HMAS Canberra


This site is dedicated to all Royal Australian Navy and Australian Defence Force personnel who have served in HMAS CANBERRA.

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HMAS CANBERRA (1) D 33 from the 9th of July 1928 until she was sunk in action off Savo Island on the 9th of August 1942.

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HMAS CANBERRA (2) FFG-02 from the 21st of March 1981 until Decomissioning on the 12th of November 2005.

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HMAS Canberra (3) LHD-02 from Commissioning on the 23rd of November 2014.

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Scuttling Image Gallery


ex-HMAS Canberra Scuttled 05 October 2009

LORNA EDWARDS, The Age 5 October 2009

HMAS Canberra FFG-02 was sunk off Heads of the 5th of October 2009 to become a premier tourist diving attraction in Victoria.

THOUSANDS of onlookers lined the shore while hundreds of spectator boats jostled to watch the former navy frigate Canberra deliberately sunk for a new life as a diving wreck near Ocean Grove yesterday.
After weeks of postponements, the Canberra's final hour came another four hours late yesterday after bad weather hampered the scuttling operation on Saturday night and problems manoeuvring the ship into position two nautical miles from Ocean Grove yesterday.


To avoid the Canberra breaking up on the sea floor, it was sunk facing into prevailing waves by 16 explosions that ripped through the ship. And then in what might have been an anti-climax for the crowd but a relief for the contractors, the frigate slipped gracefully below the water in perfect alignment.
Victoria's divers lobbied the Rudd and Howard governments for three years and managed to win the 138-metre, 4100-tonne former guided-missile frigate over other states vying to sink the ship in their waters as an international drawcard for divers.


Mornington dive instructor Rob Morley said the coup would translate into millions of dollars for Victoria's dive industry, which had difficulty competing with the warmer waters of northern states.
"We do it hard down here because we've only got four months of suitable water temperatures for most divers but this is going to be a boon," he said.
It has taken more than a year to prepare the Canberra for her final voyage. Decommissioned in 2005, the ship had to be stripped of all military equipment and engines and all environmentally hazardous materials such as lead, oil and asbestos.


About 25,000 kilometres of wiring was removed and the ship's many compartments had second exits cut into them to reduce the risk of divers becoming trapped.
Now the sailors have moved out, the fish will move in along with sea organisms that will transform the ship into an artificial reef.


After the Canberra has been declared safely settled in coming weeks, divers with a permit will be able to explore the wreck 27 metres below the surface.
The ship's final resting place is an area known as the Ships Graveyard, where 46 other discarded vessels from a century of shipping lie beneath the waves.

HMAS Canberra Scuttling Video
Channel 7 News report on the scuttling of the ex HMAS Canberra off Ocean Grove,
© Channel 7 News, Runtime 1 Min 38 Secs...More

 

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Scuttling Preparation 2008-2009

The ex HMAS Canberra was stripped of its Weapon System at Fleet Base West and towed from Western Australia to Geelong Victoria in June 2008 where she was prepared for Scuttling as a Diving Wreck...More

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Scuttling of HMAS Canberra - 2009

Ex- HMAS Canberra was scuttled off Ocean Grove, Victoria on October 5th, 2009 at 1400 est, she took 2 minutes 20 Seconds to sink after 16 explosive charges took her swiftly to the bottom...More

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