Victorian
Quick Facts
Vessel Type: 415-ton Iron Steamer (later a coal hulk)
Built: 1876 by D&W Henderson in Glasgow, Scotland
Official Number: 74779
Owner: Adelaide Steamship Co.
Location: ~9 nautical miles south of Point Nepean (Ships' Graveyard)
Depth: ~72 meters
Cause of Sinking: Intentionally scuttled
The Story of the Victorian
Built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1876, the Victorian was a 225.8-foot, 415-ton iron steamer. Originally owned by the Adelaide Steamship Co., she spent her prime years operating as a reliable coastal vessel carrying general cargo and passengers.
From Passenger Steamer to Coal Hulk As the Victorian aged and newer, more efficient ships entered the coastal trade, she was eventually stripped of her former passenger duties. Towards the end of her long career, she was converted into a coal hulk, working first in Townsville and later in Melbourne to refuel the modern steamships of the era.
The Final Scuttling When her upkeep and annual surveys became too uneconomical to maintain, the aging hulk was finally retired. Like many obsolete vessels of her time, whatever high-value materials that remained (copper, brass, bronze, and timber) were stripped out. The bare iron hulk was then towed out through the Heads by a tug and intentionally scuttled in the deep waters of the Victorian Ships' Graveyard.
The Search & Discovery
The Victorian is fairly typical of the scuttled ships resting in the graveyard—she appears to have been thoroughly stripped prior to her sinking.
During on-water searches, the Southern Ocean Exploration (SOE) team discovered what is strongly believed to be the Victorian resting in approximately 72 meters of water, about 9 nautical miles south of Point Nepean. Deep-water sonar and initial dive observations show her bow and stern rising around 4 meters from the seabed, with her amidships lying flat. Further dives are required to positively confirm the ship's identity, but she remains a fascinating piece of Victorian maritime history.