Dom Robinson of Plymouth, England just fulfilled his childhood dream of owning his own shipwreck when he bought the 1917 wreck of the SS Almond Branch on Facebook Marketplace.
Dom RobinsonDom Robinson, the diver who purchased the wreck of the SS Almond Branch on Facebook Marketplace for just $400.
Amateur diver Dom Robinson has been exploring shipwrecks for more than three decades, and now he is the owner of one.
Robinson was browsing Facebook Marketplace when he came across a listing for the wreck of a World War I-era British merchant ship called the SS Almond Branch. The wreck, which sits at the bottom of the English Channel just off the Cornish coast, was originally purchased from the government in the 1970s by a private owner who had hoped to find something valuable among the remains. Instead, they found a “big pile of rusting iron,” Robinson told the BBC, and finally put the wreck up for sale.
And at just $400, Robinson couldn’t pass up the opportunity to purchase the wreck himself — despite the purchase making his wife “furious.” Robinson insisted, however, that the wreck of the SS Almond Branch is more than interesting enough to justify the price.
Dom Robinson Buys The Wreck Of The SS Almond Branch On Facebook Marketplace
Dom RobinsonDom Robinson explored the wreck of the SS Almond Branch with his friend Rick Ayrton in January before purchasing it.
During World War I, the SS Almond Branch operated as a defensively-armed British merchant ship. It was torpedoed off the coast of Cornwall by a German submarine in 1917, and now sits 190 feet beneath the surface of the English Channel.
After the war, the British government processed an insurance claim for the ship and became the legal owner. Trying to recoup some losses in the late 1970s, the government then sold the shipwreck to a private owner. Evidently, that owner didn’t find anything of value among the wreckage and decided to sell it.
WrecksiteThe SS Almond Branch, the British merchant ship that was ultimately torpedoed by a German submarine in November 1917.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Robinson explained that in the United Kingdom, “it’s possible for private individuals to buy and sell [shipwrecks], and I’ve always fancied owning one. So, when I saw this advert on Facebook Marketplace, I knew that this was my opportunity.”
Robinson said he doesn’t expect to find any valuable treasures among the wreck, which made the purchase a bit of a hard sell for his wife, Suzi, who was “furious” about the decision.
“When I bought it my wife was furious,” Robinson told Cornwall Live. “She said, ‘What a waste of money — I just hope he doesn’t bring it up and put it in the garden.'”
Of course, Dom Robinson knew what he was getting into. He had previously explored the shipwreck as a diver and shared a video of it on his YouTube channel, where it drew more than 100,000 views. Though, in the end, the reason he bought it was mostly for “bragging rights,” he said.
“It’s a pile of heavily corroded iron, so the only real reason to buy it is for bragging rights. It’s not widely known, but shipwrecks always have an owner in the UK,” Robinson said. “It’s possible for private individuals to buy and sell them. Although I can’t stop people from diving and exploring the wreck, if they were to take anything from it, then I am the legal owner.”
Robinson Explores The Wreck And Hopes To Find The Ship’s Bell
Rick AyrtonAlthough the ship once carried cargo around the world, the wreck itself is devoid of any real treasures.
Robinson explored the wreckage and knew that there was little of the ship’s cargo remaining, but also expressed a sense of pride in owning the ship: “It feels a bit different when you’re diving a wreck, and you know that you have a sense of ownership on it.”
He also told the Telegraph that part of what makes a shipwreck so interesting is the story behind it.
“It’s really nice because each shipwreck has got a story associated with it,” he said. “That’s something I find particularly rewarding.”
In the case of the Almond Branch, it had transported cargo all over the world. Though it was a merchant ship and not a military one, it had some weaponry for protection. But despite a gun mount being present at the wreck, the gun itself is missing. There is another piece of the ship that’s missing as well — one that Robinson hopes to find: the ship’s bell.
“So, if anybody finds the bell, they should report it to Receiver of the Wreck, who will ask me whether I want to keep it or not,” he said. “And, if they find the bell, then obviously, hands off my bell.”
After reading about the purchase of the SS Almond Branch, check out 10 astonishing sunken ships from around the world. Then, read the stories of nine famous shipwrecks throughout history.
