Kassamba

Kassamba was an Angolan cargo vessel built in 1977. She was 136m long and 8.374 tons gross. She was carrying 158 containers, most with cloth tissue and wine. It is rumoured that it may also have been carrying guns to Angola. 31 men - 24 from Angola and 7 from Yugoslavia composed the crew. Among the Yugoslavians was Giorgio Ribanic, 53 years old, Captain, Moreno Ipavic, 26 years old, First Subordinate officer and Niksa Banovac, 26 years old, Second Subordinate officer. She was homeward bound to Luanda and Lobito (Angola) from Cadiz (Spain) with a port of call in Leixões. "Kassamba" left Leixões on March 25th 1985, at 09.45pm. The sea was rough and made the containers roll. They must had been badly stowed and made a hole in the ship's hull. The ship sent her first SOS at 10.20pm when she was only a mile from port. The rescue was made by two tugboats and "Patrao Joaquim Casaca" rescue boat. They had orders to tow "Kassamba" to high seas. This was due to her huge size and the fact that if sunk, would became a danger to other vessels. The rescue boat was with "Kassamba" all night and picked up 29 members of the crew early in the morning. By then "Kassamba" was already listing approximately 45º to her portside. The last 2 crew members were picked up by "Monte de Leça" tugboat. By the time it was realised that an attempt might be made to save her, the sea state and weather conditions meant the vessel was already doomed and she started to slowly sink by her own damage. "Kassamba" sank on March 26th 1985, around 03.15pm, 11 miles northwest of Leixões. She has laid since then on her portside, pointing northwest, on a sandy seabed at 70m. Divers reach the wreck at 55m. In summer time, the waters are clear, with visibility reaching 30m. The wreck is in good conditions with her cargo hull open and no containers on board. They fell overboard at the surface due to ship's conditions, and the remainder floated off as she sank. It's possible to find lost lines and fishing nets near the wreck. Source: www.submania.pt (Reproduced with permission of the author) This site is located 11 nautic miles offshore. It´s a dive available only for tekdivers.