The famous and much-photographed wreck on the 75-mile beach of Fraser Island
Data & Description
Rating¹:
Difficulty²:
Type of vessel:
Screw steamer
Port of registry:
Scotland
Tonnage:
5323 tons
Launched:
1904
Sunk:
July 8th 1935
Reason sunk:
Cyclone
Maximum depth:
0 to 1 meter ;-)
Route planner:
Google Maps
Weather:
Book recommendations:
Lonely Planet: Diving & Snorkeling Great Barrier Reefa
Lonely Planet Coastal Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef (Travel Guide)a
Moon: Sydney & the Great Barrier Reefa
Description dive spot:
"Maheno" means "island" in Maori, the language of the native people of New Zealand. The Maheno was the world's first screw steamer with three propellers. The ship won the Blue Ribbon for the fastest Atlantic crossing a few years after its launch. During World War I the ship was used as a hospital ship. After the war, she was bought by a company in Sydney, which wanted to use the ship between Sydney and New Zealand. After a few years, the Maheno was sold to a Japanese company whose financial funds were very limited at the time. The company decided to sell the ship's big propellers to finance the hauling of the Maheno by the ship Ottawa to Osaka (Japan). In Japan, the Maheno should be scrapped and sold as scrap metal. On this trip the Maheno stranded on the beach of Fraser Island when she got into a for this season very unusual cyclone. Attempts to get the Maheno back afloat failed. The ship was left behind at 75 Miles Beach. During World War II it was used as a bombing target. Today you only see the top decks, the rest is lost in the sand. The Maheno is one of the main attractions of Fraser Island and is part of all the tours that can be done there.
Why is the Maheno on the Pro-Taucher website? Quite simply: It is predestined to give the non-diving visitors the fascination of wreck diving.
Contributed by:
Martin Sebald, Giovanna Sebald
Last content update:
2006/11/25
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¹ Dive site rating: The rating is a five star rating ("poor" to "outstanding") and based on the dive site itself and on the comparison of all dive sites in the area. It also reflects the personal opinion and preference of the contributor.
² Dive site difficulty: The difficulty rating is a five star rating ("beginner" to "technical diver") and based on the personal opinion of the contributor and maybe also on the experience the contributor had when diving this site. We take absolutly no responsibility for diving accidents or anything else. Please always be a safe diver and dive your level of experience and please also be aware of local laws and regulations there might be.
a Amazon affiliate link: If you order we get a very little commision. Important: The price on Amazon does not change for you! It is just a bonus which we receive for the recommendation.
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