The wreck of a Belfast-built ship that once carried writer Mark Twain across the Atlantic has been seen for the first time in over a century after being located by a renowned underwater explorer.
Diver Fabio Portella made the discovery on Monday, when he identified the wreck of the SS Minnetonka off the coast of Sicily.
The transatlantic steamship was built as a passenger vessel in Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard, and was launched in 1901, a decade before the same yard launched the Titanic.
Like its ill-fated fellow Belfast-built ship, the Minnetonka was destined for the depths, and was sunk by a German U-boat in 1918 while carrying mail between Egypt and France after being refitted as a navy vessel during the First World War.
Four of the ship’s 173 crew perished, while the rest were rescued by ships from Malta.
Ten German prisoners of war that had been aboard the Minnetonka were rescued by the U-Boat.
However, despite knowledge of roughly where in the Mediterranean the steamship was struck, its wreck was never located.
That was until this week, when Mr Portella decided to dive in a spot many miles from where the ship was understood to have been torpedoed.
On Monday, the wreck of the 600ft-long ship loomed out of the darkness in a stretch of seabed 120 metres below the Malta Channel, which is the resting place of other wrecks and even the remains of planes downed during WW2.
Diving in the zone presents serious risks due to being so far from shore.
Mr Portello, whose previous notable discoveries include a wreck from the 1st century B.C, completed Monday’s dive with fellow aquatic explorer Cristiano Rosa and their support team.
They found the Minnetonka in relatively “good condition” despite resting at the bottom of the sea for over a century.
“The Minnetonka gave me some truly intense emotions,” he explained.
“Without a doubt, the most memorable moment was the encounter, during the descent to a depth of 120 metres, when this giant – which had been lying there for over a hundred years – appeared on the expanse of white mud.”
The Minnetonka made its maiden voyage from London to New York less than a year after sailing out of Belfast harbour upon completion .
In 1907 it ferried Mark Twain back to the U.S after he visited Oxford University to receive an honorary doctorate.
A year after the outbreak of the First World War, the Minnetonka was taken over by the British navy to become an auxiliary transport, leading to its fate as a target for a German submarine.
Now its final resting place, 23 miles from the southernmost point of Sicily is finally known after almost 110 years.
“We reached the bow, right where there is a mast nearly 30 metres high with its crow’s nest and bell, all covered in fish,” said Mr Portello, who told The Irish News the wreck’s location was around 15 nautical miles from where it was thought to have been hit.
The Italian, who earlier this year was awarded the Tridente d’Oro for Underwater Exploration – considered the most prestigious prize in diving – was able to confirm what he was seeing was the Minnetonka by getting up close to the wreck.
“The other incredibly moving moment was the identification, when all the details matched perfectly,” he said.
“Every feature unequivocally confirmed that the giant resting on the seabed was the Minnetonka”
