Diving the HMAS Perth
- Source: www.wikipedia.org
In 1965 the naval destroyer HMAS Perth was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy. The HMAS Perth served as plane guard for carriers on Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf, participated in Operation Sea Dragon and patrolled on search and rescue duties. The HMAS Perth also carried out Naval Gunfire Support missions during the Vietnam War. On 8 September 1980, Perth joined five other vessels from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to form the Australia Squadron.The squadron spent two months in the Indian Ocean as part of a flag-showing cruise; the largest RAN deployment since World War II.
In 2001 the HMAS Perth was scuttled in the pristine waters of King George Sound near Albany in Western Australia. The 133 meter long wreck is a the home to lots of fish, sponges and other marine life.
If you penetrate the wreck you can still see the toilets and the bunk beds in which the sailor's have slept. Even the captain's chair is still there on the bridge.
Snorkelers can observe the wreck from the surface. The top end of one of the masts sticks a few meters out of the water.
In Albany are a number of dive schools who offer dive trips to the HMAS Perth. So if you're ever near Albany, do yourself a faver and make the dive on the HMAS Perth! It's well worth a visit.
