Page 100 of Summer in Greece

The ROV relayed images of the divers which were illuminated by the super powerful lights of two one-man submersibles. ‘Look at that! The visibility’s exceptional – it must be over a hundred feet!’ Harry said. They all leaned closer to the monitors as one of the world’s most magnificent liners loomed up out of the blue.

The Britannic lay on its starboard bow, facing south.

Shelly watched a pair of divers glide along the open and covered promenade deck. She recalled Gran Gertie’s description of the area in a violent storm when a diver, swept off his feet by a giant wave, was saved by his lifeline. Difficult to imagine that squall while looking at the peaceful wonderland of the marine gardens, with colourful fish and delicate coral-encrusted railings. Powered by diver propulsion vehicles, the men moved effortlessly over the vessel towards the stern.

Like pairs of long-necked dinosaurs frozen in time, the gigantic lifeboat davits loomed above the divers. She imagined the lifeboats, each with seventy-five frightened passengers, swung out over the side of the ship, then lowered by the ropes. Would they see one? Or had all the lifeboats disintegrated? It was, after all, a hundred and five years since His Majesty’s Hospital Ship Britannic went to the bottom of the Aegean Sea.

‘I’ve never seen so much wildlife on a wreck,’ Shelly said.

‘That’s because they’re using rebreathers. There’re no noisy bubbles to frighten the shoals of fish away. The only noise you hear is from the motors of the propulsion vehicles, which the divers use as little as possible, in order to save the batteries and also because they enjoy the silence.’

‘Look at that. The divers appear so small against the propellers.’ She remembered Gertie’s description of the carnage they caused. ‘Amazing marine life growing on the blades too. Saddle oysters, marine crustaceans, yellow sponges, they’ve all taken up residence, just how big are they, Harry?’

‘The propellers? Twenty-four feet across and weighing thirty-eight tons,’ Harry said. ‘Can you imagine the noise, and the turbulence? They must have been a terrifying sight for those who saw them close up.’

‘Look, we’re seeing E deck from the outside. Those portholes are all open,’ Elias said. ‘Nobody was ever brought to justice for going against orders, were they?’

‘What’s going on there?’ Shelly pointed to a screen where the dive camera was clearly deep inside the wreck. ‘I thought there was only one video diver.’

‘There is,’ Harry said. ‘What you’re seeing is relay from an underwater drone. It’s operated by the one-man sub. There are two. He’s checking the watertight door between boiler rooms five and six. According to inquiry statements from the firemen, this door was jammed half open. Clearly, we can see it was all the way open. Nothing could have saved the ship with that open.’

‘Even if the portholes had been closed, the Britannic was doomed when that door jammed,’ the screen operator said.

Shelly wished her great-grandmother could have heard that statement.

The operator continued. ‘Anyway, better she went down when she did. Just imagine if she’d got to Lemnos and embarked four thousand sick and wounded soldiers.’

‘What’s he talking about?’ Shelly asked quietly.

‘It’s the minefield,’ Harry replied. ‘The full extent of it has only just come to light. Twelve mines were laid by German U-boat 75. The Burdigala caught the first mine, the Britannic caught the second, but if she hadn’t, she almost certainly would have caught one on her return. The ship would be lower in the water, transporting four thousand casualties, many of whom had lost limbs and wouldn’t have stood a chance. Add to them, over a thousand medical staff and crew. Can you imagine the carnage if she’d gone down under those circumstances?’

As the information filtered through, Shelly realised her great-grandmother had been vindicated after a lifetime of self-blame. She didn’t understand why, but Shelly also felt she had in some way been released from a great weight too.

She had always blamed herself for not being able to rescue David when he needed her. Now, it was as if she had woken from a nightmare and saw the reality of the day.

If Shelly had been able to dive, and she had gone down to try and release David, she would almost certainly have become entangled too. She would have drowned and never known the tiny egg that was dividing and multiplying in the dark miracle of her womb. DJ would never have come into existence. She felt a tear slide down her cheek and, unnoticed, stepped outside for a breath of fresh air.

*

‘What’s happening on the other two screens?’ Shelly asked. ‘It looks like a tight spiral staircase. Is that another drone filming?’

‘It’s drone 2,’ the operator answered.

‘My grandmother talked about a spiral staircase behind her cabin on F deck. She said the boilermen made a huge racket in their hobnailed boots, changing shift.’

‘Ah, no. This staircase is going up inside the mast to the crow’s nest. We’re looking for the ship’s bell. It would be easier if the Britannic had settled on an even keel, then the bell would probably be at the bottom of that staircase. Unfortunately, she’s on her side, so it could be anywhere. Look, the spiral’s blocked with debris where the mast’s bent. It may be in there, but he’s giving up and going back out.’

‘I guess it would be the icing if they found it?’

‘Certainly would. The bell is the ultimate treasure.’

The drone came back into the open and took a 180 degree shot. The video diver appeared to glow in a great pool of light, like a giant radio-active spider. Attached to his body were six long, jointed legs, each carrying a powerful spotlight on the end. He was filming two divers collecting samples of marine crustaceans for analysis. The drone returned to the mast and travelled up its outside, then on an angle at the crow’s nest where the mast had almost snapped in two.

A diver appeared and signalled he was going down to the sea floor directly under the mast. Shelly wasn’t happy. It was a long way, almost fifty feet from the mast to the sand, and he was alone. Everyone was watching the other drone, which filmed the captain’s bathroom with its beautiful Minton tiles, and roll-edged bath with four taps, clearly visible.

‘I don’t believe it. Is that the plug, still in the bath?’ Shelly said with astonishment.

‘It is,’ Harry said. ‘Remember, Captain Bartlett was about to take his bath when the mine struck.’