Wreck Varese

It is believed to have been one of the first ships sunk on Istrian territory at the beginning of World War I.According to the data, the ship was built in an English shipyard and equipped with J. Gilmore engines, from which she received her name. The well-preserved interior of the vessel can be accessed.

Called “ISTRA“ for years, the true identity of this wreck was only recently established as the steamship “Hans Schmidt.“

Touring the Baron Gautsch is best started at the stern, across the upper deck towards the bow. After viewing the outside of the ship, you will get a very pleasant feeling of staying in the wreck, while going to the upper deck where the steel skeleton is left.

The Italian minesweeper was built in 1913 and sunk in 1944. Until 1929 she bore the name „Pilade Bronzetti“. She was sunk by a British aircraft which spotted her during a reconnaissance flight. The torpedo broke the ship in half and therefore the bow and stern are about fifty yards apart.

Bad weather conditions in November 1912 were fatal for the fate of the Romagna, a cargo ship sunk near Rovinj. That was the last time she sailed, carrying grain from Ravenna to Trieste. Today she lies at a depth of 40 m, with her length of 60 m, almost completely covered by shreds of fishing nets.

The Italian merchant steamship “Varese“ sank in 1915 while transporting cargo from Trieste to Tunis. Because of bad weather, the captain decided to take refuge in the port of Pula. Heading towards the city, ship struck a mine which destroyed the prow, the ship sinking in the place where it is today.

A tugboat sunk in the 1960s was used for manoeuvring larger ships in the harbour. It’s 15m long so there is no possibility of going inside the wreck.

Built in 1956 in the Pula-based shipyard of Uljanik as part of Tito’s fleet, it was designed to function as a command ship of the Yugoslav Navy. The hull is made of steel, whilst the decks are of aluminium. It is the first deliberately sunk ship in Croatia with the max depth of 34m.

Although currents are not always strong here, divers go in one direction only – with the current – to ensure easier and more enjoyable diving. This is an interesting site because dives are made along walls and rocks forming 2 – 3 cascades, at a depth of 15 m, 18-20 m, and below 20 m.

The vertical wall descending from 10 – 14 m to 28 m is full of holes and small caverns of various sizes that can easily be inspected without going into them. Rammed into the rock at a depth of 26 m, there is a ship´s mast with a few remains of the ship still visible.