The Persier

Originally known as the War Buffalo, the SS Persier is a large Belgian Freighter displacing 5800 tons, launched in Newcastle in 1918.
She was travelling from the south of Wales and was torpedoed 8 Feb 1945 between the shore and the Eddystone, while en route to Belgium.

Her cargo was general supplies (powdered egg, baby food, meat and blankets) destined for the liberated Belgians.11 crew members escaped in lifeboat number 1 even, however lifeboat 3 was pulled into the propeller and shredded. A further 44 crew members were taken off by a nearby cargo ship, Birker Force.
The Persier sank unseen during the night and was not seen again until discovered by Plymouth Sound BSAC in 1969.

Location: The Persier is off the mouth of the River Erme

Length: 120m

Max Depth: 32m at the stern.

Depth to deck: The wreckage is fairly broken up, however there are some high points with the (3) boilers about 4-5m off the seabed

Viz: Worst we've seen 1m, best 15m.

Orientation: Bow points to the SouthWest, lying on her port side.

Buoy Lines

This wreck does not normally have a permanent shot, so extra time needs to be added to the journey to allow placment.

Location of Buoys

Since the are the most prominant part of the wreck, the boilers are often the target of the shotline. A delayed SMB is mandatory equipment for this dive.

Areas of Interest

The wreck lays over rocky outcrops, with the boilers rising to 23m deep, the wreckage is less broken up at the stern,and you can swim over masts, rigging and winches. When you reach the stern, you will find the rudder still attached and this is the depest part of the wreck at some 28m.
Coming back forward, you will reach holds 1 and 2 on the bow side of the boilers.  Crabs, lobstes and various assorted sealife can be found by looking under the metal plates.

Wreck Penetrations

You can swim through the prop shaft tunnel and there are several swim throughs along the port side as you come forward from the stern.
The wreck will take more than 1 dive to fully explore.

Snagging Hazards
As with all wrecks there are things to cut hands and get gear caught on. Gloves are advised and caution should be used.

Life you could see
There are corkwing and ballan wrasse all round the bow, with pollack swimming in mid water throughout the ship. Bib can generally be seen and the are often Tompot Blennies running around the crevices, with the odd conger or two if you look really hard. There are a large number of the endangered pink sea fan, please be very careful when swimming anywhere near these as they are fragile and can be damaged easily. Other appearences have been made by shoals of Sea Bass, Squid, and even Sunfish.

Caution

Due to the depth of this wreck, caution is advised with careful monitoring of your no decompression limits and air supply.