Jan 29
Facebook Marketplace Deal Lands British Man Ownership of WWI Shipwreck for $400
- Scott Way
- May 8
- 3 min read
In what might be the best deal for a use boat in recent memory, British diver and shipwreck enthusiast Dom Robinson has become the legal owner of a World War I shipwreck after purchasing it for £300 (roughly $400 USD) on Facebook Marketplace.
The vessel, the SS Almond Branch, is (or was) a 330-foot (100 m) steam-powered cargo ship. The massive vessel was torpedoed by a German submarine on November 27, 1917 during WWI and now rests in about 190 feet of water off the coast of Cornwall in the English Channel.
Robinson, a 53-year-old project manager from Plymouth, has been a naval and nautical enthusiast since childhood -- his love for shipwrecks has taken him on years of adventures pursuing his passion. Robinson already dived the SS Almond Branch and knew all its details, so upon seeing the boat listed for sale he seized the opportunity to own a piece of maritime history. The method of purchase may be a first, as well.
"It's not widely known, but shipwrecks always have an owner. In the UK, it's possible for private individuals to buy and sell them. And I've always fancied owning one. So when I saw this advert on Facebook Marketplace, I knew that this was my opportunity."
Built in 1896, the SS Almond Branch was classified as a merchant ship but had been outfitted with weapons for protection. On the night she was lost, she was tracked and ultimately destroyed by German U-Boat SM UB-57, which sunk 46 ships during its service in WWI. One person died during her sinking, according to Robinson. In a strange twist of fate, at the same time Robinson was buying the Almond Branch, the SM UB-57 was just being identified herself on April 14th, 2025. The German submarine was sunk after hitting a mine on August 14th, 1918, also in the English Channel, nine months after she took down the Almond Branch.
The anonymous seller of the Almond Branch acquired the rights to the wreck from the British government in 1978 when such transactions were surprisingly common. In the aftermath of WWI and WWII, the British government often processed insurance claims from owners of sunken ships. Then, to recoup their losses, the government would sell the wreckage to a private owner. After completing his purchase in April, Robinson received formal documentation from the UK's Receiver of Wreck to confirm his legal ownership.
While the ship likely doesn't have anything particularly valuable amidst its wreckage, Robinson says he views the acquisition as a personal milestone. He told news outlets, "It's still a pile of rusting iron, but you're swimming around a pile of rusting iron and going: 'Yeah, this is my pile of rusting iron!'"
For those interested in seeing what a shipwreck enthusiast does with their prized possession, Robinson shares his adventures on his YouTube channel, Deep Wreck Diver, where he showcase longform stories about other submerged relics. Despite his ownership, he acknowledges that the wreck remains accessible to other divers.
“It’s a relatively well-known wreck in the local area so I’ve dived it before, so I knew what I was getting when I bought it. This one is said to have general cargo, which means that they put all sorts of bits and pieces in it. There’s a gun mount, but the gun isn’t there, so I’d love to know what happened to that,” he said.
While Robinson says there is no money to be made from the wreck, and there are many regulations in place to protect it, he hopes to find the ship's bell as a memento of his unique purchase.
"So, if anybody finds the bell, they should report it to the Receiver of Wreck, who will ask me whether I want to keep it or not. And, if they find the bell, then obviously, hands off my bell," he told the BBC.
You can see his video detailing the experience below:
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