Carmen

Wreck Dive | Shore access

Wooden Lighter | Max Depth: 4 m (13 ft)

Level: Open Water and beyond.

The Carmen shipwreck is significant as an ex-French sealing and whaling relief vessel which carried a variety of cargoes around the world. It's recreationally significant for the remains of its hull fittings in Jawbone Marine National Park, as one of at least six known vessels abandoned in this area.

Diving and Snorkelling the Carmen Shipwreck

Carmen
Source: State Library Victoria

The Carmen shipwreck can be reached by swimming around The Jawbone on the western side of Jawbone Bay at Williamstown and following the reef, passing the southern extremity of the peninsula before heading north-west. There on the edge of the reef, in about 4 metres of water are the remains of the Carmen. The site can be easily visited by snorkellers.

As a result of the Carmen wreck being on a bluestone reef and subject to southerly winds, not much timber structure has survived. It's right where the reef meets the sand on the western side of The Jawbone. There is part of the sternpost and rudder, and interspersed amongst the rocks are a number of bronze bolts and iron knees. It is spread out over a distance of 34 metres or so.

The majority of the wreck consists of iron knees, crutches and staples of various types scattered on and along the edge of the reef.

Carmen Shipwreck History — Built in 1879

Carmen and Helen Hulks
© State Library South Australia

The Carmen was built in 1879 by N. Martinolich in Lussinpiccolo, Austria as a wooden sailing brigantine. The Carmen had an overall length of approximately 104 ft (32 m), beam 24.5 ft (7.47 m) and draught 13.5 ft (4.11 m).

The Carmen was an ex-French sealing brigantine, formerly employed as a whaling relief vessel. Originally named as the Ribes and later named Anna, Marthe, Sainte and Maurice. As a Norwegian whaling relief ship in the Antarctic she brought oil to Melbourne and Hobart.

In 1909 the Carmen brought to Melbourne, 50-tuns of sea elephant oil from the Kerguelen Islands. A short time later the Carmen was purchased and renovated by the Carmen Shipping Co for use in the Tasmanian timber trade.

In 1912, whilst on a voyage from Sydney to Hobart, and when off Montague Island, the Carmen lost its masts in a storm. It was taken in tow by the steamer Wee Clyde whereby they made their way back to Sydney. Later that year it was sold to ship owners McIllwraith & McEacharn and towed to Melbourne to be converted into a coal hulk/lighter for the company. There it operated as a lighter for the next 24 years. As a lighter the Carmen would transfer various cargoes to or from one of Melbourne's wharves to larger ships which could not travel all the way to those wharves, or to other places in Port Phillip.

Carmen Sinking — 10 February 1936

On Monday 10 February 1936 in what could only be described as a brazen act, the owners of the Ester and Carmen (having no further use for these vessels) decided as a means of disposal, and without any authority to do so, to run both lighters ashore off the Williamstown Rifle Range in Port Phillip, and set them on fire.

On Saturday 15 February 1936, the Williamstown Chronicle describes the end of the Carmen, and the Ester:

"Burning from stem to stern, two lighters, veterans of the days of sail, were burnt last Monday off the Williamstown rifle range. They are the Victorian Lighterage Co's Ester and Carmen. The manager of the company (Mr Treacy) set fire to the vessels on Monday afternoon. Formerly a three masted barque, the Ester was built in Scandinavia for shipping timber to Australia. Of 400 tons, she was 35 years old and had been trading between Melbourne and Geelong for 20 years. The Carmen, a brigantine, was built in Italy 55 years ago. As a Norwegian whaling relief ship in the Antarctic she brought oil to Melbourne and Hobart. For 20 years she traded in the Bay."

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.

Finding the Carmen Shipwreck

As of 10 February 2021 we're using a GPS mark for the Carmen from Peter Taylor:
Latitude: 37° 51.992′ S (37.86653333° S / 37° 51′ 59.52″ S)
Longitude: 144° 52.542′ E (144.8757° E / 144° 52′ 32.52″ E)

We were previously using:
Latitude: 37° 53.160′ S (37.886° S / 37° 53′ 9.6″ S)
Longitude: 144° 54.340′ E (144.905667° E / 144° 54′ 20.4″ E)
3,406 m, bearing 129°, SE

Jawbone Marine Sanctuary

Wreckage at Jawbone | © Phil Watson

This site is located within the Jawbone Marine Sanctuary, which is the most northern marine sanctuary in Port Phillip. Jawbone Marine Sanctuary, named after its shape, is located in Williamstown and protects 30ha of coastal waters. The little promontory, west of the beach at Williamstown, has been fenced off from the rest of the world for over 80 years by a coastal rifle range. This unspoiled place is now considered a haven for coastal and marine life right next to Melbourne. It is a great scenic place for children to play too.

The Jawbone Marine Sanctuary begins west of the fishing clubs in Bayview Street, Willamstown, and runs west 1.9 km along the foreshore around the Jawbone to wader beach south of McGuire Crescent. It abuts the Jawbone Flora and Fauna reserve and extends from the high water mark to a maximum of 300 metres offshore.

The sites for diving and snorkelling within the Jawbone Marine Sanctuary are:

The Jawbone, Williamstown (Melway Map 55 J10)
The Jawbone West, Williamstown (Melway Map 55 J10)
Ester
Carmen
Agnes

Aboriginal tradition indicates that the sanctuary is part of Country of Boon Wurrung people.

More protected than many sites in the area, so a good site to dive instead when the wind is up a bit. There are many spots to dive here in all directions.

Jawbone Wrecks

The sanctuary was used as a scuttling ground for ships that had outlived their usefulness. The exposed location, rocky bottom, proximity to Williamstown and restricted public access made it an ideal place to scuttle wrecks.

Along the west edge of Jawbone are the remnants of some shipwrecks including: Agnes, Carmen, Ester, Macedon, and Salsette. The Kakariki, Orange Grove, and Baldrock also lie nearby, plus there are other unidentified wrecks.

Also not far from Jawbone are the remains of a Vultee Vengeance Aircraft.

Jawbone Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria

Jawbone Marine Sanctuary Map | Source: Parks Victoria

You are not permitted to carry a spear gun while snorkelling or scuba diving in Jawbone Marine Sanctuary.

Boon Wurrung / Bunurong country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Boon Wurrung / Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes parts of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson's Promontory in the south-east, including the Mornington Peninsula, French Island and Phillip Island, plus Western Port. We wish to acknowledge the Boon Wurrung as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Bunjil the Creator Spirit of this beautiful land, who travels as an eagle, and Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow, and thank them for continuing to watch over this Country today and beyond.

Carmen Location Map

Latitude: 37° 51.992′ S (37.866533° S / 37° 51′ 59.52″ S)
Longitude: 144° 52.542′ E (144.8757° E / 144° 52′ 32.52″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map | Get directions
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2022-05-02 06:39:48 GMT
Source: Peter Taylor (verified)
Nearest Neighbour: Ester, 102 m, bearing 161°, SSE
Wooden Lighter.
Built: 1879.
Sunk: 10 February 1936.
Jawbone Marine Sanctuary, Port Phillip
Depth: 4 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.