Imperial Eagle

The Imperial Eagle was built in England in 1938 as the excursion ship New Royal Lady. After war service and Thames cruises as the Crested Eagle, she came to Malta in 1958 and worked as a Malta–Gozo ferry, before ending up laid up and half sunk. Bought by local divers, she was scuttled on 19 July 1999 about half a kilometre off Qawra Point as an artificial reef.

The 45-metre ship sits upright on sand at about 42 metres, with her deck at around 32 metres. About 30 metres from the bow stands Kristu tal-Baħħara, the statue of Christ moved here from St Paul’s Islands in 2000. The wreck is now more broken up and most of the wood has gone.

It is a boat dive. With the depth and limited bottom time it suits experienced divers, and wind, swell or current can make the descent harder.