Dive standard : Advanced/Experienced
Dive ConditionsDiving on the SS Coogee is best done on a calm day as rough surface conditions can make boating or diver recovery difficult. Divers should avoid diving on this wreck when the Barwon River is in flood as visibility can be very poor.
Launch site : Queenscliff/Portsea/or Sorrento
Chart no : Aus 143
Latitude : 38" 18’12"
Longitude : 144" 35’0"
Description : A steamship used to transport cargo and passengers between Melbourne and Launceston and Melbourne and Geelong. From 1917 it was used as a minesweeper and to repair damage to the Bass Strait cable.
The SS Coogee lies in 33 meters of water, approximately four kilometres offshore between Point Lonsdale and Barwon heads.
The vessel lies with its bow towards shore (facing north) on a flat limestone/sand seabed. The bow rests on the sand at 33 metres and the stern is at 35 meters depth. The bow and stern are the most complete structures of the wreck as most of the midships section is flattened or missing – most likely due to the use of explosives to scuttle the vessel. At the bow, divers can see some of the original ships railings. At the stern, the rudder and rudder quadrant (used to steer the rudder) are still in position. In this area, divers will also be able to see the remains of the two decks.
The SS Coogee’s engine was removed prior to the steamship being scuttled, however the engine bed and intact boilers can be seen midships. Hatches can be seen in the middle of the ship on the centre line. The overall length of the wreck is approximately 220ft(67m).
Expect to see : yellow zoanthids, queen snapper, a type of morwong, patrol the outside of the hull while perch and pike are often seen hovering above. Hundreds of bullseyes shelter inside the small compartments along with sandpaper fish and beared cod.
Photo Rating : 9/10
The
SS Coogee was originally built to sail between Liverpool and the Isle of
Man and was the known as the Lancashire Witch. When the ship’s British
owner became bankrupt in 1888, well known Melbourne ship owners Huddart
Parker Ltd, bought the steamer to sail between Melbourne and Geelong. For
41 years, the SS Coogee served on various routes.
It also had a number of collisions, but was repaired and returned to service. In 1928, the steamer came to the end of its useful life and became uneconomic to maintain. It was stripped of fittings considered valuable and taken through Port Phillip Heads. It was then blasted with explosives until it sank and settled on the sea floor.
A Geelong diver rediscovered the wreck of the SS Coogee. The general area in which it lies is known as “ships Graveyard”. As many as 32 vessels have been found there.
The SS Coogee was a three masted iron screw steamer. When the ship sailed from England to Australia, it was rigged as a barque and its propeller was kept in the hold. The ship had an iron hull and four cemented bulkheads (watertight hull partitions) which made it less likely for the steamer to completely fill with water in the event of the hull being pierced by collision.
A triple expansion engine capable of generating 250hp propelled the steamer. Its three cylinders had diameters of 23 inches, 37 inches and 60 inches and with a cylinder stroke of 36 inches.
The SS Coogee was built in Sunderland UK. By British boat builders J.L.Thompson and sons and measured 225ft(68.5m) in length, 30.2ft(9.1m) in width and 13.5ft(7.1m) in depth. The ship had a gross tonnage of 762 tons.
The SS Coogee was originally brought to Melbourne to take cargo between Melbourne and Geelong. But in 1890, when Huddart Parker Ltd entered the Bass Strait ferry run the steamer was altered to take passengers between Melbourne and Launceston.
The SS Coogee completed
961 round trips until it was involved in an accident in the early hours of
Christmas day, 1903. The SS Coogee was full with passengers, eager to reach
Melbourne to celebrate Christmas Day with friends and relatives. At 2am,
the ship ran into thick fog and immediately reduced to half speed. An hour
later, the fog was so dense that the engine was stopped. At 4am the SS
Coogee restarted its engine and steamed ahead at half speed. Through the
fog, which had lifted a little, the ship’s second officer spotted the
masts of a sailing ship, a four masted iron ship, the Fortuna Figaro that
was bound for Newcastle. The SS Coogee was only a few lengths away from the
Fortuna Figaro and both vessels were on a collision path. The Captain, who
was on the bridge, ordered the SS Coogee’s engines to be stopped and its
helm to be turned to star board. However there was so little time. The SS
Coogee and the Fortuna Figaro collided and a great gash was ripped in the
bow of the SS Coogee. As the larger sailing ship moved past, its jib boom
swept along the SS Coogee from stem to stern carrying away all in its way
including deck houses, the bridge, lifeboats, ventilators, and the funnel.
The Captain and the man at the wheel were killed. Fortunately all
passengers and most of the crew were below deck, otherwise, casualties
would have been greater. Steam and smoke were pouring from the steamer and
its whistle was continuously creating an atmosphere of panic. The crew and
passengers were taken on board the Fortuna Figaro. Although water was
pouring through the gash in the bow of the SS Coogee, the forward bulkhead
was still intact and prevented water moving through the entire hull and
sinking the steamer.
At daylight the crew returned to inspect the damage to the SS Coogee. Another steamer the restorer, had arrived on the scene with a doctor to help other crew. It immediately returned to Queenscliff to report the damage. The crew on the SS Coogee was able to raise enough steam for the ship to proceed under its own power and went ahead towing the sailing ship until both vessels were met by pilot boats form Queenscliff.
In the inquiry that followed, the SS Coogee was blamed for the incident. The chief justice for Victoria said that the mate on duty should have reversed engines when he heard the fog horn of the other ship.
There are no details of what happened to the SS Coogee directly after the collision, but in 1910, it was refitted and recommenced sailing between Melbourne and Geelong. However, the SS Coogee continued to be involved in collisions and other unfortunate instances. In February 1914, the SS Coogee ran aground on a sandbar and it took several days before the steamship was towed away. That same month, the SS Coogee collided with another vessel, the Bombala, and was badly damaged. In march 1914, after being reconditioned and repaired, the SS Coogee had another collision with the SS Uganda, although this time there was no serious damage. In 1917, the SS Coogee was withdrawn from the port Phillip Bay Service and after lying idle for 12 months was taken over by the Royal Australian Navy and used as a mine sweeper. In 1921, the SS Coogee was chartered by the Telegraph Department and used to repair damage to the Bass Strait cable.
In 1928, the steamer was considered redundant and was scuttled outside the heads.