Dover Marina

On 13 June 1963, Carmen was caught in thick fog in the Dover Strait and collided with the Turkish steamship Sadikzade, about 4.5 miles east of the South West Goodwin light buoy and 9.6 miles east of St Margaret’s Bay. She sank with the loss of two crewmen, while the collision set off an absurdly grim chain reaction: Sadikzade then collided with the Greek motor vessel Leandros, which in turn collided with the British tanker Clyde Sergeant. Today, Carmen lies upright and largely intact in around 44 to 45 metres, with her funnel around 30 metres and superstructure rising into the low 30s. For divers, she is a superb deeper Channel wreck: intact, dramatic, well identified, and carrying the unmistakable scar of a fog-bound collision in one of the busiest seaways on Earth.

On 9 March 1900, Cuvier was struck on the starboard side in the Dover Strait by the Norwegian steamer Dovre, which was bound from Burntisland to Dieppe with coal. The collision tore open her side, flooded the engine room, and she sank in minutes, around 6 miles east of the East Goodwin Lightvessel. Historic England records heavy loss of life, with sources giving 26 to 28 crew lost and only a handful of survivors picked up by the steamer Windsor. For divers, Cuvier is a classic Goodwins-area wreck: a Victorian cargo steamer, a sudden night collision, a grim human story, and a site known for recovered Maastricht-marked bowls, mugs, chamber pots, portholes and crockery. It’s the kind of wreck where the artefacts make the story feel oddly domestic, which somehow makes the tragedy hit harder.

On 24 May 1953, Andaman collided with the Panamanian steamer Fortune about 3 miles south of the South Goodwin Lightvessel. She began sinking, and her 38 crew abandoned ship into two boats. The Dover lifeboat launched, but the crew had already been picked up by the SS Arthur Wright, before being transferred to the lifeboat and landed at Dover. No lives were lost. For divers, Andaman is a fine post-war Channel wreck: a substantial Swedish cargo ship, lost in fog near the Goodwins, with a clean rescue story and enough size, structure and atmosphere to make her far more than a name on a chart.

On 9 March 1900, Cuvier was struck on the starboard side in the Dover Strait by the Norwegian steamer Dovre, which was bound from Burntisland to Dieppe with coal. The collision tore open her side, flooded the engine room, and she sank in minutes, around 6 miles east of the East Goodwin Lightvessel. Historic England records heavy loss of life, with sources giving 26 to 28 crew lost and only a handful of survivors picked up by the steamer Windsor. For divers, Cuvier is a classic Goodwins-area wreck: a Victorian cargo steamer, a sudden night collision, a grim human story, and a site known for recovered Maastricht-marked bowls, mugs, chamber pots, portholes and crockery. It’s the kind of wreck where the artefacts make the story feel oddly domestic, which somehow makes the tragedy hit harder.