SS Maia

SS Maia was a German cargo steamer built by William Doxford & Sons in Sunderland and launched on 28 April 1884 under the name Roseland. She spent her early years transporting coal and general cargo around the British Isles and continental Europe. In 1896, the vessel was sold to the German company Holm & Molzen of Flensburg and renamed Maia. She was almost 70 meters long.

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On her final voyage, Maia was sailing from Riga to Grangemouth, Scotland, carrying a cargo of timber. On the evening of 30 September 1901, dense fog descended over the Baltic Sea, reducing visibility to almost nothing. During the night, the crew heard the whistle of another vessel approaching through the fog. Moments later, the German steamer Africa emerged directly ahead. Despite attempts by both ships to avoid a collision, Africa struck Maia amidships on the starboard side, tearing open her iron hull and causing severe flooding. The damage was fatal. Water quickly flooded the ship. The captain eventually ordered the ship abandoned, and all 17 crew members escaped safely in the lifeboats.

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Today, more than 120 years later, SS Maia remains remarkably well preserved. The cold, low-salinity waters of the Baltic Sea helped protect the wreck, leaving many original features still visible. The timber carried on her final voyage remains inside the cargo holds, while the ship’s wooden wheel is still present on the bridge and a second helm survives at the stern. The wreck also preserves a large amount of machinery and equipment. The missing funnel has left a large opening into the engine room, where Maia’s original William Doxford & Sons two-cylinder compound steam engine can still be seen. The four-bladed propeller remains attached to the shaft, while parts of the deck and superstructure contain pipes, controls, fittings and numerous objects connected with everyday life aboard the vessel. Although parts of the superstructure have collapsed over time and fishing nets have become entangled across sections of the wreck, the overall layout of the ship remains clearly recognizable. Together with the surviving machinery, cargo and deck equipment, this makes Maia an exceptional example of a late nineteenth-century Baltic merchant shipwreck.

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You can read more about Maia's history on https://advanceddivermagazine.com/maia.html​​

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The presented 3D model of SS Maia was created using underwater photogrammetry. It took over 80 minutes on the wreck (180+ minutes total dive time), and over 18 000 photographs to create this ultra-detailed scan.