary monster dive it normally is when penetrating deep into the ship. The pool area was breathtaking. On so many dives beforehand I had entered this area and never noticed that there was a huge skylite above my head! I guess that’s what happens when there is a little sunshine and good viz!
Taking the all too frequent route down onto the promenade deck from the midships external staircase and along the long wooden flooring towards the stern I slipped into the port side pool area door. Simon accompanied me, armed with his Drager Dolphin I. It was great to have a fellow rebreather diver. It makes all the difference!! Once our eyes got used to the reduced ambient light we could make out each and every section of the skylight. Just then Alex and Colin entered through the stern doors into the pool area. A great sight. Another “Kodak moment” seeing silhouetted divers against the wreck outline with their torches illuminating the immediate superstructure they were pointed at. 

After a few laps in the pool and a refreshing drink at the pool bar we ventured along the starboard side of the pool area. After years of sitting in the mud the Lermontov is slowly sinking into it inch by inch. My 100 watt battery pack torch beam was engulfed by the blackness as I pointed it along the partially submerged starboard promenade deck. Not today!! That was what we call a “sphincter factor 10” dive.

After a look around we slipped out and back down the promenade again. Being Simons first time there we stopped off and showed him the cinema, library, lobby and  hairdressing salon. Ahhhh I immediately noticed that something was missing!! Some burglar had taken the harbours chair. I know who you are!!!

This ship really is a wreck divers delight. The good thing about the Lermontov is that you can have amazing dives on it and NEVER have to penetrate it! There is SO much to see and observe on the outside of the huge liner.

There were reports of an earlier dive team who left their reel in the wreck. After a small discussion I knew approximately where it was. Next dive we went in for a look. Entering through the main amidships doorway and down into the lobby the mission began! Remembering that the wreck is lying at a 90 degree angle on it's starboard side, everything is lob sided and

becoming disorientated is very easy to do so the utmost caution must be taken. Also entering from the top also brings it's disadvantages. If you do not use extreme caution you will displace and stir up sediment, which will ‘rain’ down on you the deeper into the wreck you go! So it's tip toeing all round!! The beautie of having the breather is that there are NO bubbles, which means - no displacement of sediment off the ceiling. On the descent I entered feet first. This orientates me with things and also more easier to control buoyancy. On the bow side of the lobby a beautiful staircase came into view showing the way into the lower decks. Opposite the staircase  was a lift. If you were game to descend down the elevator shaft this would be a tight squeeze!!! Now, the staircase proved a challenge in the bodies natural spirit level. The biggest thing in entering wrecks like this is keeping orientation. Everything is skewiff!!  Try and picture this…. With the ships floor at a 90 degree
angle, that makes you ascend a little as you are descending down the staircase to the next floor. On top of this you are spiralling round through the floors. Enough to make you dizzy?? Now add pitch black, silt to boot and so quiet you can hear every heart beat (that’s always a good sign!!!) But bear in mind that this is deep into the ships gut. Even proper procedures and experience must not be enough. You need to be as sharp as possible and not to take unnecessary risks. I came across the white line at the exact point anticipated. On immediate observation I noticed that the line went directly down in-between the banister rail and not following the staircase route. This line must have been dropped as anyone who has any training in reeling off knows to tie off so if there was a siltout they could follow the line back to the opening. I followed the staircase down a level to the next deck. There was zero ambient light but my path way was illuminated by three helmet lights and my 100 watter AUL 14 battery pack torch so no shortage of wattage! 
Loads of debris hampered the journey. Finally I got to the end of the line and it was tied off and cut. Obviously whoever laid the line had no regard for safety. Reason being that whenever wreck divers line off in a wreck they always clear up all their lines afterwards. This being to reduce entanglement and confusion with many lines around the wreck. I cut the line away gathered it up and headed back up and out the entry.

We spend the rest of the 5 days trip exploring more and more of the wreck. That’s the beautie of diving. You never get sick of it!! Especially when you learn a little bit more every time you get into the water!!

Safe Diving

Pete Mes

Bolchoi Lounge

One of the Many bars in the Bolchoi Lounge