A brief history:
Launched in 1 December 1978, the HMAS Canberra FFG-02 was built by Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation in Seattle, Washington, USA. The second of six similar FFG-7 Class Guided Missile Frigates, she was commissioned on 21 March 1981. The HMAS Canberra and her five sister frigates (HMA Ships Adelaide, Sydney, Darwin, Melbourne and Newcastle), were the first Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ships to be powered by gas turbines for their main propulsion.
The HMAS Canberra’s role was to operate with other maritime forces to help keep the world’s sea lanes open and free by providing protection for military and merchant convoys. To achieve this she was specifically designed to simultaneously counter the threats posed by submarines, air, surface and subsurface launched missiles and enemy warships. Accordingly, the ship was fitted with long range radar, sonar and electronic surveillance sensors which were co-ordinated by high speed computers to provide data for the ship’s weapon systems.
The weapons systems of the HMAS Canberra FFG-02 included shipborne and helicopter borne torpedo delivery systems, surface to air and surface to surface guided missiles, a rapid firing gun and electronic decoy devices. This weapons fit was intended to provide an in-depth defence for both the ship and the force or convoy she was protecting.
The HMAS Canberra was powered by two computer controlled gas turbine engines operating through a controllable pitch propellor to give the ship high manoeuvrability and the ability to be “on-line” in less than one eight of the time required by steam turbine ships.
The ex HMAS Canberra left the Geelong Grain Wharf at 5.30 am on Saturday, 3 October 2009, under tow by tug to her sinking site. The vessel and accompanying flotilla traversed The Rip at 2.34 pm.
Due to high winds late on Saturday, the contractors were unable to keep the vessel in position at the sinking site off Ocean Grove. The ex HMAS Canberra was moved out to sea for safety overnight. On Sunday morning the ship was moved back to the sinking site. Final preparations then began, plus final positioning.
At 2 pm on Sunday, 4 October 2009 the ship was scuttled off Ocean Grove, with a large flotilla of spectator vessels on at hand at sea, plus thousands of people watching from the shore near Ocean Grove.
Now to the cache:
There are 2 ways to attempt this cache:
A) By private vessel - in which case a mooring booking can be made at the Parks Victoria website. http://www.parkstay.vic.gov.au/pages/exhmas-canberra-dive-permits
Cost of a booking is $30 per vessel.
B) By booking a dive through "Dive Victoria" or any appropriate scubadiving organisation.
(NOTE: If doing a dive through "Dive Victoria", a minimum experience level of at least 15 dives is required to dive the wreck unguided, or else they insist that you must do the dive with a "guide" from their staff. Likewise if it is your first time diving the wreck)
Cache is a 200ml systema suitably modified for its environment.
Cache is hidden in approximately 18m of water.
DO NOT REMOVE THE CACHE AND TAKE IT TO THE SURFACE.
This is not neccessary as the cache is designed to be signed at depth.
Extreme stealth will be required at any time, as the cache is located in an exposed location.
As always, please ensure the cache is replaced exactly as you found it, to assist in its longevity.
Congratulations to "Sedgwick Dave" for the FTF.