St. Michael looks like a modest tugboat wreck, but its story reaches back to the final years of the Second World War.
Site at a glance
History
St. Michael was built in Canada in 1944 as one of the Tanac-type tugs produced for Britain's Ministry of War Transport. After the war she eventually made her way to Malta and spent years in local service.
She was scuttled with Tugboat 10 on 16 May 1998 as an artificial reef. Time and winter storms have continued to alter the superstructure; parts that older photographs show intact are no longer guaranteed to look the same.
The dive
The wreck sits upright in recreational depth, close enough to Tugboat 10 that both can be understood as part of the same underwater neighbourhood. The compact dimensions give good photographic opportunities without requiring a deep profile.
Access and changing structure
Use the Żonqor Point shore access and expect the sea state to matter more than the small numbers on the depth gauge. The wreck is old, corroding and storm-affected. I never use an old photograph as proof that a piece of steel will still be where it was.
Where it is
GPS reference: 35.86580, 14.57600. Coordinates identify the site area; they do not replace underwater navigation, a current local briefing or an assessment of access on the day.