Helen

Wreck Dive | Boat access

Three-Masted Composite Barque, Coal Hulk | Max Depth: 75 m (246 ft) — Graveyard

Helen
Source: State Library Victoria

The Helen had a career spanning over 70 years. It was a trader, immigrant ship and whaler, but in its later years was reduced to a coal hulk/lighter. In March 1938 it was towed through Port Phillip heads and cast adrift whereupon it came ashore near Cape Schanck to be broken up by the sea.

The Helen shipwreck is considered to be one of the Victorian Ships' Graveyard wreck dives.

Helen Shipwreck History — Built in 1864

Helen
Source: State Library Victoria

The Helen was a three-masted barque, built in 1864, by Robert Steel, in Greenock, Scotland. The dimensions of the vessel were length 41.2 ft (13 m), beam 7.7 ft (2.35 m), and draught 4.2 ft (1.28 m) of Units: unknown unit type given and Units: unknown unit type given.

The Helen and the famous Cutty Sark were both composite built with the Cutty Sark still surviving as an example of this type of vessel. They were constructed with iron frames and kilson, but sheathed in timber. This saved a great deal in the weight and the amount of timber required.

The Helen had been a general cargo carrier, conducting regular voyages between Tasmania and London, while trading to such countries as China, Mauritius and South Africa.

Helen Launching | © Bob Leek

While laid up in the 1890s, the Helen was converted into a whaler operating out of Tasmania. On its first whaling voyage in 1894, it sailed south and was gone for nearly six months, returning with 51 tuns of oil. The Helen was the last sailing ship that operated as a whaler out of Hobart, and on its last whaling voyage returned with a cargo of 57 tuns of oil.

By 1903, the Helen was carrying timber and other produce across Bass Strait. In 1913, the Helen was converted into a lighter/coal hulk. The Helen had a long and interesting career, being 74 years old when it was disposed of in March 1938.

Helen Sinking — 10 March 1938

Carmen and Helen Hulks
© State Library South Australia

On 10 March 1938, the Victorian Lighterage Co., owners of the Helen, had the hulk towed out through The Heads, whereby they let it adrift, It came ashore, grounding in a small bay about one mile east of Cape Schanck. The Victorian Lighterage Co. was taken to court by the crown, the company lost the case and was fined with costs also awarded against them.

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 Helen Shipwreck

It's unlikely the GPS mark from the Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database is accurate. If anyone has an accurate mark, please pass it on to us.

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.

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

Helen Location Map

Latitude: 38° 36.900′ S (38.615° S / 38° 36′ 54″ S)
Longitude: 144° 51.000′ E (144.85° E / 144° 51′ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map
Added: 2019-03-11 15:48:07 GMT, Last updated: 2022-05-02 06:51:31 GMT
Source: Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database (approximate location only)
Nearest Neighbour: Cape Schanck West, 13,596 m, bearing 13°, NNE
Three-Masted Composite Barque.
Built: 1864.
Sunk: 10 March 1938.
Victorian Ships' Graveyard, Bass Strait.
Depth: 75 m.

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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.