Dive standard : Intermediate
Launch site : Lady Bay boat ramp. Head south past the end of the breakwater and then forwards offshore. Beware of the surf zone. There are no underwater hazards but this region is extremely dangerous in heavy swell.
Chart no : AUS 349
Latitude : 38" 24’15" south
Longitude : 142"29’58" east
Dive Conditions: Divers should take considerable care as the site is prone to heavy surf and surg is usually strong.
Description : A three masted iron barque built in Glasgow, Scotland
Twenty ships are believed to have sunk in Warrnambool's Lady Bay, but only the wrecks of two have been found, the La Bella and the Edinburgh Castle have been discovered.
The wreck of the Edinburgh Castle lies two-thirds of the
way around Lady Bay towards Hopkins River. The site is almost directly
seaward of the path leading from Granny’s Grave.
The wreck lies in 4-5 meters of water. The sea floor is a soft mobile sand which continuously covers and uncovers the site
The vessel lies broadside to the beach with the bow-pointing southmost towards the river mouth. The wreck covers an area of 30 x 40 meters and includes scattered portions of the ship’s hull along with the remains of the cargo. A windlass and anchor indicate the position of the bow. A winch seen at the stern was probably used for shifting cargo or for handling the sails.
The remains of concrete cement barrels, which the Edinburgh Castle was carrying when it sank, can also be seen. Over the years, the sea has destroyed the wooden barrels but the cement inside has hardened producing perfect replicas of them.
The
Edinburgh Castle was built in Glasgow in 1863. It was a, three masted
barque constructed of iron and was built to carry cargo. Between 1863 and
1885, the ship was owned by Glasgow shippers, Skinner and Co. And sailed
the trade routes between Scotland, China and Singapore.
The ship measured 176.3ft(53.7m) in length, 29.3ft(8.9m) in width and 18.7ft(5.7m) in depth.
The wreck of the Edinburgh Castle lies two-thirds of the way around Lady Bay towards Hopkins River. The site is almost directly seaward of the path leading from Granny’s Grave.
The wreck lies in 4-5 meters of water. The sea floor is a soft mobile sand which continuously covers and uncovers the site
The vessel lies broadside to the beach with the bow-pointing southmost towards the river mouth. The wreck covers an area of 30 x 40 meters and includes scattered portions of the ship’s hull along with the remains of the cargo. A windlass and anchor indicate the position of the bow. A winch seen at the stern was probably used for shifting cargo or for handling the sails.
The remains of concrete cement barrels, which the Edinburgh Castle was carrying when it sank, can also be seen. Over the years, the sea has destroyed the wooden barrels but the cement inside has hardened producing perfect replicas of them.
In 1887 the Edinburgh Castle had passed to new owners, Gifford and Nicholson of Liverpool. The first journey of the ship under the command of it’s new owners was to deliver a cargo of 4.900 barrels of concrete for construction of the Warrnambool breakwater.
The voyage from England was long and exhausting for the crew. The ship had struck rough weather for most of the journey including a hurricane in the Atlantic. One hundred and one days passed before the south coast of Australia was sighted on the 13th January, 1888.
The Edinburgh Castle was posted overdue. But when news spread that the ship was approaching Lady Bay, a large crowd gathered to welcome the vessel to Warrnambool.
The relieving Harbour Master, Pilot Carless boarded the ship at the entrance to Lady Bay to bring it to safe anchorage. However the lighthouse keeper could see that the vessel was too close to shore. He signalled, "stand out running into danger", but the ship did not see the signals and continued on the same course.
When the Edinburgh Castle was less than two kilometres from its destination and close to the Hopkins River, a squall blew-up. Pilot Carless tried to change the ship’s direction, but it continued sailing towards shore. Anchors were dropped, but all attempts to turn around failed. The Edinburgh Castle drifted sideways and lodged firmly in the sand.
The cement barrels were thrown overboard to lighten the load. A distress call was telegraphed to the coastal steamer, the Julia Percy asking for assistance to pull the Edinburgh Castle off the sandbar. The steamer arrived at 6.00am the next morning and spent several hours pulling on full steam but could not budge the cargo ship.
As all rescue attempts had failed, the Captain decided to take his crew off the ship. At the request of the Captain, the first mate, seaman and local lighterman stayed on board. The weather was changing for the worse and the locals were worried about the safety of the three men on board. They brought rocket gear to the beach but as they prepared to fire a line across the ship, the men on board dropped a message in a bottle overboard saying they were quite comfortable on the ship.
During the night the weather worsened and this time, the three men sent out distress signals, which were pitched up by the lighthouse keeper. The rocket crew were alerted and rushed to the beach. Several rockets were fired across to the ship. A breech buoy was attached to a third line and the men were hauled from the ship to safety.
By morning it was apparent that the ship was doomed. It had been driven even closer to shore and the waves were sweeping right over the ship’s deck.
That same morning, the Edinburgh Castle was offered for auction in Melbourne as a sound "ship with all the fittings and in best order". The ship fetched £520 and the sale was completed before news reached the auction rooms that the ship was in fact a total wreck.
The Pilot Board investigated the Edinburgh Castle disaster and Pilot Carless was found guilty of an error of judgement. Despite the loss of the ship and all its fittings, the pilot was merely cautioned to be more careful in the future.