Umbria Ship

The SS Umbria, originally built as the SS Bahia Blanca in 1912 in Hamburg, Germany, served as a cargo ship between Europe and Argentina. Acquired by Argentina in 1918, it transported goods across the Atlantic until 1934. In 1935, Italy purchased and renamed the ship Umbria. On 3 June 1940, while secretly carrying a large cargo of bombs, weapons, and cement, the Umbria arrived in British-controlled Port Said, Egypt. Despite Italy's neutral status, British warships intercepted the Umbria near Port Sudan on 9 June. Upon hearing that Italy had joined the war, Captain Lorenzo Muiesan and his crew scuttled the ship. Today, the Umbria rests at a depth of 38 meters and is renowned as one of the world's best wreck dives.