From October 1998 to December 2001, this extensive project was one of the main focal points of the French diving-related media. More than 20 major wrecks were located in France and Italy, between -80 and -130 meters. During this project, a movie was produced and presented to several film festivals. A book was co-written by Jean-Pierre Joncheray, a french underwater archeologist, and Cedric Verdier.
NIEDERSACHSEN in France, a german Minelayer at -94m / 308 fsw
DORNIER 24 in France, a german sea plane at -94m
/ 308 fsw
DA NOLI in Corsica, an italian Destroyer at -96m
/ 315 fsw
S/S NATAL in France, a french Cruise Liner at -116m
/ 380 fsw
PROTEE in France, a french Submarine at -127m
/ 416 fsw...
Initiated by a local dive center in Cape Bon, an extensive search for new wrecks took place. Because of the massive losses on the british and the italian sides during WWII, the place is virtually covered with wrecks of merchant navy freighters, most of the time, those wrecks are way too deep for recreational divers.
Eveline and Cedric Verdier found more than 10 wrecks, two of them being from the famous PEDESTAL Convoy that tried to supply Malta in August 1942:
MV GLENORCHY, a british Freighter at -56m
/ 184 fsw
YAMASHIRO PROJECT
The Philippines Islands were a key component of the american strategy in the Pacific during WWII. One of the most important naval battle took place in the strait of Surigano, south Leyte. The Japanese imperial fleet was severely defeated and lost many ships. Amongst them, two sisterships:
HIJMS YAMASHIRO, battleship sunk at -190m / 623 fsw
HIJMS FUSO, battleship sunk in two parts at -180m
/ 600 fsw
Some members of the DIRrebreather team have participated in a Megalodon-only expedition in Cyprus and Lebanon. In Cyprus, they had the opportunity to fine-tune their equipment configuration and their team procedures while diving on the famous wreck of the Zenobia, a Ro-Ro ferry sunk more than 20 years ago in 43m/140ft of water. The huge wreck was the perfect playground for extensive penetration.
Then team members (Per Bjorn Rakvag from Norway, Henrik Enckell from Sweden, Pim van der Horst from the Netherlands, Spyros Spyrou from Cyprus and Cedric Verdier from France) moved to Lebanon to explore the incredible wreck of the HMS Victoria. The british battleship sunk in 1893 during a collision with another Royal Navy ship and now rests vertical between 140m/460ft and 77m/250ft, her propellers proudly pointing towards the surface, and her bow deeply stuck in a thick layer of silt.
Some members of the DIRrebreather team have participated in a unique expedition in Mallorca Spain. Their goal: exploring the twin wrecks of the Italian WWII Fregates Impetuoso and Pegaso that were scuttled to avoid to be released to the german fleet. Both wrecks rest in almost 100m/330fsw of water off Mallorca, at less than 300m from each other. The team had the opportunity to extensively penetrate inside these beautiful wrecks.
The team members (Per Bjorn Rakvag from Norway, Eveline Verdier from Switzerland, Gian Ameri from the UK, Antoine Pannetier and Cedric Verdier from France) positively identified the two fregates in very clear waters.
