RMS Rhone Wreck Diving BVI
Wreck-diving BVI? The most famous wreck dive in the Caribbean should not be missed.
This is the story as I know it! Built in 1865, the RMS Rhone is 310 feet long, with a beam of 40 feet.
She was a Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Ship, an iron-hulled steam sailor built in Southampton, England.
Both sail and propeller-driven steam engines were utilized to power the RMS Rhone.
The propeller was the second bronze propeller ever produced and the oldest one in existence.
The oldest one had been melted down a long time ago.
Discover the incredible tale of the RMS Rhone, launched from London’s Millwall Iron Works in June 1863, and its sister ship, Douro. Renowned for its exquisite design, the Rhone boasted pioneering features like a bronze propeller—one of the earliest made—and a surface condenser, which Brazil’s Emperor Pedro II admired during his 1865 visit.
Initially serving the route between Southampton and Rio de Janeiro, RMS Rhone was later assigned to the more prestigious Caribbean route. Tragically, it met its fate off Salt Island in the British Virgin Islands during a hurricane in October 1867.
Today, the Rhone is a celebrated dive site within Rhone National Park, acclaimed for its historical allure and vibrant marine life. It’s not just a dive spot but a portal to the past, continually recognized as one of the top wreck diving destinations in the Caribbean.
History of the Wreck of the Rhone
The Rhone accommodated 253 first-class, 30-second-class, and 30 third-class cabins. Captain F Woolley, a 25-year veteran of the Royal Mail Company, commanded her.
This vessel made her first trip in August 1865, and after six successful voyages to Brazil, she navigated the West Indies route.
She was a favorite among passengers as her speed, with the steam-driven propellers, could reach 14 knots. The accommodation and cuisine were excellent.
On the Rhone’s 10th voyage, she usually pulled into St Thomas in the USV). Unfortunately, the coaling station moved to Great Harbor at Peter Island, as St Thomas had yellow fever outbreaks.
On August 29th, 1867, the RMS Rhone and the RMS Conway were alongside at Great Harbour.
Why did the RMS Rhone sink?
The weather started deteriorating, and the two captains discussed the conditions and agreed that it was too late in the season for a hurricane and that it must be an early hurricane. The Conway transferred her passengers over to the Rhone, as the Rhone was much larger and, therefore, safer. The Conway prepared to make Road Harbor, where there would be more shelter for her.
As the weather worsened, the Rhone, even steaming full ahead, was losing ground and dragging across the harbor toward the rocky headland. She tried to weigh anchor, but the cable’s shackle caught in the hawsepipe and parted, dropping the 3000 lb anchor and 300 feet of chain to the bottom.
You can still see the anchor on the outskirts of Great Harbor, along with bottles and china encrusted into the coral, from when the Rhone was throwing many things overboard to try and lighten her.
Now, the Rhone needed its main anchor.
Her option was to run to the comparative safety of the open sea. The quickest way to the sea was out by Black Rock between Salt and Dead Chest.
As she was struggling to get out to the open sea, a spar fell from the topmast and killed the first officer. His body was found on Salt Island the next day.
At The RMS RHONE
Where did the RMS Rhone Sink?
The Rhone has almost cleared Black Rock Point on Salt Island, its last obstacle, when the wind changed and came ferociously from the other direction. Then they knew that they had made an error of judgment, and it was a hurricane, not a noreaster.
They struggled to remove her from the rocks, but a strong gust blew them sideways onto Black Rock. As the cold water hit the boilers, they exploded, tearing the ship in half and sending her to the bottom with 123 crew and passengers.
Were there any survivors RMS Rhone ?
There were 146 people on board the Rhone, and only one passenger survived out of the 23! One crew member survived 20 hours by clinging to the fore topmast and topsail yard, which were still standing. Some of the people who survived were washed ashore that night across the channel to Beef Island.
The residents of Salt Island helped rescue who they could. The queen, in gratitude to them, gave the island in perpetuity to the residents and their heirs. They pay rent to her of one bag of salt per year. The governor takes the bag of salt back every year on his vacation in May.
The only part of the captain ever found was a couple of pieces of his shirt sleeve.
After this hurricane, considered one of the worst in the West Indies’ history, there were barely any houses standing in the BVI and the USVI, and only two ships were afloat out of 275.
The Conway was blown onto the shore at Baughers Bay in Road Harbor. Since it is mostly seagrass there, she survived and eventually refloated. The passengers would have survived had they not transferred to the Rhone. The Rhone itself would have been much better off if it had been able to stay in Great Harbor, as its high hills would have protected it.
Salvaging the RMS Rhone
Not long afterward, the Rhone was salvaged by Irish brothers using hard hat equipment. In the 1950s, US Navy underwater demolition teams blew open the stern section. The Rhone became a National Marine Park in 1967.
Before being established as a marine park, local diver Bert Kilbride salvaged quite a bit of China, both on the wreck and from where she anchored in Great Harbor.
Bert Kilbride invented the “resort course” for SCUBA diving in the 1960s, but that is a tale for another day. Here is a clip from our friend Chris Juredin of We Be Divin, who was good friends with Bert. There used to be a museum on Saba Rock by Virgin Gorda that Bert Owned, which displayed treasures from the wreck.
What is the RMS Rhone Wreck Diving BVI like today?
The RMS Rhone is a vibrant ecosystem teeming with coral, fish, and marine life. The shallowest part, where the propeller is 20 feet and the bow section is still relatively intact, offers a unique and thrilling dive experience. Despite the swim-through taking a beating in the hurricanes of 2017, the site remains a fascinating and beautiful dive spot.
Summer storm seasons uncover new pieces of the RMS Rhone. Sea urchins traveling just under the sand always reveal old bottles, tiny medicine bottles, and pieces of china.
Located at the anchorage on Salt Island, a small cemetery serves as the final resting place for residents, passengers, and crew members who have passed away. Regrettably, it barely survived the 2017 hurricanes.
Today, the RMS Rhone is a National Park and a top-rated dive site in the British Virgin Islands.
On October 29, 1867, a Category 3 hurricane struck the Virgin Islands, sinking the luxury passenger ship Rhone. This event, chronicled in ‘The Law of Storms, ‘is a testament to the crucial roles of luck and skill in the fate of the ship and its captains. The book also covers a series of natural disasters over a month—a hurricane, a yellow fever outbreak, an earthquake, and a tsunami, making it a compelling read for history enthusiasts.
Today, the “Rhone” rests near Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, now a top dive site. Hurricane Irma and several Caribbean islands profoundly impacted the area in September 2017, almost 150 years later. As the islands rebuild, the story of the “Rhone” offers a poignant connection to their history and resilience.
“The Law of Storms” is a gripping non-fiction book that captivates divers, travelers, and anyone curious about past and present challenges and recoveries.
#TheLawOfStorms #History #Caribbean #Hurricane #DiveSites
Find it on Amazon
You may want your own personal SCUBA Yacht Charter to take you here.
