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Ex HMAS Adelaide NewsletterLatest News.Save our Ship Protest 27th March 2010
With just 24 hours notice of an impromptu meeting, to show support for the sinking of the Adelaide, a crowd estimated to be in excess of 1200 people gathered at the base of the Skillion at Terrigal Haven . This was not a normal protest meeting and many people expressed the novelty of being at a gathering to show support for the three tiers of government; Local, State and Federal. Speakers at the meeting led by Sue Dengate spokesperson for CCARP
He also stated that the Central Coast from Norah Head to Box Head had been surveyed and the present location was the only place with the required two meters of sand on the bottom in about 30 meters of water. Dr. Dave Powter a Marine Scientist from Ourimbah campus expressed the university’s Belinda Neal MP Federal Member for Robertson said as a long term supporter of this project she would do all she could to make it a success. John Asquith CEO of the Community Environment Network and the CC Marine Discovery Centre expressed disappointment in the delay and assured the large crowd of their continuing support. Grant MacBride MP State Member for The Entrance also expressed discussed in the way this project had been hijacked and assured the crowd of the State Governments continued commitment to the success in the sinking.
Join the Support the sinking of HMAS Adelaide group page on Facebook YouTube video of the History and use of the ex HMAS Adealaide as a dive wreck.
Maritime put out the marker buoy at the site where the ex HMAS Adelaide
is going to be sunk. It is a further milestone in the history of obtaining the
wreck and it is suddenly getting quite exciting. Lands Minister Tony Kelly has announced that the proposed sinking date for the ex HMAS Adelaide will be on 27 th March 2010. It is timed to coincide with the Westpac Helicopter's annual charity ball if possible. The ex HMAS Adelaide will be towed from Garden Island sometime in late March and bought to the sinking site to commence placing the explosives which will take a four day window of fine weather prior to the sinking. All of this requires the weather to stay fine and the seas calm, hopefully the weather will allow the events to coincide. The skillion area will be closed to the public and the official public viewing area for the sinking will be Avoca Beach . Many thousand of people are expected to gather to witness this spectacular event which will happen about 1 kilometre offshore.
This is what the Adelaide is like now - the masts have been cut down so that we can do deco stops on them in 6 metres of water.
Video of the HMAS Adelaide when it visited Terrigal in 28th January 2008 July 2009HMAS Adelaide was decommissioned in January last year at Garden Island in Western Australia. Sue Dengate, who rallied to get the ship scuttled near Terrigal, said Central Coast dive clubs had been working for 10 years to secure an ex-naval vessel. Ms Dengate, whose son served on the HMAS Adelaide, said divers would continue to appreciate its history. "When a diver goes on this wreck when it's sunk, they will want to know more about its history and that ... gets people involved more in the services and the contribution they make."
Proposed date for sinking the ex HMAS Adelaide has now been confirmed as April 2010. This was announced at a meeting of all interested parties on the deck of the Adelaide at Glebe No.1 Wharf at 12noon Friday 3rd July. Keep looking at this site for more information when it comes to hand.
November 2008Work on the ex HMAS Adelaide is progressing smoothly, the Navy has finished their work on her, tenders have closed for the next stage and the name of the Company doing the Swiss Cheese effect should be known in a week or two. Sinking date is still around the September/October time next year. July 2008 Update.The Central Coast Artificial Reef Ex-HMAS Adelaide Newsletter Ex HMAS Adelaide - June 2008 Update.It looks now as if the preferred sinking of the Adelaide will be mid October 2009. Les and I attended a meeting of commercially interested people along with about 45 others. The information is that everything is progressing smoothly. The Environmental Impact Studies is one of the things that is going to take a lot of time and work - approximately 10 months - but it is better to be safe than sorry. Certainly all departments involved are really excited about this project and you could feel their excitement throughout the meeting. Will keep you posted as further information comes to hand.
Jan 2008 UpdateWell all we can say is WOW !!!! We had a morning like no other on the 28th January commencing at 6.30a.m. With local club boats and local dive boats all heading out to sea as the sun came up to see the H.M.A.S. Adelaide whose Captain kindly did a diversion so we could see her in all her glory before she gets made ready for sinking - we thought it would not hurt to ask if they could cruise up and they agreed.
They did a few wheelies around Terrigal Bay , blew their horns and woke up all the residents in Terrigal. Finally with full steam ahead, leaving a huge white foam wake headed off at high speed to Sydney. Our thanks to all the crew on board the Adelaide for giving Terrigal a private viewing.
She now goes into Garden Island Dockyard for equipment to be taken off her with approximately five months for stripping and de-storing, before being handed over to the State Government to make it diver safe and do the Swiss Cheese effect. Another step closer in an 8 year dream.
HMAS Adelaide will decommission late in 2007 at her home port in Rockingham, Western Australia with handover to the New South Wales Government expected in early to mid 2008. In addition to the warship, the Howard Government will contribute up to $3 million in funding toward the costs of preparing the ship for sinking. HMAS Adelaide was built in the United States and commissioned in the Royal Australian Navy on 15 November 1980 and is the second ship to carry this name. The first was a light cruiser that served from 1922 to 1945. HMAS Adelaide was the first guided missile frigate to be home ported in Western Australia. HMAS Adelaide participated in the 1990/91 Gulf War as part of Operation DAMASK, Australia's participation in the international coalition against Iraq 's invasion of Kuwait . More recently, the ship was deployed for peacekeeping operations in East Timor in 1999 and to the Persian Gulf as part of the International Coalition against Terrorism in 2001 and 2004. HMAS Adelaide is 138 metres long, displaces 4100 tonnes and has a crew of 184 as well as helicopter aircrew and maintainers.
Press Release from Central Coast TourismThe Central Coast is set to be one of the best diving destinations in NSW, having secured an ex-military ship to be sunk as an artificial diving reef at Terrigal. The HMAS Adelaide will be decommissioned by the end of 2007 and should be ready for divers to explore off Terrigal Skillion Headland from late 2008. The Central Coast will provide the only military wreck dive in NSW and it will also be the closest site to a major city, being only an hour's drive north of Sydney. The wreck will be sunk on a sand bank 1km away from shore, between Terrigal Headland and Avoca Beach, with departures by boat from Terrigal. This new wreck dive site will be providing world class diving for all levels of ability. At its highest point the wreck will be only 10 metres below the surface, which will be suitable for novice divers and snorkelling. More experienced divers will be able to reach 30 metres below the surface for advanced level diving. Horst Endrulat, CEO of Central Coast Tourism said "The region has been working towards this goal for 6 years, so we are over the moon to see its success and realize our long awaited ship. Over the next 18 months we will all be hard at work ensuring the region is ready for the influx of divers and dive related tourism, which we expect will inject $15 million into the local economy in its first year." The ship will also be providing a valuable research tool to Newcastle University 's Ourimbah Campus, making the university unique by boasting an artificial reef so close to its marine studies campus. The HMAS Adelaide is a long-range escort frigate that has been serving the Royal Australian Navy since 1980. It is 138 metres long with a beam of 14.3 metres. The ship has served in the 1990/1991 Gulf War, peacekeeping operations in east Timor in 1999 and was deployed in the Arabian Gulf in 2001 and 2004 Links: Information, images and history on the HMAS Adelaide can be found on the below links. Central Coast Artificial Reef Project Ex-HMAS Adelaide Official Government Site Home | Our Location | SCUBA Dive Services | Learn to SCUBA Dive | Advanced SCUBA Dive Courses |
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