<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/ironic-twist-of-history-offshore-wind-developer-solves-150-year-old-mystery-of-sunken-coal-ship/>
"A Victorian maritime mystery dating back to the 1870s has finally been solved
thanks to seafloor geophysical surveys undertaken off the coast of southern
Victoria in preparation for the development of the proposed Auora Green
offshore wind farm.
Auora Green is a proposed offshore wind farm under development by Spanish
energy giant Iberdrola, located 25 kilometres off the Gippsland coast with a
capacity of up to 3 gigawatts (GW) – the equivalent necessary to power
approximately 2.25 million households.
During surveys undertaken as part of the standard site assessment process,
geophysical surveys in 2025 detected two shipwrecks in and around the proposed
site for the wind farm.
One of the two vessels was already known and had previously been identified as
the
SS Vicky, a 165-foot steel collier built in 1930 that experienced engine
trouble in a storm during a voyage from Sydney to Melbourne in 1956, began to
leak, and eventually capsized.
Working closely with Commonwealth and Victorian heritage authorities, Iberdrola
and technical divers from non-profit exploration group Southern Ocean
Exploration (SOE) were able to confirm the identify and final resting place of
the second wreck as the
City of Hobart.
“In an ironic twist of history, the
City of Hobart sank while transporting
coal to Melbourne, decades before Gippsland’s own coal industry began,”
Iberdrola Australia said in LinkedIn post.
“Today, Aurora Green represents a step in the region’s transition away from
coal generation and towards clean energy.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
