MV Rawnsley wreck (Ierapetra)
MV Rawnsley was a 1940 British motor cargo ship (4,998 grt, 133.9 m) damaged by Italian torpedo aircraft on 8 May 1941 while in convoy to Souda Bay, towed to Ierapetra Bay and sunk by German bombers on 12 May 1941. She lies at about 27 m off Ierapetra, five minutes by boat from the harbour. Ierapetra Diving Centre reports amberjack in groups of hundreds, groupers of 15-20 kg, seahorses and WWII artefacts such as bullets and gas masks.
Facts
- Region: Greece – Crete
- Area: Ierapetra & south-east
- Depth: 27 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: moderate
- Type: wreck
- Coordinates: 35.001, 25.743 (approximate)
- Highlights: 133 m British cargo ship sunk in 1941, big schools of amberjack, WWII artefacts
- Unverified: Legal status unconfirmed: the Rawnsley is a wreck well over 50 years old and is not on the 2021 press list of 91 wrecks released for guided dives (which names no Ierapetra wreck); Ierapetra Diving Centre advertises the dive, but we found no Ministry of Culture or Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities statement on it. Exact position not published (marker is an estimate off Ierapetra); minimum depth unknown.
- Tips: Advanced boat dive with a licensed centre; do not touch or take artefacts.