French shipwreck draws divers to Turkish Riviera

By Zehra Tekeci

ANTALYA, Türkiye (AA) - Images of the Saint Didier shipwreck were captured by the Turkish Coast Guard teams and an underwater documentary producer in Türkiye’s Mediterranean province of Antalya.

The ship was sunk by a British airplane on July 4, 1941 during World War II.

The wreck can be seen at a depth of 30 meters (98 feet) and a length of 96 meters (314 feet).

It is located 500 meters (1,640 feet) off the Antalya yacht harbor.

Underwater documentary producer and cinematographer Tahsin Ceylan and coast guard teams dove to view the remains of the French ship.

Ceylan said that Saint Didier can be described as Türkiye’s largest shipwreck.

"There are rifles, bombs, and cars in the ship's warehouses. Saint Didier is perhaps one of the best diveable wrecks in Türkiye,” he said.

Ceylan added that the civilian touristic submarine Nemo Primero is sailing twice a day to the wreck.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar