The ex-HMAS Canberra is Victoria's newest tourist attraction

(Source: http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1ministory.cfm?story=368 )

The ex-HMAS Canberra is Victoria's newest tourist attraction, having been scuttled on 4th October 2009. An online booking system for moorings at the site is now open at http://www.parkstay.vic.gov.au/ . Parks Victoria requires divers to be qualified and reminds all divers they are responsible for ensuring conditions are safe for diving. Divers can book a dive tour with a licensed tour operator or book a 2-hour mooring through Parks Victoria in order to access the site. A mooring will cost $30 per boat regardless of the number of divers on board - the money raised will contribute some of the costs of managing the site. For more information visit the ex-HMAS Canberra page at http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=294

AUSTRALIAN WARSHIPS SCUTTLED AS DIVE WRECKS

Several Australian warships have been scuttled as dive wrecks in Australian waters since HMAS Swan was the first of them in 1997. The Swan was scuttled as a dive wreck in Geographe Bay off of Dunsborough, WA on 14th December 1997, making her the first Australian warship to be scuttled as a dive wreck in Australia.HMAS Swan (DE-50) had been a River Class frigate (anti-submarine) destroyer escort.The former Charles F Adams class GMD (Guided Missile Destroyer) HMAS Perth (DDG-38) became the second Australian warship to be scuttled in Western Australia (& Australia) when she was scuttled as a dive wreck near Albany on 24th November 2001.HMAS Hobart (DDG-39), another former Charles F Adams Class destroyer, was scuttled as a dive wreck in Yankalilla Bay on 5th November 2002. She was South Australia’s first (and so far only) ex-Australian warship scuttled as a dive wreck. HMAS Brisbane (DDG-41), yet another former Charles F Adams Class destroyer, was scuttled off of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast on 31st July 2005 to become an artificial reef and dive site.The former FFG-7 Class frigate HMAS Canberra (FFG-02) was scuttled off Ocean Grove, Victoria on 4th October 2009. HMAS Adelaide (FFG-01), another former FFG-7 Class frigate, is planned to be scuttled 1km off of Avoca Beach near Terrigal on the NSW Central Coast in April 2010. The Adelaide was the navy ship that rescued yachtsmen Tony Bullimore & Thierry Dubois in 1997.

MLSSA website

The Marine Life Society of South Australia supports my work by publishing much of it through its newsletters, annual journal and website. Many of my articles regarding shipwrecks may be found through the MLSSA website at http://www.mlssa.asn.au .

Links to my shipwreck blog

I was surprised to find links to my shipwreck blog at http://www.country.com.br/vi/tag/Shipwreck
It's a great shipwreck site, so check it out.

The scattered wreck of the Kona

My article about the scattered wreck of the Kona can now be read on-line at http://www.mlssa.asn.au/journals/2009Journal.pdf

Links to my shipwreck blog

I was surprised to find links to my shipwreck blog at http://www.country.com.br/vi/tag/Shipwreck . Needless to say, it's a great shipwreck site. Check it out now.

Discovery of the wreck of the Centaur.

AHS Centaur (Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/20/2776780.htm?section=australia)
The crew of the Seahorse Spirit confirmed the location of the wreck of the AHS Centaur. Search director David Mearns says the wreck location is about 30nm (48km?) east of the southern tip of Moreton Island off the south-east Queensland coast at a depth of 2059m. The WWII hospital ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine at 4am on 14th May 1943 and sank with the loss of 268 lives. Many people were taken by sharks. Only 64 of the 332 people on board survived. They waited 36 hours to be rescued by the American destroyer Mugford. A special task force will now be formed to decide how best to commemorate the sinking of the Centaur. The wreck site is now being protected by an exclusion zone. The team that discovered the wreck site immediately returned home for a break over Christmas. They intended returning to the site in early January 2010 to start taking images of the wreck. Here are some more links re the discovery of the wreck of the Centaur: -
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/18/2775933.htm
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/backup-sonar-gets-centaur-hunters-back-on-track-20091219-l6vh.html
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26510850-952,00.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=a8srXiOT0jv4
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,1,26511211-952,00.html