MVCape Don
 MVCape Donin 2014
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia | |
| Name | Cape Don |
| Namesake | Cape Don Light |
| Owner | Sea Heritage Foundation Pty Limited[1] |
| Route | Australian coast |
| Builder | NSW State Dockyard,Newcastle,New South Wales |
| Laid down | 1962 |
| Launched | 28th May 1962 |
| Completed | 1963 |
| Maiden voyage | 29th March 1963 |
| In service | 1963 |
| Homeport | Fremantle |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Preserved as amuseum shipin Waverton, New South Wales |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Lighthouse tender |
| Tonnage | 2,103GRT |
| Length | 74.3 metres (244 ft) |
| Beam | 12.8 metres (42 ft) |
| Draught | 4.37 metres (14.3 ft) |
| Installed power | 2,000 brake horsepower (1,500 kW) |
| Propulsion | Polar M65T engine, 4-blade 2.6-metre (8 ft 6 in) variable-pitch propeller |
| Speed | 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h) |
| Complement | 39 |
MVCape Donis amuseumandtraining shipand formerresearch vesselandlighthouse tenderinWaverton, New South Wales,Australia.She is the only remaining Australian lighthouse supply ship and is listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels.
Built and launched by theState DockyardatNewcastle, New South Walesin 1962 for the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service, she serviced the lighthouses, lightships and buoys of the Australian coast from 1963 to 1990. She was also used as a research vessel, and was involved in numerous high-profile scientific expeditions including thesalvageof two ofHMSInvestigator's anchors.
Cape Donis being restored by the MV Cape Don Society, which is overseen by the Sea Heritage Foundation. She is berthed at the former coal loading wharf inBalls Head Bay,Waverton, New South Wales.
Design and construction
[edit]TheCape Donwas built in Newcastle by the NSW State Dockyard in 1962. She, along with her two identical sister shipsCape MoretonandCape Pillar,was designed by theAustralian Shipping Boardfor the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service as alighthouse tender.[2]She was equipped with 3 lifeboats and aLARC-Von her port side.
Cape Dondisplaces2,140 tonnes, measuring 76.25 m (250.2 ft) long and 12.8 m (42 ft) abeam.[2]She is fitted with a 5-cylinder2-strokePolar M65Tdiesel engine,which drives a single 4-bladevariable-pitchpropeller.[3]
Service history
[edit]Cape Donwas launched on 28 May 1962.
In 1979, a scientific team organised by the Victorian Institute of Marine Sciences used theCape Donto set up a marine monitoring station in theBass Strait,making the first scientific study of the Strait.[4]
In 1985, she transported the tower of the firstNeptune Islandslighthouse toPort Adelaidefor inclusion in the collection of theSouth Australian Maritime Museum.[5]
Starting October 2022,TAFE NSWhas been collaborating with Sea Heritage Foundation to run maritime industry and hospitality courses aboardCape Don.[6]
Recovery ofInvestigator's anchors
[edit]In 1973, theCape Donwas used in an expedition to find and recover two ofHMSInvestigator's anchors in theRecherche Archipelago,Western Australia.The anchors were jettisoned byMatthew Flindersduring rough weather whilst the ship was moored onMiddle Island.The expedition to retrieve the anchors began in December 1972 and was run by members of the Underwater Explorers Club of South Australia. On 14 January 1973, the best bower anchor (starboard bow anchor) was located in Goose Island Bay, followed by a stream anchor (smaller anchor, typically used as a spare). The two anchors were retrieved on 19 January, with the best bower anchor sent to theSouth Australian Maritime MuseuminAdelaideand the stream anchor sent to theNational Museum of AustraliainCanberra.[7][8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Sea Heritage Foundation".The MV Cape Don Society Inc.Retrieved3 August2014.
- ^ab"MV Cape Don".Australian National Maritime Museum.Archivedfrom the original on 12 November 2023.Retrieved12 November2023.
- ^"MV Cape Don on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels".emuseum.anmm.gov.au.Archived fromthe originalon 21 March 2012.Retrieved27 June2011.
- ^"Scientific Study of Bass Strait".The Canberra Times.12 January 1979. p. 7.Archivedfrom the original on 14 November 2023.Retrieved13 November2023.
- ^Harry, Bruce (1987)."Conservation of the former Neptune Islands Lighthouse at Port Adelaide"(PDF).ICCM Bulletin.13(1 & 2). Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material: 83. Archived from the original on 4 March 2011.Retrieved21 March2013.
{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^Ship, Sea Heritage Trust Maritime Training."Sea Heritage Trust Maritime Training Ship".Sea Heritage Trust Maritime Training Ship.Archived fromthe originalon 30 June 2023.Retrieved13 November2023.
- ^"Explorer's Anchors found".The Canberra Times.16 January 1973. p. 1.Archivedfrom the original on 13 November 2023.Retrieved12 November2023.
- ^Reynolds, Steve (29 October 2019)."The Loss and Recovery of the Anchors from Matthew Flinders' Ship HMS Investigator".Marine Life Society of South Australia Inc.Archivedfrom the original on 23 March 2023.Retrieved13 November2023.