No Ship at Avoca

Defence WebAugust 11, 2011Click here to read full article The...

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 01:04:00 +1000

Defence Web
August 11, 2011
Click here to read full article

The Australian Ministry of Defence has released a request for proposal for the disposal of 12 000 surplus Army vehicles and trailers as part of the nation’s biggest military disposal drive since the Second World War.

..over the next ten years the Defence Force will dispose of up to 24 ships; up to 70 combat aircraft; up to 110 other aircraft; up to 120 helicopters; up to 600 armoured vehicles; up to 12 000 other vehicles; and a variety of communications systems, weapons and explosive ordnance.

..the first opportunity for the Australian defence industry was the release of a Request for Proposal for the disposal of up to 24 Navy ships across the coming decade, including the HMAS Manoora amphibious ship (decommissioned this year), Adelaide Class frigates and Mine Hunters.

Request for Proposals for the HMAS Manoora will close on September 15 this year while submissions for all other ships will close on October 14.

Clearly our government has a massive disposal dilemma on their hands. The HMAS Adelaide scuttling cost Australian taxpayers in excess of $10 million. The comparatively small tourism revenue being generated from the wreck is concentrated in a handful of dive businesses and exposed the government to serious public liability risk.

In July 2010 David Coyle, who oversaw the scuttling preparation work for exHMAS Adelaide, confirmed that the vessel still contained approx 200 tonnes of aluminium and 2840 tonnes of steel. Simms Metals estimated the scrap value at that time was $771 200. Click here to read this report.

Since then demand for these precious resources has surged and developed countries such as the U.S., Belgium, U.K. and Canada are capitalising on the opportunity to salvage the valuable scrap by establishing sophisticated ship breaking yards.

Will the Australian government recognise this chance to establish a lucrative recycling industry creating jobs and eliminating waste? Or will they continue with the same archaic disposal methods that were used after WW1 when obsolete military equipment was just dumped in our beautiful ocean?

HMAS Adelaide 3 Month Environment Report Card - "F"

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:57:00 +1000

April 13 through July 13 2011 is the first 3 months of the ex-HMAS Adelaide Dump & Dive site.

Click here to view what has happened so far.

Courtesy Adrian Brightmoore
What Happened at Avoca Beach? website

Underwater dangerNewcastle HeraldJuly 27, 2001 (click image to...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:08:12 +1000

Underwater danger
Newcastle Herald
July 27, 2001

(click image to view article)

Court Documents

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 07:42:00 +1000

Envirolab carried out testing for toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on samples of different materials still present on board the ex HMAS Adelaide on March 27 2010. 61 samples were collected and 48 samples tested positive to containing greater than 1mg/kg of PCBs, however 28 samples returned a result of 10 mg/kg or higher. Download the Envirolab reports here.

Evidence From Werner Hoyt - 15 April 2010 [PDF]

Evidence from Steve Paulsen - 13 April 2010 [PDF]

Evidence from Jim Puckett - 26 June 2010 [PDF]

Lead Paint Test Results - 13 July 2010 [PDF]

PCB Test Results - Envirolab [PDF]

PCB Test Results - NMI [PDF]

Recycling Quote - 3 July 2010

Decision and Reasons for Decision - 15 September 2010

Decision and Reasons for Decision - 15 October 2010

Warship going cheap - the inspection What happens when two dive...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:26:00 +1000

Warship going cheap - the inspection

What happens when two dive shop proprietors stumble upon a deal too good to be true?

These photos, except the toilet, are from FOI requests on the final inspections of the ex-HMAS Adelaide before she was dumped in the bay at Avoca Beach. The toilet is a photo from within the dumped vessel at Avoca Beach by a diver in early 2011. What were these blokes thinking?

Courtesy Adrian Brightmoore What Happened at Avoca?

Ocean Grove VoiceJuly 13, 2011 Wreck dive site closedFour months...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 01:51:00 +1000

Ocean Grove Voice
July 13, 2011

Wreck dive site closed
Four months after Parks Victoria warned divers about visiting the ex-HMAS Canberra dive site, the scuttled ship is now closed.

Oz Dive Boat Charters owner Tom Wende visits other wrecks off the Victoria coast that date back to 100 years old and Tom said he was disappointed that the Canberra had come apart so soon after it was scuttled.

“It’s a pity that it hasn’t lasted more than two years” he said

Click here to read full article or visit http://www.oceangrovevoice.com/2011/07/ship-temporarily-shut/

Pictured above is the ex-HMAS Canberra frigate which was scuttled on October 4 2009 off the Geelong coast and is the identical sister ship of ex-HMAS Adelaide.

Our government spent $10 million of our taxpayer dollars to sink the wrong ship in the wrong place for a comparatively small financial gain and timeframe.

Safety fears shut wreck

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:31:56 +1000

Safety fears shut wreck:

Geelong Advertiser
July 6, 2011

Less than 2 years after scuttling the Ex-HMAS Canberra dive site has been closed

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 03:10:00 +1000

A further structural assessment has confirmed the helicopter hanger on the port side of the ship has now come loose requiring a temporary closure of access to the site in the interests of public safety.

Parks Victoria website
July 4, 2011
http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=294

HMAS Canberra was scuttled on October 4, 2009 off the Victorian coast near Geelong and is an identical sister ship to the Ex-HMAS Adelaide.

It is less than two months since the ex-HMAS Adelaide was sunk on April 13 2011 and divers have already reported the hull has cracked. The crack has appeared in the ship’s ‘weak spot’ as outlined by a marine engineer in a $4000 report the No Ship Action Group commissioned in the month before the Adelaide was sunk in a last-minute bid to prove to authorities the ship would break up quickly and pollute the bay.
Read Werner Hoyt’s report online here http://bit.ly/fLRcqY

The marine engineer predicts the Adelaide will break up faster than the Canberra as the site has less protection from large swell conditions.

Click here http://bit.ly/fwNZFi to read NSAG Media Release April 6, 2011 ‘New report says frigates are wrong ship to scuttle’

The report was the basis of a summons in the Land and Environment Court the day before the scuttling in what was a last-minute bid to stop the dumping. Read the Summons here http://bit.ly/kJi8EB

However, Premier Barry O’Farrell and Member for Terrigal Chris Hartcher chose to ignore the report, endangering swimmers and marine life for the next 250 years.

Metal sections of the ex-HMAS Adelaide have been washing up on various parts of North and South Avoca as the ship begins to break up. One piece of aluminium sheet measured two metres by 60cm and hundreds of smaller sections measuring on average about 20cm by 20cm have been found strewn along the beach.

Click here to see photos of the same aluminium sheeting littering the ocean floor around the ex-HMAS Canberra. Figures 7,8,14,15,16.

The sheet is of sandwich construction with air trapped in a honeycomb of very thin aluminium between two sheets of aluminium. The trapped air gives the sheets enough buoyancy to keep them floating

According to expert marine engineer, Werner Hoyt, “The material washing ashore are internal partitioning aluminum wall materials not removed during preparation for reefing.”

In this form with razor sharp edges it could prove deadly in the surf zone. A surfer or child struck by a thin sharp sheet this size could sustain a very serious injury.

Local surfers want answers. How many of the deadly sheets are still lurking in the surf area from Avoca Beach to North Avoca? This could be a serious hazard to marine life if ingested such as whales, dolphins, turtles and other marine creatures.

“It appears that the Adelaide is becoming the poster child of why ships should no longer be reefed,” Mr Hoyt said. “Cost of reefing is now at four times the raw cost to recycle with out counting the resource recovery. The planners failed to account for differences in construction technologies and their likely behavior when subjected to a reefing environment.”

Beach sculpture made of washed up HMAS Adelaide debris on...

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:48:00 +1000

Beach sculpture made of washed up HMAS Adelaide debris on Saturday June 18 at Avoca Beach in conjunction with the Five Lands Walk.

It attracted a lot of attention and debate. Many people were shocked at the size of the larger pieces and the sharp edges. They clearly understood the danger posed by them washing in through the surf zone.

There have been almost daily reports of the aluminium honeycomb padding that is sandwiched between the aluminium walling of the ship washing up on the beach. It is disgusting to imagine the vast amount of it that must be littering the ocean floor.

A marine biologist commented that it’s silver colour would look just like a fish in the water and would most certainly be being consumed by marine life. ”This is an act of extreme environmental polluting.”

Central Coast Express June 8, 2011

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:29:00 +1000

Central Coast Express
June 8, 2011

p4 Central Coast ExpressJune 8, 2011

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:26:00 +1000

p4 Central Coast Express
June 8, 2011

Avoca Beach debris `not likely' to be a structural part from Adelaide, government says

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 17:11:00 +1000

Avoca Beach debris `not likely' to be a structural part from Adelaide, government says:

Central Coast Express
June 6, 2011

The Department of Primary Industries, formerly Department of Lands, were up to their old tricks again.

DEBRIS washed up at Avoca and North Avoca beaches late last week is “not likely’’ to be a structural part of the HMAS Adelaide, the Department of Primary Industries has said.

Click here to read full article and view comments
http://express-advocate-gosford.whereilive.com.au/news/story/avoca-beach-debris-not-likely-to-be-from-adelaide-government-says/#comments

What Happened at Avoca?

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:50:15 +1000

What Happened at Avoca?

Newcastle Herald 4 June 2011

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 12:18:10 +1000

Newcastle Herald 4 June 2011

Flotsam Furore - Channel 10 News 3/06/2011

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:25:00 +1000

Flotsam Furore - Channel 10 News 3/06/2011

Oh buoy were we warned: ship debris on beachJune...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:00:00 +1000

Oh buoy were we warned: ship debris on beach
June 3 2011
SHARP metal sheeting from the ex-HMAS Adelaide washed up along North Avoca Beach on the eve of World Environment Day.

Severe storms in the past week littered the beach with ship debris and broke loose two navigational buoys.

The potentially dangerous debris, with some metal sheets up to 2 metres long, marks the beginning of the predicted break-up of the ex-HMAS Adelaide.

The No Ship Action Group has kept a piece of the debris to make a sculpture.

Many supporters of the scuttling claimed the wreck would be positive for the environment and that this was an environmentally friendly sea dumping.

The sculpture will highlight the irony of dumping an ex-naval vessel into the ocean as an ‘artificial reef’ which now endangers swimmers and marine life.

No Ship Action Group warned the frigate was the wrong type of ship to sink, and that it would break up as has its identical sister ship the ex-HMAS Canberra, sunk off the Victorian coast near Geelong in October, 2009.

The Geelong ship has cracked and is already breaking up with Parks Victoria issuing a warning to divers on its website 16 months after the ship sunk.

It is less two months since the ex-HMAS Adelaide was sunk on April 13 2011 and it is already breaking up.

Divers have reported that the hull has cracked. The crack has appeared in the ship’s ‘weak spot’ as outlined by a marine engineer in a $4000 report NSAG commission in the month before the ex-HMAS was sunk in a last-minute bid to prove to authorities the ship would break up and pollute the bay. Read the report online here. http://bit.ly/fwNZFi

The report was the basis of a summons in the Land and Environment Court the day before the scuttling in what was a last-minute bid to stop the dumping. Read the Summons here http://bit.ly/kJi8EB

However, Premier Barry O’Farrell chose to ignore the report, as did Member for Terrigal Chris Hartcher.

The potentially dangerous metal sections of the ex-HMAS Adelaide made their way to the beach starting on Thursday.

One piece of aluminium sheet measuring two metres by 60cm was found in the surf zone on Thursday afternoon.

About 80 smaller sections measuring on average about 20cm by 20cm were seen strewn along the beach.

The sheet is of sandwich construction with air trapped in a honeycomb of very thin aluminium between two sheets of aluminium. The trapped air gives the sheets enough buoyancy to keep them floating

According to expert marine engineer, Werner Hoyt, “The material washing ashore are internal partitioning aluminum wall materials not removed during preparation for reefing.”

In this form with razor sharp edges it could prove deadly in the surf zone. A surfer or child struck by a thin sharp sheet this size could sustain a very serious injury.

Local surfers want answers. How many of the deadly sheets are still lurking in the surf area from Avoca Beach to North Avoca? This could be a serious hazard to marine life if ingested such as whales, dolphins, turtles and other marine creatures.

“It appears that the Adelaide is becoming the poster child of why ships should no longer be reefed,” Mr Hoyt said. “Cost of reefing is now at four times the raw cost to recycle with out counting the resource recovery. The planners failed to account for differences in construction technologies and their likely behavior when subjected to a reefing environment.”

Once again, two ex-HMAS Adelaide marker buoys broke loose in recent storms This is the second occasion buoys have broken free, this time amidst sea twisters and massive swells.

The ship wreck is just 6 metres below the surface and a serious navigational hazard right now as there are no navigational marker buoys there.

Rumour has it that one buoy washed up at Wamberal and a reward for $600 is being offered to trawler captains if they find one.

The buoy system comprises two navigational marker buoys ($16,000 each) and six mooring buoys.

Debris believed to be from Adelaide dive site washes up at Avoca

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:55:00 +1000

Debris believed to be from Adelaide dive site washes up at Avoca:

Express Advocate 3 June 2011

First paying customers to dive on HMAS Adelaide wreck

Tue, 10 May 2011 12:34:00 +1000

First paying customers to dive on HMAS Adelaide wreck:

Central Coast Express Advocate
May 5, 2011

The debate still rages in the Comments section.

Cracks in the hull, poor visibility, massive swell, misssing buoys, debris on the beach, inflated prices and confusion over permits and mooring site allocation.

Sounds like HMAS Lemonade is off to a predictable start to its short life as a diver’s new toy.

http://express-advocate-gosford.whereilive.com.au/news/story/first-paying-customers-to-dive-on-hmas-adelaide-wreck/

Channel 10 News 13 April 2011

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 23:17:18 +1000

Channel 10 News 13 April 2011

Channel 7 News 13 April 2011

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 23:15:09 +1000

Channel 7 News 13 April 2011

No Ship at Avoca

Defence WebAugust 11, 2011Click here to read full article The...

HMAS Adelaide 3 Month Environment Report Card - "F"

Underwater dangerNewcastle HeraldJuly 27, 2001 (click image to...

Court Documents

Warship going cheap - the inspection What happens when two dive...

Ocean Grove VoiceJuly 13, 2011 Wreck dive site closedFour months...

Safety fears shut wreck

Less than 2 years after scuttling the Ex-HMAS Canberra dive site has been closed

Beach sculpture made of washed up HMAS Adelaide debris on...

Central Coast Express June 8, 2011

p4 Central Coast ExpressJune 8, 2011﻿

Avoca Beach debris `not likely' to be a structural part from Adelaide, government says

What Happened at Avoca?

Newcastle Herald 4 June 2011

Flotsam Furore - Channel 10 News 3/06/2011

Oh buoy were we warned: ship debris on beachJune...

Debris believed to be from Adelaide dive site washes up at Avoca

First paying customers to dive on HMAS Adelaide wreck

Channel 10 News 13 April 2011

Channel 7 News 13 April 2011

p4 Central Coast ExpressJune 8, 2011