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The Bellucia
John Bell iniciate his
navigation company in 1878 in yhe english city of Ayr with ly one
ship.In 1888 he move his company to Glasgow and his company was renamed
Bell Bro´s & Mclelland and the Bellucia was the first ship build
for the new company. Built in 1888 by the D
& W Henderson shipyard in Glasgow, the Bellucia was hundred meters
wide and 2715 tons. His propulsion was made by a Triple extension engine
and two huges boilers.
The main route made by bell
Bro´s & McLelland was Hamburg / Antwerp to Mediterran and others places
in the Black Sea. The biggest ships of the company,such as the Bellucia were
used in routes to India, Extreme Orient and South America. During a voyage
between Santos and New Orleans, the Bellucia sunk near to the Rasa
Island in Guarapari on February 15th
1903. The ship´s cargo was coffee and a large variety of
itens.
The Bellucia is the most
visited shipwreck of Guarapari. The dive is made in two parts because
the ship broke in two when it sunk. The bow and the stern are separated
by 100 meters.
In the stern, the
conditions of the wreckage are still good and is the part that the
people want more to dive.It is possible to see the propeller, rudder,
the engines and one of the huge boilers and other auxiliary boiler. The
depht in this part of the ship is about 27 meters and there is a lot of
marine life.
In the bow, less visited but
igually interestant, we see a kean anchor, the bow and the hull are still in
good conditions (as the stern), capstans and winchs. After that we saw the
bridge of the ship and more ahead the other huge boiler.The Bellucia boilers
are the biggest boilers i saw in brazilian waters. The presence of each of the
big boilers in different parts of the ship – one in the bow and the other in
the stern may indicate that the ship broke in that part of the hull.
Usually, there is a strong
current on the area and is better try to dive there when the tide is
"dead". When diving into the Bellucia don´t forget to take
sinalizations devices such as the Dive Alert. Inspired in the dive made
between the "Galeão"
e Buenos Aires in the city of
Rio de Janeiro and named The "Crossing", we will try to make a
connection dive between the bow and the stern of Bellucia. This dive will be
made by technical divers of the Brasil Mergulho team.
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By:
Rodrigo Coluccini
Photo: Bellarden - The brother from Bellucia
Photos: Clecio Mayrink
Command
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