Park Victory

The Park Victory is a steamship wreck off Utö, the southernmost inhabited island in Finland, and is the largest wreck in Finnish national waters. It is a popular dive but a challenging one where the weather is concerned. The wreck lies in military waters, so every diver needs a permit.

The 9000-ton ship was approaching Finland in a severe snowstorm on Christmas Eve 1947. The winds were high, so she docked to wait, but the anchors did not hold and she drifted onto underwater rocks. The crew freed her with the engines, but she drifted back onto the rocks at 2:15 and caught amidships. She broke in half and sank in twenty minutes, and 10 of the 48 crew died.

A buoy and a rope lead down to the wreck. In rough seas the sensible way out to it is to pull yourself along a second rope, because swimming is too difficult. Visibility was 10 to 15 m (33 to 49 ft), which suits a wreck whose sheer size is a main attraction. Lying on the bottom and looking up at the bow, you can still see the gouges it left sliding down the rock wall.