Beverwijk 19

Wreck Dive | Boat access

Steam Dredge | Max Depth: 46 m (151 ft) — Graveyard

Beverwijk 19 Steam Dredge
© Unknown

The Beverwijk 19 (aka Beverwyk 19) shipwreck lies in the Victorian Ships' Graveyard in Bass Strait, in 46 metres of water, upside down with her bow pointing toward Barwon Heads.

Diving the Beverwijk 19 Shipwreck

The vessel has collapsed and the wreck is generally unstable. There is a large boiler, plus a propeller showing, and the stern is upright. The large wagon wheels of the dredging machinery are still prominent features. The suction pipe is still prominent on the bow section as is a lot of her pumping gear.

This is a popular dive for experienced deep/technical rated divers. There are some nice sections for penetration.

Beverwijk 19 Dredge Dive
© Ian Scholey

Diver on the Beverwijk 19
© Ian Scholey

Bass Strait Warning: Always keep an eye on sea conditions throughout any shore or boat dive in Bass Strait on Victoria's coastline. Please read the warnings on the web page diving-in-bass-strait before diving or snorkelling this site.

Beverwijk 19 Shipwreck History — Built in 1912

Beverwijk 19 Dredge
© Unknown

The Beverwijk 19 was a steam-powered, steel-hulled suction cutter dredge, with a displacement weight of 319 t (352 s-ton), built in 1912.

The Beverwijk 19 was brought out from Holland in 1950 when the Australian Dredging and General Works Pty Ltd began a contract for dredging works at the entrance to the Yarra River. The task was to remove silt from the area to the east of the river entrance. Later this excavation would be developed into the present Webb Dock. Vessels brought out from Holland for this contract included the bucket dredge Beverwijk 19, the unpowered hopper barges VHB-53 and VHB-54, a diesel tug, two diesel hopper barges, plus other small attending craft.

The Dutch built Beverwijk 19 was also used to deepen the Geelong and Melbourne shipping channels. She was laid up when the work ran out and lay beside Yarra Street Pier, Geelong for over five years.

Beverwijk 19 Sinking — Scuttled 7 May 1963

Beverwijk 19 Scuttling
© Unknown

After 51 years of service, the steam-powered dredge Beverwijk 19 was scuttled on 7 May 1963 in the Victorian Ships' Graveyard, Commonwealth Area No.3, Bass Strait.

The tug H. A. Lamb commenced the ten hour tow, taking the Beverwijk 19 through the Heads and out to the final destination. Twenty-pounds of explosives were set at various locations within the hull, with the charges covered by sandbags to force the explosion downwards through the hull. A six minute fuse was set and the powder-monkey taken off by the survey vessel Malthby, which then stood some 200 yards away.

A few minutes later the explosions fractured the hull and the wagter started to rush in. The Beverwijk 19 slowly listed and then turned over. Thirty minutes after the explosions the stern began to tilt. The sank to the seabed as the stern stood clear and then slowly sank beneath the surface.

Heritage Warning: Any shipwreck or shipwreck relic that is 75 years or older is protected by legislation. Other items of maritime heritage 75 years or older are also protected by legislation. Activities such as digging for bottles, coins or other artefacts that involve the disturbance of archaeological sites may be in breach of the legislation, and penalties may apply. The legislation requires the mandatory reporting to Heritage Victoria as soon as practicable of any archaeological site that is identified. See Maritime heritage. Anyone with information about looting or stolen artefacts should call Heritage Victoria on (03) 7022 6390, or send an email to heritage.victoria@delwp.vic.gov.au.

Traditional Owners — This dive site does not lie in the acknowledged traditional Country of any first peoples of Australia.

Beverwijk 19 Location Map

Latitude: 38° 21.120′ S (38.352° S / 38° 21′ 7.2″ S)
Longitude: 144° 25.171′ E (144.419517° E / 144° 25′ 10.26″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2022-05-04 02:38:52 GMT
Source: Book - Victoria's Ships' Graveyard GPS (verified)
Nearest Neighbour: Victorian, 226 m, bearing 10°, N
Steam Dredge, 319 ton.
Built: 1912.
Scuttled: 7 May 1963.
Victorian Ships' Graveyard, Bass Strait.
Depth: 42 to 46 m.

[ Top ]

DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.

The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.