Australia

Ahuge array of vessels can be found in the waters that

surround Australia, but this article focuses on one particular group - the decommissioned ex-HMAS warships. Each mainland state has at least one of these intentionally sunk navy vessels, with WA and Queensland boosting two each.

The first to be prepared and sunk for life as an artificial reef was the HMAS Swann in WA back in 1997. The most-recent addition is the HMAS Tobruk, which was scuttled off the coast of Bundaberg, Queensland, in 2018. There are a variety of ship types, including Guided Missile Destroyers, Destroyer Escorts, Frigates and a Heavy Landing Ship.

The one thing they all have in common is that they have been well prepared and carefully considered artificial reefs. They have soon become outstanding dive sites, with significant amounts of marine life now calling these impressive wrecks home.

Australia is not usually a dive destination that is associated with wreck diving. More famous for the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Reef, great white sharks and seadragons, it might come as a surprise to some that this vast country’s 34,000km of coastline is also home to a staggering amount of rusting metal

Photographs by HMAS Tobruk - Tracy Olive, Commonwealth of Australia HMAS Brisbane - Kerrie Burow, Adrian Stacey HMAS Adelaide - Nicolas & Lena Remy HMAS Canberra - Keren Green, Corry Allan @ Dive Gear Australia HMAS Hobart - Chelsea Haebich HMAS Perth - Andrew Halsall Photography, Clay Varley Photography, Ben Bunney HMAS Swan - Amanda Blanksby

HMAS Tobruk was one of two Battle-class destroyers built for the RAN. Her sister ship was HMAS Anzac (II). During her ten years in commission, Tobruk made a significant contribution to maritime security in Australian waters and as part of the Far East Strategic Reserve.

The Tobruk before her sinking

The wreck is encrusted with marine growth

HMAS Tobruk

DEBORAH DICKSON-SMITH

The HMAS Tobruk is one of Australia’s largest wrecks, 127 metres of nooks, crannies and naval history scuttled off the coast of Bundaberg and Hervey Bay in 2018. During her distinguished 34-year long career, HMAS Tobruk provided heavy-lift capabilities to transport equipment and personnel to and from Australian and foreign shores.

With two helicopter decks, a tank deck, a vehicle deck and a roll on/roll off function, she was an imperative part of the Royal Australian Navy fleet, able to transport up to 18 tanks and provide accommodation for up to 520 troops.

The ship filled her passport with countless international ports, providing humanitarian aid to Pacific nations including Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu, following the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Isaac in 1982, and Vanuatu again in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Pam in 2015. She also participated in Samoa and Tonga in response to a devastating tsunami in 2008.

The ship was used between 1994 and 2000 for peacekeeping missions to Bougainville, and in 1999 transporting cargo and troops to East Timor, and in June 2000, provided support during the evacuation of Australians from the Solomon Islands after the overthrow of the central Government. A cease-fire agreement was made on board HMAS Tobruk between the warring factions.

She was decommissioned on 31 July 2015 and towed from Sydney to the port of Bundaberg in December 2016 for preparations for scuttling in Wide Bay in June 2018. The HMAS Tobruk is seriously huge, meaning it occupies a colossal position on the ocean floor. Divers can swim over 100 metres in one direction inside the ship – no tumble turns required. All areas of the ship, including the troop areas, crew quarters, the tank deck and other sections can be explored.

If penetrating the ship makes you feel claustrophobic, there’s more than enough to see outside the wreck. A huge variety of marine life – including octopi, sharks, marble rays and accompanying king fish, manta rays, grouper, and large schools of Spanish mackerel, jacks, batfish and snapper – call Tobruk home. The occasional hammerhead has also been known to make a visit and the soft coral growth is stunning.

As the Fraser Coast and Bundaberg are popular breeding grounds for turtles, expect to see plenty while exploring the wreck and between May and November, including both hawksbill and loggerhead. Also listen out for migrating humpback whales. Both Bundaberg and Hervey Bay are an easy three- to four-hour drive north of Brisbane. Both towns also have airports if you are coming from interstate.

You can book a dive on HMAS Tobruk through one of the four experienced dive operators who hold permits to access the site who each offer a standard package of two dives over a total trip time of five to six hours.

Hervey Bay Dive Centre and Tobruk Dive Centre Hervey Bay operate out of Hervey Bay, and Bundaberg Aqua Scuba run from Bundaberg.

ADRIAN STACEY

The HMAS Brisbane was a Perth-class guided-missile destroyer 133 metres long with a displacement of 3,370 tons. Designed in the USA and built in Bay City, Michigan, in 1965, the Brisbane was launched in 1966 and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy in 1967.

The ship was deployed twice to the Vietnam War and once to the Gulf War. The vessel was also involved in the post-Cyclone Tracy disaster relief operation. It was decommissioned in 2001, and the bridge and one of the gun turrets were removed and sent to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Then, in 2005 the Brisbane was sunk 3km off the Sunshine Coast. The ship was filled with 250 tons of concrete and scuttled using 38 charges. The former warship now sits upright in 27m of water, with the smokestacks a mere 3m beneath the surface.

The wreck has been well prepared for life underwater, with large holes cut strategically along the hull to give easy access. These holes have the benefit of allowing in more light which is excellent for photographers.

In its 17 years underwater, the ex-HMAS Brisbane has become a remarkable artificial reef attracting a staggering marine life. An array of critters can be found on the wreck, including nudibranchs, pipefish, octopi, small crab and shrimps, to name but a few.

Numerous rays and even the occasional grey nurse shark visit this rusting hulk. There is an impressive amount of soft and hard coral growth on both the wreck’s exterior and interior.

Two dive centres have permits to visit this spectacular wreck, Scuba World and Sunreef. Both run daily trips and have permanent moorings on the vessel.

Heading down inside the Brisbane Impressive soft coral growth

The Adelaide superstructure

HMAS Adelaide

NICOLAS REMY

The HMAS Adelaide is a frigate from the Australian Navy, 138.1 metres long and 14.3 metres wide, with a displacement of 4,100 tons, and a range of 8,334km. This warship was commissioned on 15 November 1980, decommissioned on 19 January 2008, and scuttled on 13 April 2011.

It served the Australian Navy for a 27-year-long career, which saw it deployed three times in the Middle East (1990, 2001-2002, and 2004-2005), and notably took it to Fiji during the Coups d’Etats (1987) and to Indonesia when riots escalated (1998), in case Australian citizens would require evacuation. After being donated to the NSW government for the purpose of creating a diving wreck, the warship was prepared for scuttling, with large holes cut in multiple spots.

While it was originally sunk to a depth of 30m, the Adelaide has kept sinking through the ocean floor over time and reaches now 38m at its deepest. However, the wreck features many areas of interest at shallower depths. For example, the bridge can be visited at 22m, where the control panels are very recognizable. The conning towers are also an interesting feature as they attract the most fish life, depending on the time of year, schools of kingfish, yellow-tailed yakka, bullseyes, bream, morwong and old wives can be seen around.

The internals of the wreck are always an interesting place to explore for the more-advanced divers with all the elevator shafts, corridors, the galley and bridge and other places.

DAVE BAXTER

The ex-HMAS Canberra FFG-02 was scuttled at 2 pm on Sunday, 4 October 2009. It is magnificent as a wreck. It was the first artificial reef specially designed for scuba diving in Victoria, providing opportunities for divers from open water to advanced technical levels to enjoy this site. The wreck is located offshore from Ocean Grove, within Bass Strait in Victoria. It is approximately 25 minutes by boat from Queenscliff Harbour (on the Bellarine Peninsula) or Portsea (on the Mornington Peninsula).

She is 138 metres long, 14.3 metres beam, and 4,100 ton displacement. She sits upright on the ocean floor with the radar tower reaching up to 10m from the surface. The sandy bottom is at 30m. The site offers divers the opportunity to explore a large portion of the HMAS Canberra, including flight decks, bridge, engine rooms, galley and accommodation quarters. There is a large array of fish life residing around the wreck. This includes perch, old wives, stingrays, morwongs and the ever-popular nudibranchs. Sealions and rays have been known to frequent the wreck in the cooler months. Visibility ranges from 10-30 metres most days.

Launched on 1 December 1978, the HMAS Canberra FFG-02 was built by Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation in Seattle, Washington, USA. The second of six similar FFG-7 Class Guided Missile Frigates, she was commissioned on 21 March 1981.

The wreck is heavily encrusted

Diver checking out the growth Inside the bridge area

Baitfish shoal above the wreck

HMAS Hobart

CHELSEA HAEBICH

Sitting off the coast of the Fluerieu Peninsula, in South Australia, is the wreck of the HMAS Hobart, a Perth-class Guided Missile Destroyer. Prepared and sunk in 2002 for the purpose of scuba diving, this wreck is coming up to its 20th anniversary and is a favourite wreck dive of the Adelaide diving community.

At 134 metres long, this 4,500-ton ship lies in 30m of temperate water and reaches up from the seafloor to just 8m below the surface – a colossal dive site that really needs to be taken in over a few dives at least. Now encrusted in abundant marine life, ‘the Hobart’ now has a second life as an artificial reef and is the crown jewel of the Rapid Head Sanctuary Zone located within the Encounter Marine Park.

Over the years it has become covered in a vast array of sessile marine life due to the strong tidal waters. Anemones, sponges, algae and kelp provide so much life and colour to this wreck. Over 50 species of fish have been recorded.

Diving this site requires a little bit of planning. Permits – which are available online - are required and it is a boat dive. It’s best dived on a ‘dodge tide’ as the currents are a hazard on this site. Dive operators such as Underwater Sports Diving Centre are very experienced with what is required to dive this site comfortably and safely. They schedule the dives to make the most of the slack part of the dodge tide and run to a tight schedule – it’s best to check schedules to see when they are planning their next trips.

GARRY WELLSTEAD

The HMAS Perth is a Guided Missile Destroyer, which was built by the Defoe Shipbuilding Co. in the USA, and launched on 26 September 1963. It is 133.2 metres long, 14.3 metres wide, and weighs in at 4,720 tonnes. It was equipped with two five-inch rapid-fire guns, standard anti-air missile system, two Vulcan Phlanx close-in weapon systems, four 50 calibre machine guns, and two sets of triple mounted antisubmarine torpedo tubes.

Together with her sister ships Brisbane and Hobart, HMAS Perth was regarded as among the best-balanced fleet units in service at the time. Her main task was air defence of the fleet along with significant anti-submarine and surface gunnery capabilities.

After 34 years of active service, and steaming over 1,000,000 nautical miles, HMAS Perth was decommissioned on 15 October 1999. She was subsequently scuttled as a dive wreck off Albany on the south coast of Western Australia on 24 November 2001.

Resting vertically in 35m of water on the southern side of King George Sound (which has an extremely rich maritime history) and 500 metres south west of Seal Island with her bow pointed to the east out to sea, the ship is marked by a navigational Special Mark and mooring buoys to the south side of the wreck.

With the radar mount platform at 5m making an ideal descent check point and ascent safety stop point, depths range from 32m on the stern through to 23m on the bow.

Throughout the ship there are many large diver access holes that were cut during preparation for the ship’s scuttling. These give divers clear easy entry and exit to the various decks, mess, galley, head, etc.

Sponge and coral growth on the wreck The top of the HMAS Swan superstructure

HMAS Perth experienced extensive naval service during her long commission, including three tours of duty to South Vietnam

HMAS Swan

AMANDA BLANKSBY

HMAS Swan was named after the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia. There had been two other navy ships to carry the name Swan before her. She is 113 metres long, 12.5 metres wide, around 21 metres high, with a displacement of 2,100 tons. She was a River-class destroyer escort, built at the Williamstown Dockyard in Melbourne and came into service as part of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) fleet in 1970. She had an illustrious career, with numerous deployments to South East Asia, based initially at Garden Island in Sydney. From the mid-80s onwards she was based out of HMAS Stirling at Garden Island, Western Australia. She was paid off in 1996, having travelled 775,870 nautical miles during 56,982 hours spent at sea. The Australian government gifted the ship to the Western Australian government, and she became the first deliberately prepared dive wreck in the Southern Hemisphere. She was scuttled in December 1997 in 30m of water and commenced the creation of an artificial reef and dive site. You realise how important these artificial reefs are, when surrounding the wreck is just sand and how they create a safe haven for marine life. On a clear visibility day the vessel’s bow is a towering structure to look at and swim round. There is surprisingly not that much growth on the sides of the vessel, but more so on the deck structure, including telesto and other soft corals, bryozoans and sponges. It is reported that the humpback whales will visit the wreck on their migration south and have a good scratch on its side though!

There are a number of diver access holes providing opportunities to explore the engine and boiler rooms, canteen and naval stores, officer’s accommodation, toilets and showers, to name a few. Fish congregate inside the wreck including bulleyes, western talma, blue devils and sweeps. Grey nurse sharks have also been spotted down at the depths of the stern, along with dewfish.

You can not access the site from the shore, but via a commercial or private boat. There are two commercial moorings and two public moorings, attached to the wreck. Swan Dive are the team to dive the wreck with. n