HMVS
CERBERUS
The HMVS Cerberus
was the first British breastwork monitor turret ship ever built.
Constructed in 1870, for the Royal Victorian Colonial Navy, the
Cerberus served Victoria, and later Australia until 1926, when it
was scuttled as a breakwater. It survives in a dilapidated condition,
consisting primarily of the hull, deck, partial superstructure including
the conning tower and fore and aft turrets, with their twin 10-inch
muzzle loading guns.
The HMVS Cerberus,
as the only survivor of its type in the world & illustrates
a particular type or phase in the development of naval technology.
Its design, by prominent naval architect E. J. Reed of the British
Admiralty, is widely regarded by maritime historians as a complete
break with established tradition, which had been manifest in sail-powered
timber vessels, towards iron clad steam turret ships, the forerunners
of the modern battleship.
It incorporated
developments in metallurgy, steam power, gun turrets and use of
low freeboard. The design for the Cerberus was the first in the
world to incorporate the combination of a central superstructure
with fore and aft gun turrets, mounted on the deck.
It was also
the first British warship to dispense completely with sail power
and to incorporate the shallow draft, a feature which gave it the
ability to reduce the amount of target space for enemy fire.
HMVS
CERBERUS 1871
CERBERUS now
consists of the collapsed hull, parts of the central superstructure,
including the conning tower, most of the timber decking, and the
two gun turrets, complete with 10 inch guns. The hull rests on the
sandbank, with its buckled inner support structures barely holding
the significant weight of the turrets.
Since the collapses
of the hull in 1993, the frame of the Cerberus has been deteriorating
rapidly. A serious adverse outcome may be expected within the next
few years. The timber deck is also declining in condition, showing
evidence of teredo worm activity.
Before the 1993
collapse the deck was above the waterline, but is now submerged
at the bow and subject to tidal submersion at the stern. This is
also likely to have an adverse effect upon the decking.
CERBERUS
today at Blackrock, Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne
An Engineering
Feasibility Study (Sept 2000) states that Raising & Stabilising
Cerberus is still possible and would cost approximately $A2.5 million.
A committee
is currently attempting to raise the necessary funds. If you wish
to help in this important project more information is available
at:
http://www.cerberus.vze.com
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