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Dive Malta - Gozo - Comino with Subway Dive Centre - It's The Best Way...

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.

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.

HMS MAORI

The HMS Maori is in St Elmo Bay (Fort St. Elmo - Valletta in front of a cafe which has its outside walls covered with a number of painted Destroyers, amongst which is the HMS Maori. HMS Maori was launched in 1937, and saw considerable action in the Mediterranean, the Norwegian campaign, Atlantic convoys and the North Sea.

On February 12th 1942, it was moored at the entrance to Dockyard Creek, when it received a direct hit in her engine room. She was eventually set down in the back-water of St Elmo's Bay, on the sandy bottom at a depth of around 18 metres. Her guns were removed and the bows and stern are gone, however part of the raised bridge is still there. Divers can enter the remains quite easily, with exits through large holes in the starboard side. Although silted up, there are plenty of different types of fish and other creatures in and amongst the wreckage, which is covered with green weed and tube worms. Good Site to spot Sea Horses... Maximum depth - 15metres.

History: HMS MAORI was ordered on the 10th March 1936 at the Fairfield Shipbuilding Co, Govan. Laid down on the 6th of July 1936, launched 2nd September 1937 and commissioned on the 5th December 1938.
She joined HMS Cossack’s division in January 1939, and was the last Tribal to go to war in the Mediterranean. She joined her sister Tribals in convoy escort duties before returning to the United Kingdom in October. She did mostly North Sea patrols until April 1940 when she took part in the Norwegian campaign. On the 5th of June, she was part of a fleet sailing to Iceland looking for German warships and then on June 20th she was sent to the Faeroe Islands.
In January 1941, the HMS MAORI joined HMS COSSACK, HMS SIKH and HMS ZULU, in convoy escort duty in the Western Approaches. While engaged in this work, the destroyers participated in the search of the BISMARK. The HMS MAORI was one of the ships to recover the survivors from the German battleship.

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Towards the end of 1941 the Admiralty decided to reinforce the 14^th destroyer flotilla in the eastern Mediterranean, so HMS SIKH and HMS MAORI were promptly dispatched. While in support of Force ”K”, the Malta striking force, HMS MAORI participated in the sinking of the Italian cruisers ALBERICO da BARBIANO & ALBERTO di GUISSANO. Force “K” was decimated in a mine field off Tripoli, it was therefore decided that the HMS MAORI would be based in Malta with HMS SIKH & ZULU (22 destroyer flotilla) acting as a surface striking force, and would provide support for convoys leaving and entering Malta.

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