This ironclad, HMVS (V for Victoria in Australia) was an old Victorian turret ship with muzzle loaders and was built before HMS Devastation. The first sea going turret battleship with no sail rigging - just steam power. Well the ship in the Australian news clip above is older and was powered also by just steam. It was a coastal defense vessel but still went out into the open sea.
It was built in the late 1860s and saw many years of service. It was scuttled off of the Australian coast in 1926, but is still visible today. Now corrosion is beginning to make its mark upon the partially submerged vessel. There is a friends of the Cerberus organisation, which aims to preserve the old ironclad. It is a pity they cannot raise the ship, but I think the aim is to try and preserve it partially submerged.
Maybe, the corrosion will accelerate if the ship is brought out of the water. This is a shame, because it is a wonderful piece of history from a bygone age.
No comments:
Post a Comment