Who would have thought that you could buy a whole ship for just $400?
Some people buy ships and boats and complain about how expensive they are to maintain. YouTuber Deep Wreck Diver takes the shortcut – and buys a centuries-old shipwreck for very little money.
Just $400 For Your Dream Boat
Have you ever dreamed of owning a boat? In England, you can do it for very little money! The catch: the ships have sometimes been lying at the bottom of the sea for over 100 years. For Dom Robinson, a 53-year-old British diver and shipwreck enthusiast, this is a real find. He purchased the wreck of the SS Almond Branch, a steam freighter from World War I, for 300 pounds (the equivalent of $400) via Facebook Marketplace and is now the proud owner of a beautiful boat weighing 3,000 tons and measuring 100 meters (roughly 330 feet) in length. The SS Almond Branch was a tower steamer built in 1896 that was torpedoed by the German submarine UB-57 off the coast of Cornwall in November 1917, with the loss of one life. The ship now lies upside down and broken up on the seabed in 58 meters (roughly 190 feet) of water.
With A Great Boat Comes Great Responsibility
The British government finally sold the ship in the 1970s. After the original owner no longer wanted the shipwreck, he simply put it on Facebook Marketplace, where Robinson saw the listing and eventually bought it. After contacting the seller, Robinson received an official letter from the British “Receiver of Wreck” confirming him as the rightful owner of the wreck. There are thousands of ship and aircraft wrecks around the UK coastline, according to the Receiver of Wreck, which lists the requirements for wreck owners and anyone who dives on and salvages material from wrecks.
Divers Supporting Divers
Although the wreck no longer contains any valuable treasures, Robinson regards it as an important historical relic and personal dive site. He shares his underwater explorations on his YouTube channel “Deep Wreck Diver”, but one thing is missing:
So, if anybody finds the bell, they should report it to the Receiver of Wreck, who will ask me whether I want to keep it or not.
Robinson, who has already identified over 20 underwater wrecks, including Royal Navy ships, is fascinated by the history of each wreck. He emphasizes that despite his ownership, other divers can still visit the wreck.
What's it like for you? Does it sound like a great adventure, or are you afraid of deep water?