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Donator

Characteristics of the wreck


12,00
78,00
11/11/1945
51
--

France
Var
Mediterranean Sea
Cargo (0)

Information

Exploring the wreck of the Donator is the pinnacle of what you can expect to see underwater on a diving holiday from Lalonde-Les-Maures, Le Lavandou, Hyères or the Presqu'île de Giens in the south of France. This cargo ship, measuring 78 m long and 12 m wide, was built in 1931 by Holz Worksted A-S shipyards in Bergen, Norway. With an engine of 1800 hp, it reached a speed of 14 knots. In 1933, she was sold to the Compagnie Générale d'Armement Maritime and changed her name to Petite Terre. She then carried out the transport of bananas between France and the West Indies.

In 1939, the Compagnie Algérienne de Navigation pour l'Afrique du Nord, also known as the Compagnie Schiaffino, acquired her to become part of its fleet of about twenty boats. Each of them bears names of the Schiaffino family and the Donator becomes then... the Prosper Schiaffino! During the Second World War, the company loses 19 ships due to torpedoes and bombings. In September 1945, at the end of the war, there was only one ship left, the Donator, which continued its commercial activity in the Mediterranean. On 10 November 1945, the ship returned from Algeria with a cargo of wine.

Captain Baillet commanding aboard the Prosper Schiaffino redoubled his vigilance as there were still many floating mines in the Mediterranean. The ship circumnavigates the island of Porquerolles to the south. The sea is rough, with a very established Mistral wind. At 13h10, the Prosper Schiaffino hits a mine, which causes a very large explosion. The bow is destroyed, the stern rises and the water rushes in by tons through the breaches in the hull. The crew had no time to lower the boats into the water as the situation worsened by the second. The men throw themselves into the water. A Royal Air Force plane flew over the wreck and sounded the alarm. The boats loaded with relief supplies arrived in the area four hours later.

The crews rescued the 27 men on board the Prosper Schiaffino, but 2 of the 29 sailors on board were missing. The Schiaffino Company will not recover from the total destruction of its fleet. The Donator now attracts experienced divers from all over Europe. This large, well-preserved wreck lies upright on a sandy bottom. The stern is 51 m deep. The bow is at 48 m. You get a very nice overall view at about 25 m when you descend on it. The mast has fallen to port. Ideally, you should make several dives on the Donator. To see: at the stern, the very big propeller and rudder are at 51m. Behind the aft castle you can see the spare propeller. From the stern to the bow, there is no deck at 40m because the boat is gutted.

The rear hold contained tanks that were certainly full of wine at the time of the fateful crossing. The engine hold opens at a depth of 44 meters. Then you reach the superstructures with a passage at 35m deep in what remains of the gangways. On either side of the Donator's deck, davits point straight up to the surface. You observe a small lazarette (the galley) with stoves. On the starboard side, a hole allows access to the central hold. From the lazarette towards the bow, you reach the crew quarters with the bathtub and toilet bowl. It is possible, depending on your prerogatives, to enter the forward hold. In the half-light, look outwards, you get a beautiful view of the blue with very nice backlighting. A violent current, often very established, rages on this site.


Dive centers

 

NTR Dive
France  - Cavalaire
FrenchEnglish

NTR DIVE, directed by Raphaël Rousselle, is a diving school specialized in Nitrox, Trimix, Rebreather diving. It is a concept of itinerant Tek diving school, that is to say that you can choose the places of your explorations and your trainings among the list of the partner centers: CIP Nice, Subvision in Golfe Juan, CIP Fréjus, Club Sous L'eau in Saint-Raphaël, Easy Dive in Cannes and Juan les Pins, la Rague plongée in Mandelieu la Napoule, H20 Sainte-Maxime, Tiki Dive in Cavalaire, Eau Bleue in Cavalaire, Be Free to dive in Villeneuve Loubet, le Gîte de plongée du Gapeau, Saint P'hyères Plongée in. .. Hyères. NTR DIVE offers you a tailor-made service of training and exploration dedicated to Tek, Nitrox and Trimix diving, in open circuit and rebreather. The services also include the sale, rental, and maintenance of top-of-the-range equipment. This school offers you its training courses with certifications from the different organizations IANTD and FFESSM/CMAS. Raphy is an approved technician of the biggest brands of teak equipment and shares his expertise with you as an official dealer of rEvo and AP diving rebreathers. [+]

  • Tek training abroad
  • Lake diving
  • Tek travel
From 12,00 €

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Dune Lalonde
France  - La Londe les Maures
FrenchEnglish

The diving school Dune La Londe is located at Place de l'Hélice, Port Miramar, in La Londe les Maures. Dune La Londe is open from April to November to take you to the National Park of Port-Cros and Porquerolles. From December to March, groups are welcome only by reservation. The Dune Lalonde and Aqualonde centers have merged. On the spot, you will find the filling station with available nitrox on one side and the equipment on the other. The diving boats are located 20 m from the premises. Don't hesitate to take diving courses at Dune Lalonde, because we offer the whole range of PADI and FFESSM courses, from the first dive to level 3. The place is ideal for beginners and for experienced divers, it is a starting point for diving sites around the Golden Islands. The strong point of the Dune Lalonde center? It is to have thought of offering the opportunity of a Pass of 10, 25, and 50 dives allowing the divers to invite friends on their package, to discover the National Park of the Calanques of Marseille, that of Port Cros but also the reserve of the Cap Roux in Théoule. The non-divers have many activities in the surroundings. Not far away, you can enjoy 3 km of fine sandy beaches. The islands of Porquerolles and Port-Cros are full of history with relics of the past, nice hiking possibilities, and snorkeling. The atmosphere in La Londe Les Maures is summery from the beautiful days until October. This village has small restaurants, stores by the sea and free parking nearby. [+]

  • Friendly atmosphere
  • Free Parking
  • Functional boat
From 25,00 €

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Ulysse Plongée
France  - Hyères les Palmiers
FrenchEnglish

The Ulysse Plongée diving centre is located at the Port de la Madrague on the Presqu'île de Giens, in Hyères. The center's premises are located on the port, under the harbor master's office. The parking of the port is accessible to Ulysse divers, just honk the horn at the barrier! La Madrague and the main points of the peninsula are served by a bus service from the town center with lines 67 and 68. Meet at 8.30 am and 2 pm in the afternoon. For the more distant dives such as at Port-Cros with the Grec, the Donator, and the Arroyo, the meeting point is at 7.30 am at the diving center. On the spot, you will benefit from a reception, a sheltered courtyard, an equipment room as well as a classroom. The Ulysse Plongée diving school prepares you for the beginner to advanced levels of the FFESSM and offers courses for children under 12 years old. They have 7 and 10 L blocks. You can ask to dive with Nitrox. Board the comfortable and fast aluminum launch Ulysse 2, specially designed for diving, allowing you to cover the 30 km distance to the most remote sites. A covered deck and side tarpaulins protect divers from the mistral on windy days. Ulysse Plongée welcomes groups of divers for a weekend or a week. The rates are, of course, adapted to the number of divers. The program of the outings and the sites, takes into account the weather constraints, from day to day. The groups are organized in such a way as to meet the expectations of each diver according to their level. [+]

  • Located close to the dive sites
  • Functional boat
  • Protected Marine Park
From 40,00 €

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European Diving School Hyères
France  - La Capte/Hyères
FrenchEnglishGermanSpanish

The European Diving School is located in the Kon Tiki campsite, at the edge of the sandy beach of Pampelonne, near St-Tropez. European Diving School is open from the beginning of May until the end of September. However, groups are also welcome after this period. Alex, the owner of European Diving School is a diving instructor. He will welcome you in your own language in German, English, French, and Spanish as the atmosphere here is very cosmopolitan with divers from all over Europe. European Diving School is the reference center for Germans on the Mediterranean coast. The European Diving School offers a wide range of PADI and CMAS courses, both recreational and tek, for all levels of divers, from beginners with first dives, to the most experienced, with specialties such as Wreck Diving, Wreck Diving. The European Diving School environment is adapted to Tek divers, associations, and families. Trimix is available upon reservation and Nitrox 32 is free. The cylinder valves have a double-DIN or INT outlet. Discover with European Diving School, the best dive sites of St-Tropez like the Grande queyrolle, the Sardinaux, the Arche, the Rabiou. as well as very popular wreck diving spots, dating from the first and second world war, such as the submarine Rubis, the destroyer Poursuivante, Espingnole as well as cargo ships such as the Togo, the Prophète and the Tell Take part with European Diving School in day trips with lunch in the Port-Cros harbor, organized in the Port-Cros National Park. Dive at La Gabinière among barracudas and big groupers. [+]

  • Accomodations and diving
  • Free Nitrox
  • Protected Marine Park
From 29,00 €

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Bormes Plongee SARL
France  - Bormes Les Mimosas
FrenchEnglish

Bormes Plongée is based in Bormes Les Mimosas, in the south-east of France, on the port of La Favière near a large free car park. The marina of Bormes Les Mimosas is located opposite the Hyères Islands and the Port-Cros National Park. Direct and quick access to the best Var dive sites in the Mediterranean sea. Many wreck sites spreading out from Porquerolles to Saint-Tropez for spectacular dives but also for their historical interest. They are artificial reefs, a real heaven for marine life. Profusion of life and colors on these sites. The most famous wrecks in the area ? The Donator, the Togo and the Rubis. Their reputation go beyond French borders. Divers come from all over Europe to visit them. The Port-Cros National Park, the first marine national park in Europe, was created in December 1963. It covers 700 ha of terrestrial area and 1300 ha at sea, including the islets of Bagaud, Rascas and Gabinière. A true microcosm with a large number of terrestrial and marine species, characteristic of the western Mediterranean sea. A wide variety of underwater topography with rocks, dry, long rocky ridges and drop-offs tumbling down to 60 m with steep descents like ski slopes or pierced walls like Gruyère cheese, mass housing for Lobsters. A beautiful playground is offered to divers of all levels. Sit down at the terrace of a little restaurant, in the pretty medieval village of Bormes Les Mimosas. [+]

  • Near Downtown area
  • Located close to the dive sites
  • No equipment carrying
From 27,00 €

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Where to see, swim, and dive with Donator ?

France - Mediterranean seaFrance - Hyères, Bormes-les-Mimosas, La Londe-les-Maures and Le Lavandou