Dive Site - Eliza Ramsden
| Dive Site - Eliza Ramsden | |||
| Dive Location: | City / Island: | ||
| Eliza Ramsden | Port Phillip, VIC | ||
| Country: | Rating: | Max. Depth: | Difficulty: |
| Australia |  |
22 m | Open Water |
| Aquatic Name: | Water: | Altitude: | |
| - | Salt | 0 m | |
| GPS Latitude: | GPS Longitude: | GPS Datum: | |
| 38° 17.630′ S 38.293833° S 38° 17′ 37.8″ S |
144° 40.435′ E 144.673917° E 144° 40′ 26.1″ E |
Google Map | WGS84 |
| 4 dives at this location: | |||
| 4 | 53 | 144 | 172 | |||
| Map: | |||
 |
|||
| Comments: | |||
| The Eliza Ramsden was only one year old when it ran aground on Corsair Rock, Point Nepean Reef, on Sunday 25 July 1875. In its short career, she had made only one complete voyage. The Eliza Ramsden, a three-masted iron sailing barque with a clipper bow, is one of Victoria's most spectacular shipwreck sites and thus has both recreational and educational significance. It is archaeologically significant as relics of cultural significance, including a small ship's bell, have been found on the site. Entry/Exit: Boat. Country built Scotland Port Built Whiteinch, Lanark County, Scotland When Built 1874 Length: 46 m (151.6 ft) Beam: 8.23 m (27 ft) Draft: 4.59 m (15.05 ft) This wreck was originally a three-masted iron barque. She was sailing from Melbourne to Newcastle when in leaving the notorious Port Phillip Heads she hit Corsair Rock and did damage to her self. The captain turned her around and tried to make a run for port but only got to where she is today before turning her towards the shore and hoped to run her aground. Well the idea was there but he was still in 20 metres (65 feet) of water when she went down. Thus today she is on the edge of the shipping channel and over the years has taken more that a few blasts of powder to get most of her out of the channel. Thus today she has a full bow section and at about mid ships she just vanishes. That doesn't matter as the bow is just magnificient rising from the sandy bottom up to a magnificient bow spit. The wreck because of all the blasting is expremely open. No super structure is left other than for a closed hatch in the bow section that everyone wants to be the first to open. The mystique will be lost if it is ever opened and therefore hope that it remains closed for ever. DIVING THE ELIZA RAMSDEN This is a tricky dive to organise as it requires a very good understanding of the Port Phillip Heads and the tides. It is only a slack water dive and as such you have a corridoor of about 15 to 20 minutes when the tide is slack and it is safe to dive. Shipping must be non existant on this dive with no shipping coming or going out of the heads for not less than an hour and a half either side of your proposed dive entry and exit. Location GPS coordinates from the book "Shipwrecks Around Port Phillip Head" are GPS (verified). |
|||