Paris II Wreck

According to german magazine 'Unterwasser' 2003 one of the world's best dive spots!!! Paris II is a freighter built in 1913 at the shipyard A. Normand in Le Havre for the shipping company Lobez, Poret ve Cie. in Boulogne. She has a length of 70m with a beam of 15m. After WW I, as an ally of the Germans, Turkey has been amongst the looser of the war and so they began their liberation war primarily as a war against the European winners of the war. This liberation war ended in 1923 with the proclamation of modern Turkey by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. During that time of battles the French Navy has been patrolling through the Mediterranean Sea, frequently taking Turkish villages under fire. Amongst their fleet was freighter MS Paris II which has been converted into a battleship. With its two guns she attacked the fishermen's village Kemer what sealed her own fate. Somewhere in the hills near Kemer has been an artillery battery under command of the famous artillery commander Capt. Mustafa Ertugrul. With more than 60 hits the battery sank Paris II. The French crew made it to the shore where the Turks expected them. They helped them out of the water and took care for the wounded. Later on the Turkish artillerists have been honoured for this mission. Today the wreck is lying flat on the ground with the highest point at about 25m and the deepest point, at the screw, at about 32m. The wreck is very close to the harbour of Kemer and to reach within 10 min. It is easy to find because it is marked with a surface marker bouy from which a shotline is going down to the wreck. During descend this line can be used for the deco or safety stop. Usually the visibility is very good and the current low, so the wreck is easy to dive but because of its depth it is for experienced divers only. Anyway it's a nice dive site, always worth a dive.