Cap Guir (H-11) is another incredibly fascinating Baltic wreck — so much so that a photo of it was featured on the cover of the outstanding book #GhostShip by @Jonas Dahm and @Carl Douglas.
We had the opportunity to dive it during our first expedition of the year. The water was truly cold, but exceptionally clear. The wreck lies south of Gotland and a full 100 nautical miles north of Władysławowo, but the stunning views and very accessible depth (36 meters) make up for the long distance.
Why is it so special?
Because it was a ship sailing west to east, loaded with various supplies for German forces making their last stand on the Courland Peninsula (now Latvia). According to archival records, there were over 800 Latvian SS troops on board, freshly trained in Germany, along with spare parts for aircraft — including propellers and engines — as well as weapons and ammunition.
The ship was spotted by Soviet aircraft early in the morning on April 16, 1945, and was sunk after a few bombs were dropped. The attack triggered an immediate explosion of the ammunition on board. That explains the current condition of the wreck — only the stern section has remained intact.
At first, during the dive, we even had doubts whether it was the right wreck, but when we found the ship’s bell inscribed with the name ALMAZORA (the vessel’s original name), we knew we were in the right place.
It was a sizable ship — 82 meters long — built in Glasgow in 1927. In 1936, it was bought by a French shipping company and renamed Cap Guir. In 1940, it was seized by the Germans and renamed H-11. It ultimately sank in the Baltic Sea in the northern part of the Słupsk Bank, just 22 days before the end of the war, taking 745 lives with it to the bottom.
While diving, we were able to discover more and more well-preserved artifacts. We even saw huge bones — could it be that the ship was also transporting horses?
The phenomenal visibility (over 30 meters) meant we barely needed any lights. Thanks to the depth, we could stay on the bottom as long as we wanted. But, as is often the case in the Baltic, after two days over the wreck we were chased away by strong incoming winds.
The conditions were so good that we even managed a dive after sunset. We're likely to return, as the surrounding area is rich in undiscovered wrecks, and because of its distance from the shore, there are very few dive expeditions in the region.
Best regards from the team:
Tomasz Stachura
Kamil Macidłowski
Maciej Honc
Paweł Truszyński
Maciej Marcinkowski
Marek Cacaj
Paweł Wilk
Michał Iwicki
Tomasz Zwara
