Seven Skies Dive Trip 12th – 15th July 2012
By Jack Lim – PSAI Instructor Trainer
Old picture of 7-skies
Swedish tanker TT Seven Skies, one of the four sisters ship built between 1965 to 1967 by Odense Staalskips in Lindo, Denmark. Weight 98,000 DWT, it measure length 261 meters by wide 39 meters had a draft of 18 meters. One of the largest oil tanker ever build during that time.
On 1969 October 6, Monday 0740hrs, she is sailing from Japan to Dubai to re-stock with crude oil. While she is en-route, at 0740hrs she suffered a explosion. Quickly her starboard side was blasting with flame and she is taking in water very quickly. Within 15 minutes after blasting into flame it sank completely and when to the bottom of South China Sea at location 02 38.0 N, 105 13.5 E approximately 220 nautical miles from Singapore. She carries a total number of 36 crews. Only 32 survived the explosion, 4 crews were never found after the tanker sank. Till today, the reason of the explosion is still unknown. During the voyage tanker is empty while. An empty tanker would have built up a highly flammable mixture of air and oil vapors. It is believed that it might be the cause of a welder fixing some welding job on the deck before the explosion, with the welding triggering the explosive.
At that time, it was known as the most expensive maritime shipping disaster. It is known to cost an estimated USD $3 million loss to the shipping company.
Right now she is sitting upright keel at a maximum depth of 67 meters. The tanker’s bow section and stern section was spilt during the explosion. The bow and stern is now 300 meters apart. The whole superstructure is still intact. Top of the funnel is at 25 meters, the bridge largely collapsed bulkhead is at 30 meters and drop down from the bridge to the main deck with is at 45 meters.
On 12th July 2012, PSAI Singapore runs an exploration trip to 7-skies. Team member includes Koos van Leeway & Alex Kang team 1 and Jack Lim & Joshua Morgolis team 2.
This trip was to plan to
01. Confirm the missing propeller
02. Look at the huge rudder
03. Easy penetration into the superstructure
04. Experience deep air diving at the rudder and the plan depth was 60 meters.
Day 1 (13th July 2012)
On the first day of diving, we had plan 3 dives at Sara-D wreck. Dives at Sara-D was to help acclimatize us to deep air diving for 7-skies. But the 3 dives was abort due to bad weather and bad sea state when we arrived. With no choice, we had to head to one of the Malaysia Island Pulau Aur for our dives and keep shelter. We made the right choice as the water is clam and easy to dive. So we plan three 45 meters reef dive with air on double tanks for back gas – 50% O2 – 100% O2 for the day. On the very first dive me and my buddy Joshua feels some tingling on our lips and feels like vomiting. Once we hit the plan depth we feel things are not right and something must be wrong. Immediately we ascend ourselves to a shallow depth. When we are back on the boat, we double check everything that can go wrong and confirm this is a gas problem. We immediately bleed all our double tanks empty and fill up with new air again. For the next 2 dives, all things run smooth. So we are ready for tomorrow’s big day.
Marble ray on our 3rd dive at 37 meters
Day 2 (14th July 2012)
Three dives at 7-skies. Getting into the water was a chore.
1st Dive
Planned 60 meter dive on air for back gas – 50% O2 on a S80 tank – 100% O2 on a S40 tank.
Our plan dive as follows:
All 3 dives will be led by Koos, who has dived on this wreck before. We will descend to the broken bridge, swim into the bridge to the back go down to the main deck and drop on the starboard side to the stern to the rudder check on the missing propeller and will do our slow and relax ascend back to the bridge back to the main line which is attach to the deco bar and back to our boat. Total bottom time is 20mins, deco time 36mins and total run time will be 56mins. All 7 plans are ready OT, OD, OTOD, lost 50%, lost 100% and lost both gas.
Koos and Alex descending to the Bridge
Jack inside the bridge
Joshua next the life boat crane
At the main deck
Descending down to the rudder
Descending down on the starboard side of the wreck
We reach the rubber at 60m next to it. Too bad didn’t get any photo at the rudder, as I’m feeling a bit of narcosis and water turns really cold, current suddenly pick up and visibility turns really bad. But I have the video of it luckily.
2nd Dive
Planned 45 meter dive on air for back gas – 50% O2 on a S80 tank – 100% O2 on a S40 tank.
Dive 2 we plan to swim around the wreck to have a good look of the wreck. Simply dive.
Alex on sidemount next to the bridge
Koos checking out the side walk
Our plan to penetrate on the next dive
The drop to the deep
Koos signal to end the dive and do our ascend
Heading back to the main line and start our deco
Deco
The little fin under our boat fighting the super strong current
3rd Dive was cancel due to high seas and bad sea state.
Day 3 (15th July 2012)
Two dives at Igara Wreck before heading home.
Igara wreck
At the bow bottom of Igara 45 meters
Dead fish inside the rope house
Descend onto the empty cargo hole
Looking up inside the empty cargo hole
2nd dive
Planned 45 meter dive on air for back gas – 50% O2 on a S80 tank – 100% O2 on a S40 tank.
Swimming along the starboard side of the ship
2nd Marble Ray
The broken stern of the ship
Over all, is a good dive but a little disappointed we did not have a change to penetrate 7 skies boiler and engine room. But we will go back again soon to complete our penetration on it.