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19°38′19″N 37°19′38″E / 19.63861°N 37.32722°E / 19.63861; 37.32722

As Argentinean Bahia Blanca
History
Germany
Name	Bahia Blanca
Namesake	Bahía Blanca
Launched	30 December 1911
In service	1912–1918
Argentina
Name	Bahia Blanca
In service	1918–1935
Italy
Name	Umbria
Namesake	Umbria
In service	1935–1940
Fate	Scuttled, 9 June 1940
General characteristics
Type	Cargo ship
Tonnage	10,076 GRT
Length	154.9 m (508 ft 2 in)
Beam	18.1 m (59 ft 5 in)
Draught	10.9 m (35 ft 9 in)
Installed power	two 3-cylinder triple expansion steam engines, dual shaft, 848 nominal horsepower total
Propulsion	2 screws
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)

SS Umbria (formerly SS Bahia Blanca) was a cargo ship built in 1912 in Hamburg, Germany, which plied the routes between Europe and Argentina. In 1918 the ship was acquired by the Argentinean Government and transported various goods (notably coal and agriculture products) across the Atlantic until 1934. In 1935 she was purchased by the Italian Government and renamed Umbria. On 3 June 1940 she arrived at Port Said, Egypt which was controlled by the British. She was secretly carrying 6,000 tons of bombs, 600 cases of detonators, 100 tons of various weapons, over 2,000 tons of cement and three Fiat 1100 cars. Although expected to enter the war, Italy was still technically neutral, so on 6 June Umbria was allowed to continue her way. On 9 June the British warships HMS Grimsby and HMS Leander forced Umbria to anchor at Wingate reef near Port Sudan, Sudan on the pretext for searching for contraband. Shortly after that Umbria's captain, Lorenzo Muiesan, heard on the radio that Italy had joined the war with Nazi Germany. He asked the British guards for permission to do a muster drill and with the help of the crew scuttled the ship.

Umbria lies on her port side at a maximum depth of 38 metres (125 ft). She is often visited by scuba divers and is considered to be one of the best wreck dives in the world.

• Stern view of the wreck
• Electric panel in the engine room
• Bombs cargo in the wreck
• Remains of ammunition cargo
• Fiat 1100 cars

References

1. wrecksite.eu - Umbria passenger ship 1912-1940
2. Umbria | La Compagnia del Mar Rosso
3. Egypt Red Sea Shipwrecks - The Umbria
4. Umbria wreck diving, one of the best wrecks ever
5. Transporte A.R.A. "BAHIA BLANCA"

External links

The Umbria, the exciting story of one of the best wrecks in the world.

• Shipwrecks in the Red Sea
• World War II shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean
• Maritime incidents in June 1940
• 1911 ships