Dive Site Information
Visibility in the harbour is lower than other Maltese dive sites, and currents can occasionally reduce it to near zero.
Type
Historical Shipwrecks
Dive Type
Wreck
Popularity
High
Lenght
115, now 42
Beam
11
Depth
16m (max)
Qualification
Beginners
Shore access
Easy
HMS Maori History
HMS Maori, a Tribal-class destroyer, was built in 1937 by Fairfield Shipbuilding in Scotland. Like all Tribal-class ships, she was named after an indigenous group—the Māori people of New Zealand—and served with the British Royal Navy in WWII.
The fights
Until April 1940, she patrolled the North Sea and participated in the Norwegian Campaign. In June, she sailed to Iceland in search of German warships and briefly served in the Faroe Islands. In May 1941, she played a role in the pursuit and destruction of the German battleship Bismarck. Later, she joined the 14th Destroyer Flotilla for the Battle of Cape Bon in December 1941.
The Sinking
On 12th February 1942, while anchored at the entrance of Dockyard Creek, Valletta, HMS Maori was hit during a German air raid, caught fire, exploded, and sank, blocking the harbour. Though a hazard to shipping, her wreck remained until 1945 when she was re-floated. However, two-thirds of the ship broke off and sank in deeper waters, while the remaining bow section was scuttled in St. Elmo Bay at a depth of 16m.
The Wreck
Now one of Malta’s two WWII shipwrecks accessible to recreational divers, HMS Maori is ideal for entry-level divers, history enthusiasts, night dives, and underwater photography. The wreck features plenty of openings to explore marine life, including tube worms, scorpionfish, shoals of salema, sea bream, and cardinal fish. The sandy seabed hosts flying gurnards, octopuses, flatfish, burrowing starfish, red mullet, and seasonal stingrays. Along the reef, divers may spot moray eels, cuttlefish, and even seahorses.