SMS Szent István

The dreadnought Szent István was torpedoed by the Italian MAS-15 on 10 June 1918 and capsized off Premuda; its sinking is the only battleship loss of the First World War caught on film. The 152 m ship lies upside down at about 66 m in open sea south-west of Premuda, with the bow broken off beside the hull. It is the largest wreck in the Adriatic.

Facts

• Region: Adriatic – Dalmatia
• Area: Zadar & Dugi Otok
• Depth: 65–68 m
• Level: advanced
• Current: moderate
• Type: wreck
• Coordinates: 44.20194, 14.45139 (approximate)
• Highlights: 152 m Austro-Hungarian dreadnought, upside-down hull with broken-off bow
• Permit: Protected by the Croatian Ministry of Culture; it can be dived only with special permission, which has been granted to individual expeditions. It is not among the zones of the 2024–2029 permit programme, so there are no regular dive-centre trips. Check current rules. (Source: Divernet; Ministry of Culture)
• Issuer / contact: Ministry of Culture and Media of Croatia (Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage / competent conservation department)
  • Phone: +385 1 4866 200
  • Website: https://www.gov.hr/hr/ronjenje-na-kulturnim-dobrima/1556
• Tips: Expedition-level technical dive; visits have so far happened only as permitted expeditions.

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Szent_Istv%C3%A1n
• https://divernet.com/world-dives/st-stephen-revisited
• https://mass.cultureelerfgoed.nl/sms-szent-istvan
• https://www.gov.hr/hr/ronjenje-na-kulturnim-dobrima/1556