Dom Robinson, 53, a passionate diver from Portsmouth, Hampshire, bought a World War One shipwreck, the SS Almond Branch, for just £300 on Facebook Marketplace in January 2025.
Despite the wreck being largely stripped of valuable materials, Dom was thrilled to own it and dived 50 feet to explore it.
Having been a diver for over 40 years, Dom has discovered 20-25 shipwrecks, and he enjoys the history behind each one.
The SS Almond Branch, sunk by a German submarine in 1917 off Cornwall, remains an exciting venture for Dom, despite the risks involved in deep-sea diving.
He shares his adventures on YouTube at @Deep Wreck Diver.
Despite the wreck being largely stripped of valuable materials, Dom was thrilled to own it and dived 50 feet to explore it.
Having been a diver for over 40 years, Dom has discovered 20-25 shipwrecks, and he enjoys the history behind each one.
The SS Almond Branch, sunk by a German submarine in 1917 off Cornwall, remains an exciting venture for Dom, despite the risks involved in deep-sea diving.
He shares his adventures on YouTube at @Deep Wreck Diver.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00It's not widely known, but shipwrecks always have an owner.
00:04In the UK it's possible for private individuals to buy and sell them,
00:08and I've always fancied owning one.
00:11So when I saw this advert on Facebook Marketplace, I knew that this was my opportunity.
00:16Built in 1896, the Almond branch was torpedoed on the 26th of November 1917
00:23by the very successful German submarine UB-57.
00:27Like most merchant casualties of the two world wars,
00:31the insurance claim was processed by the British government, who then went on to own the wreck.
00:36In an attempt to recoup their losses, they sold it in 1978.
00:4146 years later, the owner decided they didn't want it anymore, so put it up for sale on Facebook.
00:48£300 later, and a few messages, I became the proud owner of a 3,000 tonne shipwreck,
00:55located in 58 metres of water off the Cornish coast.
01:00Having bought it, there was only one thing to do, and that was to go and dive it.
01:05Here I am today, I'm going to dive my wreck.
01:08Yeah.
01:09Yeah!!!!!
01:10Yeah!