Divers traveling to (or living in) Australia will soon have a new wreck to dive.
HMAS Adelaide, the ship that came to the rescue of stranded yachtsmen and terrified asylum seekers, now begins its final chapter underwater.
The decommissioned frigate was on Friday handed over by the commonwealth to the NSW government and will be sunk off Terrigal on the NSW Central Coast later in the year to create an artificial reef and dive wreck.
NSW Premier Nathan Rees said instead of being scrapped or dumped, the ex-HMAS Adelaide would be used by generations of divers.
"Coral will grow on the metal you see before you, fish will swim through the corridors that once rang with the sound of action stations," Mr Rees said.
"And divers will find a place of contemplation and beauty as nature slowly reclaims her broken frame."
The federal government will contribute up to $5.8 million to make sure the ship is environmentally-sound by stripping it and removing the fuel tanks.
Defence Minister John Faulkner said the scuttling of the ship would have long-term benefits.
"I think this is a great project, I'm very confident we'll see HMAS Adelaide become a great national, and I suspect international, attraction for recreational divers ..," he said.
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For more on the ship, check out the HMAS Adelaide page on Wikipedia.
Wow I thought the vanderberg was a good as it gets. Thanks for the news.
ReplyDeleteDennis