One of the impressive features of the Somali is the engine room. There are three large boilers across the width of the hull with two similarly sized boilers immediately behind to make five boilers overall. All this steam was put to use in one of the largest steam engines I have ever seen, the four enormous cylinders tower above the wreck. Towards the base of the engine the rods and crankshaft are exposed. It is possible to swim though the middle of the engine beneath the pistons.
The Somali split apart when it sank and the forward part is some distance away. The remains of the hold in front of the boilers is pretty much flattened. Divers rummaging here have found bottles of cold cream, canisters of celluloid photographic film, silver salt cellars, printing stamps, shaving kits and tin soldiers.
Behind the engine and a broken bulkhead is cement cargo in bags. Past another broken bulkhead and there is a pile of large truck tyres. The remains of a cargo winch lies on the centre line of the ship amongst the tyres. Behind the winch and tyres are drums of cement.
The final hold was refrigerated. Tubes from the refrigeration system lie clustered like a scout's camp fire over a pile of debris. To the starboard side lie a large number of gas cylinders, all rotted through and now empty. I suspect these were used to run the refrigeration machinery.
A large fallen box structure with a post sticking out to starboard is the gun mount. Still attached, the gun rests on the seabed with the barrel nestling between a pair of bollards.
A small section of the stern rests on the starboard side immediately behind. Resting on the bottom at either side are the stern anchor chutes. Nearby on the port side rests a large anchor.
In the centre of the ship the rudder post sticks out of the debris with small bits of mounting plates attached at intervals along its length. Towards the bottom of the rudder post the outline of the prop shaft tunnel can just be picked out amongst the general debris.
Returning along the starboard side, forward of the gas cylinders is the spare propeller, partly obscured by a section of a mast.