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   Welcome to the beautiful Mediterranean Islands of MALTA with breathtaking coastlines and clear calm waters. Here you can explore the colour, vision and life of the undersea world and let your senses absorb memories that will last a lifetime.

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  Scuba Diving in Malta is considered the best diving in the Mediterranean. The Maltese islands are blessed with warm temperatures, even in winter, clear, unpolluted seas, with visibility underwater in excess of thirty metres. Hundreds of kilometres of coastline, many of which are still unexplored, make the Maltese archipelago a favourite with adventurous divers.


MV Imperial Eagle & Kristu l-Bahhar
 

 

MV IMPERIAL EAGLE - HISTORY

New Royal Lady (1935-46)

New Royal Lady was launched in 1938 to replace the Royal Lady. Built by the same builders of the Royal Lady, Thomas Crown & Sons, Sunderland, but was larger and faster. Like her predecessor Royal Lady, her forward funnel was a dummy. She was used for morning, afternoon and evening trips from Scarborough, and her higher speed of 14 knots also allowed occasional longer cruises to Bridlington and Whitby. Her funnels were yellow, with rather gaudy red, white and blue bands.

 

Crested Eagle (2) (1947-1957)

New Royal Lady only had two seasons at Scarborough before the start of the Second World War, and she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1940 for transport duties. She was purchased by the MOWT in 1942, managed by Fraser & Wright. In 1944 she was attached to the US Navy. New Royal Lady was resold to her owners in 1946, who sold her the following year to John Hall of Kirkaldy, for service on the Firth of Forth. Later the same year she passed to the General Steam Navigation Co as the Crested Eagle (2), for cruises on the Thames from London to Gravesend and Southend, plus PLA Docks cruises. From 1952 she was taken off the PLA cruises and based in Ramsgate for local trips. In 1956, Crested Eagle (2) became a regular service vessel, running from Gravesend to to Southend and Clacton daily except Mondays. P.& A. Campbell chartered Crested Eagle (2) in 1957 for services on the South Coast. She ran short trips from Eastbourne to Hastings, except Fridays when she ran from Brighton to Shanklin.

 

Imperial Eagle (1957-1995) 

Crested Eagle (2) was bought by E Zammit & Co Malta and renamed Imperial Eagle. It made its first voyage between Malta & Gozo on 1st June 1958. It had accommodation for 70 passengers and room for 10 cars. It remained on the Mgarr to Marfa route until March 1968. After 1968 she was used to transport cargo and animals from Gozo to Valletta.  In Malta she was owned by Sunny & Maria Pisani a family from Gozo. 

The MV Imperial Eagle was sold to the local Diving community   on 28th November 1995 to be scuttled as an attraction for divers off Qawra point, and to form the main attraction for an Underwater Marine Park Project. It was scuttled on the 19th July 1999 in 40 metres of water, half a kilometre off Qawra Point.

 

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Statue of Christ Seeing Daylight after 10 years...

Statue of Christ seeing the daylight after ten years. Statue was moved to the first Marine Conservation Park off Qawra Point.

 

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Photo Sharon Metson

Imperial Eagle

 

Kristu l-Bahhar

The 13-ton statue of fibre glass  covered concrete, was designed by the well-known sculptor Alfred Camilleri Cauchi.  It had cost over Lm1000 and was commissioned by a committee of divers led by Mr. Raniero Borg purposely set up to commemorate Pope John Paul II  visit to Malta where it was lowered onto the seabed close to St. Paul's Islands.  Ten years after it was lifted out of the water and once again lowered out at sea, this time off Qawra Point. The new resting place is a marine conservation area where the MV Imperial Eagle, a former Malta-Gozo ferry, was scuttled in July 1999.

Extract from Times of Malta Article by George Cini

Imperial Eagle Postcards - www.simplonpc.co.uk

Imperial Eagle

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Imperial Eagle

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