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In the beginning of June 1945 the Hardeep/Suddhadib’s bow was hit by a bomb. The ship caught fire and sank. Now the 70m long wreck is lying on its starboard side in a depth of 26m, the top of the hull in 16m.
Frequent strong currents and “human impact“, like improper anchoring and dynamite fishing left their marks at the wreck. Parts of the hull were pulled away, even a hole was blown into it. Now the currents can run through the ship and damage the interior.
Despite that, the Hardeep is still a wreck worth seeing, specially due to its beautiful shape on the sea bed. It is richly covered with coral and home to various marine life, like schoals of barracuda and jacks, as well as giant groupers, large wrasses and more.
Meanwhile the Navy together with some volunteers installed mooring ropes on the wreck in order to avoid further damage caused by throwing anchors.
The hull is largely intact, there are some open cargo holds which can be entered. The engine was removed long ago through a purpose opened hole. From here it is easy to access the engine room, where you can still see the huge boilers and the crankshaft.
With time the superstructure has become unstable and this is why penetration of the wreck is not recommendable. But even to swim along the deck, through the outer remains of the superstructure from one end to the other is very interesting. It’s advisable to take a diving light in order to illuminate some darker areas.
On the seabed close to the wreck you can find remains of the funnel and the foremast as well as two unexploded bombs. Caution is still needed, don’t touch or try to move them!
The propeller unfortunately is missing, it was salvaged years ago.
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