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Galle

SL/S/GALL/M/21

MV Elsia · Ginthota Timber wreck

Period
Colonial - British
Year sunk
1939
District
Galle
Depth
9.00–12.00 m
Vessel type
Motor Vessel, Bulk Carrier

Overview

The wreck site was found during a line search done by the MAU in 2021. The shipwreck can be located 01 km south of the river mouth of the Gin River and 700 meters west of Dadalla Cemetery. The Northwest side of the wreck was found on the third day of the underwater survey (2021-02-20). The visibility around the wreck was very low and the survey team didn’t get an idea of the formation of the wreck.

Then again on the next day (2021-02-21) the other end, the Southeast end of the wreck was found. Again the visibility was so bad and it was very hard to get an idea of the shipwreck site. But some members of the survey team manage to go to the other end by following the wreck parts and find out the wreck is intact and nearly 100 meters long.

The sea condition in the survey area and especially around the wreck was getting worse during the next few weeks. The survey team waits till the end of March till the sea conditions get well. The fruitful dive operation was carried out on the 26th of March. The sea conditions were very good and the team did multiple dives to get the best of the day. The survey team went through the wreck a few times to get an idea of the formation. Then they start measuring and sketching the wreck site. It is a huge iron wreck long more than 100 meters. The wreck was intact and can identify from the bow to the stern. Yet most of the iron hull parts were salvaged, majority of the engine parts, hull and the superstructure were completely taken out as scrap metal. According to the local fishermen, the timber and the hull parts were also salvaged during the years 1990 – 2007.

According to the records, the ship sank in1939. It was known as MV Elsia a Danish cargo-passenger ship carrying a load of teak timber when it caught fire and sank. This info was in the book “Reefs of Thaprobane” by Arthur C. Clarke. Arthur and his companions dived on this wreck in 1956. There is a symbol of a shipwreck marked on the Admiralty sea charts close to the wreck we found.

Bow of the wreck 26 Mar 2021 © Rasika Muthucumarana
clay tiles at the site 20 Feb 2021 © Rasika Muthucumarana
Site Plan of the MV Elsia 26 Mar 2021 © Maritime Archaeology Unit
MV Elsia on the sea chart 7 May 2021
Video 26 Mar 2021 © Rasika Muthucumarana

Location

District: Galle

Province: Southern

Depth profile

9–12 m

Protection & status

Access
None
Legal status
None
Archaeological value
Low
Physical protection
None
Threat
Salvage

Vessel chronology

1939

Year sunk

Marine life at this site

Record provenance

Recorded
1956-01-01
Last updated
2022-05-01
Biodiversity survey
Incomplete

Data: National Shipwreck Database / CCF–MAU