Dive standard : Intermediate
Launch site : Apollo Bay Boat Ramp
Chart no : AUS 349
Latitude : 38" 44’36" south
Longitude : 143"40’45" east
Dive Conditions:
Even during periods of low swell and calm conditions the site is continually subject to wave action. This surge causes sand to drift across and reduce visibility. Bottom surge can also make diving uncomfortable. The Maritime Archaeology Unit has placed an information plinth on the hull, next to the boiler on the port side of the vessel.
Description : An iron steamship which transported cargo and passengers between Melbourne and Portland.
The loss of the SS Casino was a tragedy for Victoria’s West Coast. For fifty years, the iron steamship took cargo and passengers between Melbourne and Portland, stopping at Apollo Bay, Warrnambool and Port Fairy. Although the ship’s departures and arrivals were seldom punctual, the SS Casino was an important feature of local life.
The SS Casino made 2,500 voyages in the treacherous waters of Bass Strait and was considered one of the "immortals" of Port Phillip. The steamer had several brushes with disaster; it collided with another boat off Point Gellibrand, ran aground on a reef near Grey River, and was beached at Warrnambool while entering Lady Bay in a power blackout. Following each incident, the steamer was repaired and returned to its West Coast run.
On 10th July 1932 the SS Casino sank while trying to secure a mooring at Apollo Bay pier. This time, the steamer could not be saved and the captain and several crewmen lost their lives. The wreck of the SS Casino lies beyond the breakers at Apollo Bay and is a popular dive. However the site can be subject to poor visibility during swell conditions and when the local river is in flood.
The
SS Casino now lies in nine meters of water on a flat sandy seabed at the
northern end of Apollo Bay, almost opposite Wild Dog Creek. It lies 400
meters offshore, just beyond the breakers. The vessel lies on its port
side, with its stern pointing towards the beach and bow to the ocean. The
remains of the hull are around fifty meters long.
The hull is relatively intact at the bow and near the engine and boiler, but toward the stern, it has collapsed, exposing the propeller shaft, steering gear and engine. Other features of the site include lifeboat davits, bollards and masts. Remains of the ship’s cargo such as papers occasionally appear as sand shifts across the site.
Extensive salvaging of the SS Casino has taken place over the years. The anchor is on display at the Apollo Bay post office and the steering wheel and other relics can be seen in the local hotel and maritime museum.
The SS Casino was built in Dundee, Scotland in 1882 but
was sold to Sydney firm, the Newcastle and Hunter Steam and Navigation
Company for the New South Wales coastal trade.
The ship left Dundee on 18th March 1882 and sailed to Sydney via the Cape of Good Hope. En route the ship stopped in Warrnambool to pick up coal. There it was inspected by the Belfast and Koroit Navigation Company, who decided to purchase the SS Casino. The steamship sailed onto Sydney to deliver its cargo and then returned to Melbourne to begin the West Coast run.
SS Casino was a three masted iron screw steamer. It had one deck, iron framework, a schooner rig and an inverted compound two-cylinder 65hp engine built by Gourlay Brothers. In the early days, SS Casino was sometimes rigged as a topsail schooner as the ships big spread of canvas helped reduce fuel consumption.
The SS Casino measured 160.4ft(48.86m) in length, 24.1ft(7.34m) in breadth and had a depth of 10.2ft(3.1m). The ships gross tonnage was 425 tons. It could carry 71 passengers as well as cargo.
On the 10th July 1932 under the command of Captain Middleton, the SS Casino was preparing to berth at the Apollo Bay pier. The steamer carried a cargo of sugar, canned goods, drapery and raw animal hides as well as 17 crew and two passengers.
A south-easterly gale was blowing. The SS Casino was battered and buffeted by waves but Captain Middleton managed to ease the ship towards the pier. The port anchor was dropped but the second mate was unable to throw a line to secure the vessel to the pier. All attempts to tie up the vessel were unsuccessful and the steamer bumped heavily on the sandy bottom.
Captain Middleton gave orders to take the SS Casino out to deeper water until the storm abated but the port anchor had snagged and could not be raised.
Later, a Court of Maritime Inquiry into the incident found that the anchor had pierced the hull of the vessel making a hole seven inches (18cms) in diameter.
As the SS Casino steamed out into the middle of the bay, water started ruching into the hold and Captain Middleton then made a desperate bid to beach the steamer. About 400 meters from shore, the SS Casino keeled over and sank. The crew and passengers were thrown into the sea. Captain Middleton and four-crew clambered onto the hull while others swam desperately to shore.
Attempts were made to fire a rocket line from shore across to the ship, but they failed. The Queenscliff lifeboat crew responded to the distress call but it was a seven-hour journey to reach the SS Casino.
Ten lives were lost in this disaster. The bodies of the Captain and four-crew were recovered and are buried at Sorrento Cemetery.
After the SS Casino sank, two vessels carried on with the West Coast trade for a few years, but development of Road transport made the shipping of the goods uneconomic and forced the company into liquidation.