HMAS Swan (DE 50) - Decommissioning and Fate

Decommissioning and Fate

Swan paid off on 13 September 1996. During her career, she travelled 775,870 nautical miles (1,436,910 km) during 56982 hours spent at sea. After decommissioning, the Australian government gifted the ship to the state of Western Australia. The state government subsequently set up an independent committee, headed by the Western Australian Tourism Commission, to decide the ship's fate. Many applications were received from across the state, with ideas including conversion into a floating hotel, a floating church, a homeless shelter, or an artificial reef. On 11 November 1996, it was announced by State Minister for Tourism Norman Moore that the ship would be given to the Geographe Bay Artificial Reef Society to be scuttled and made into an artificial reef and dive site.

Preparations for scuttling were made with the help of the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia, whose members had experience in dealing with similar-sized ships. Swan was towed to Bunbury, Western Australia, and over the next twelve months, the ship was cleaned on environmental hazards (such as oil and plastics) and diver hazards (such as cabling), and had access holes cut. Ten explosive charges were installed; six at the bow, four at the stern. After preparations were completed, the ship was towed to a point 1.3 nautical miles (2.4 km) from Point Picquet (Meelup Beach), near Dunsborough, Western Australia.

Swan was scuttled on the morning of 14 December 1997; an event observed by an estimated 10,000 spectators on shore, plus 600 spectator craft. The actual detonation was performed by a six-year-old child, whose father had won a raffle for the honour. Swan sank quickly at 33°33′02″S 115°06′02″E / 33.55056°S 115.10056°E / -33.55056; 115.10056, in 30 metres (98 ft) of water, and came to rest on the sandy bottom in a nearly upright position. Swan has been described as "an instant tourism hit"; A$2.4 million was contributed to the local economy through tourism earnings during 1998, and up to 15,000 dives are made at the site each year. The site is host to an estimated 100 different species of marine life. The wreck's popularity prompted the acquisition of the destroyer HMAS Perth and her sinking as a dive wreck off Albany, Western Australia in 2001.