HMS Kingston (Kingston, F64)
Location: (35.9600° N 14.4000° E)
About the ship:
Date of construction: 1939.
Length: 108.66 m.
Beam: 10.9 m.
Diving experience:
The shipwreck is located in the channel between the Maltese mainland and St. Paul’s Islands, in shallow water that transitions to the deeper part of the bay, with depths ranging from 3 to 25 meters Structure of the wreckage: today the shipwreck consists of several pieces of metal scattered in the channel. The remains of the tourist boat ‘HANINI’ and parts of an unidentified WWII fighter plane can also be found nearby HMS Kingston was a K-class destroyer. It was sunk during an air raid on the dock in April 1942. In 1943, HMS Kingston was taken out of dock and sunk as a blockade runner between Cape Selmun and Selmunette Island (St. Paul’s Island). In the early 1950s the remains of the Kingston were dismantled in situ. The wreckage, a few pieces of metal, lies in shallow water in the middle of the 100-meter channel between the mainland and the island.
Marine life: The area is home to a variety of species including the two-striped sargana, sea eel, common octopus and Mediterranean parrotfish.
Historical notes:
HMS Kingston (F64) was a British K-class destroyer built in 1939 and took part in World War II. The ship was sunk in an air raid in April 1942 and then scuttled as a blockading ship between Cape Selmun and Selmunett Island (St. Paul’s Island) in 1943. The wreckage, mostly pieces of metal, now lies in shallow water in the channel between the Maltese mainland and St. Paul’s Island.