Wyuna

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Wyuna at Beauty Point, Tasmania
Wyuna at Beauty Point, Tasmania

Wyuna is a former Port Phillip pilot tender and Australian Maritime College training vessel currently laid up.

[edit] History

The ship was built in 1953 by Ferguson Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow, Scotland[1] for the Port Phillip Sea Pilots organisation as a pilot cutter. She is propelled by a diesel-electric power plant consisting of diesel generators powering electric motors coupled to the propellor shafts. Consequently she may use the ship prefix "de" and be referred to as de Wyuna[1]. Her role as a pilot cutter was to sail with pilots on board to meet ships entering Port Phillip bay. Pilots would be transferred by the Wyuna's workboat to the vessel requiring pilotage while it was stopped dead in the water , with shelter provided by the vessel itself. In the early 1970s the pilot service started using fast launches to allow pilots to board while ships were still underway, and in 1979 the Wyuna was sold to the Australian Maritime College in Launceston, Tasmania as a training vessel[2]. She continued in that role until 2004 when sold to Mineralogy Pty Ltd as an accommodation vessel[3]. She is currently laid up with an uncertain future, with a possible role as a museum ship or conversion to a luxury yacht[4].

[edit] Statistics[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Clydebuilt Ships Database. de Wyuna built by Ferguson Shipbuilders Port Glasgow. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  2. ^ Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Port Phillip Sea Pilots History. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  3. ^ Maritime Heritage Association of Victoria. Maritime Heritage Association of Victoria Activities. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  4. ^ Lindsay Rex (2006-10). Maritime Heritage Association of Victoria Newsletter No.12. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  5. ^ www.hugohein.com. Cadet Training Vessel Wyuna. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.