The USS Illinois (5225 tons) stands in 70 metres of water but stands up to 15 metres proud of the seabed in places. This huge American tanker built in 1912 is an incredible dive and has become a favourite with me already – I’ve heard it rated as the best in the English Channel.

Wey Chieftain skippered by Graham recovered the bell from eth Illinois ten years ago when the shot had fallen through the deck and landed next to it, presumably the bell had fallen through the same hole.    (It got Graham a fantastic reputatiuon as skipper - when he can put you straight on the bell like that!)

I was diving with Andy and he suggested that as I had never dived the wreck before we should swim it thus taking more time to get to know her before taking scooters along to play. He takes his video set up in for the dive.

On 18 March, 1917, Illinois was returning to Port Arthur in Texas in ballast. She was north-west of Cherbourg and about 20 miles north of Alderney, in the heart of the English Channel and effectively the centre of a war zone. At 7.45am, a German submarine was spotted about three miles away. The ship’s master, HH Iversen, watched it dive and hoped this would be the last they would see of it, but soon UC21 surfaced much closer, and Iversen was under fire.  Shells took out the wireless equipment and penetrated the engine-room, forcing the engineers to shut Illinois down. Iversen ordered his men to the boats. The German commander ordered Iversen’s boat to come alongside the U-boat.

Greg has forgotten his undersuit and socks. Grahame lends him a blue undersuit which makes him look like the missing tellietubby which Andy promptly christens Winkie Wanky - and socks are fashioned from a sheet and a roll of gaffer tape.

We drop in and my first reaction is that the wreck is much more shallow than I figured as I can see her from 45 metres. I then realise that the viz is excellent and the dive is going to be great!

The decks are at about 57 so there is room for a shallower dive on her but I dropped down at the stern to see a trawler arm which had broken off and then followed the side of the wreck back towards the bow. The holds are huge and clearly worthy of inspection although I didn’t figure that three stages and video camera (not to mention a GUE instructor) would be very forgiving of my doing much more than looking in from outside.

I lead us up towards the bow and we made it there just as the current picked up again. A quick look at the anchor and then a drift dive back along the wreck where we hit 30 minutes on the bottom and it was sadly time to go. I made a mental note to go back as soon as possible although the wrecks’ off shore position makes this harder to do than I would like.  I run the deco and have some fun with Andy by stealing his bottom stage when he is not looking. He gets his own back of course – but it passes time and makes me laugh.  Great day, great dive! Oh yes -  we are in the shipping lance and we have some rather large and close neighbours!