The Mario wreck is located just a hundred meters from A Stagnola beach, on the Isolella peninsula in Pietrosella, South Corsica. This former tugboat, built in 1931, now rests on a sandy bottom at an accessible depth of 9 meters, offering an easy shore dive, ideal for divers of all levels.
History and characteristics of the tugboat Mario
The Mario is 17.68 meters long and about 4 meters wide. Powered by an engine with power estimated between 180 and 205 horsepower depending on the sources, it had a tonnage of 20.2 tx. Its career was long and varied, transitioning from the classical tugboat role to that of a pusher — a type of boat designed to push barges rather than tow them, a relatively common transformation for this kind of vessel.
On October 16, 1975, the Mario was registered in Marseille under number 26934F by the civil engineering company Dragages et Forages. After several years of service, it was decommissioned on May 12, 1989, and left moored in the Rhône canal at Fos-sur-Mer. During this period, it was accompanied by a towed barge, commonly called a « marie-salope ».
Auctioned in January 1993, the Mario and its barge, both in poor condition, were sold, leaving uncertainties about their future. Probably destined for Italy for demolition or refitting, it reportedly met with trouble at sea. The barge ran aground on the beach at Sainte-Barbe cove, while the Mario sank a few dozen meters from the shore, still attached to its barge by a strong hawser. The discovery of a second severed hawser on the front cleat suggests that the tugboat was being towed at the time of the shipwreck.
Did you enjoy this excerpt?
Read the full article.
READING TIME ≈ 05 min
Dive into the heart of PLONGEZ! Magazine
To enjoy this article and its exclusive content, a modest contribution is required.