Diving on Carmelo Noli' s wreck

Carmelo Noli was a tugboat, now it is one of the many wrecks of the Second World War that we can find in our Mediterranean. We were on this wreck more or less two years ago, intrigued by some reports of grabbing by some local fishermen, which we then saw published in the Notices to Seafarers of 16 May 2012. Immersione sul Carmelo Noli Diving on Carmelo Noli’ s wreck

So we went searching with the hope of finding a wreck yet to be explored (Follow this link). After a few years, several searches, and discussions with diving friends, we realized that the reality was a wreck already published, even if not very well known, namely Carmelo Noli. We are therefore republishing the video with a higher definition and some more details that we had cut, adding details on the history of the ship and with some anecdotes and reconstructions that we found online.

http://conlapelleappesaaunchiodo.blogspot.com/2015/04/g-28-carmelo-noli.html

Carmelo Noli was a 109 GRT tugboat, 25.27 meters long and 5.64 meters wide, built in 1929 and belonging to the Carmelo Noli Anonymous Company, based in Savona; he was registered with serial number 86 in the Maritime Compartment of Savona.
She was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for the first time from 9 June to 6 November 1940, being registered for the same period with the initials G 28 in the role of the auxiliary ship of the State, as a minesweeper; requisitioned again on 10 January 1941, she again returned to service as a minesweeper G 28.

Around 1.30pm on 23 September 1941, the Carmelo Noli was dredging a minefield (140 mines, 70 of which were magnetic) laid by the British minelayer Manxman the previous 24 August in the waters of the Secche di Vada, south of Livorno, when it jumped onto a of mines and sank. Of the eleven crew members only three were injured and saved; the bodies of four were recovered, while the other four were missing.

The semi-destroyed wreck (also due to the work of divers who, after the war, dismantled it to recover as much metal as possible) of the Carmelo Noli today lies on sandy bottoms at 30 meters deep, 6.3 miles from the shore, off the coast of Marina di Chickpeas flour pie. Only the bow, lying on its side, the anchors, the sides and part of the engine, in which fishing nets are caught, appear recognisable.

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