Derelict Freighter Ship The images from my last post have created a huge amount of interest, so I thought I would upload a few more photographs that I took of the abandoned old freighter ship lying in the mangroves at Tooradin airport. Please note that for most people you will not be able to photograph this site as the ship lies in a mangrove swamp hard to access. Apart from the Tiger snakes that frequent the area and the sticky mud everywhere, you need to cart a large step-ladder with you to gain access to the top of the ship. There are also legal restrictions on access to the site. You have to cross a commercial airfield and it comes under federal air regulations, plus this airfield is also privately owned and insurance implications and H&S are also something to be considered. Seeking permission is therefore hard. I had the opportunity to photograph only because I pre-arranged it through my friend Gordon, who is the chief Pilot based here. Gordon flies all participants in my Flinders Island workshops each year and I use him on other occasions as well. It was a great shoot and I have many good photographs from almost every angle.
ianrolfephotography.net 
Wow, your photos are amazing! Even though the ship is old and rusted, there’s still something enchanting and beautiful about it. Thanks for sharing!
Ahoy Ian,
Absolutely amazing photography..
I have the sea in my blood from Nautical heritage, so anything like this is very special… and I just love Black & White Photography..
Thanks so much for sharing these treasured memories.. if only those steel walls could talk..
Ann Copelin.
Frankston.
Thank you Ann
I really appreciate your comments
my regards Ian
The name of this vessel is “Amsterdam V”. She was a diesel hopper-barge built in 1939 in Holland. When WWII broke out she was, like most other Dutch vessels, stolen by the Germans. They used her and her sister, “Amsterdam IV” to dredge out their U-boat bases.After the war she returned to her original owner, Adriaan Volker, and continued dredging work in Europe until 1950 when she came to Australia as part of the “first fleet” of Australian Dredging & General Works – a Dutch company established to take advantage of all the dredging work available in Australia during the post-war boom economy.She helped build the Appleton and Webb docks at the Yarra entrance, and was also seconded for works in South Australia and New Zealand, though she would spend most of her final years in Corio Bay.Both her and her sister were laid up at Yarra Pier, Geelong, in the 70’s and would eventually be sold in 1980 for scrapping at a make-shift shipbreaking yard at Point Lillias. It is at this point a gentleman named William Maxwell “Max” Curtain intervened.Max had run a passenger ferry business in Darwin in the 1970’s, but the business, despite his best efforts, did not survive the loss of his son, Raymond, and most of his fleet during Cyclone Tracy. In 1981 he purchased Amsterdam IV and Amsterdam V from the shipbreaker, Guus Kok, with the intention of building one good boat out of the two.Max was short of funds by this time and often did things by barter. As a result, the two boats would remain at Point Lillias until about 1985. Amsterdam V was being restored using parts from Amsterdam IV. By 1985 Max had worn out his welcome with Guus and was force to take Amsterdam V out of port, leaving Amsterdam IV to be scrapped.He initially anchored Amsterdam V in San Remo for a year or so, until he was kicked out. He took her to Hastings where she was laid up at the slipway for a year or so until the owner kicked him off as he was not paying his bills.She ended up in the mangroves of Tooradin until May of 1995 when, on an unusually high tide, Max managed to get her towed to Tooradin – her final resting place.I have researched the entire history of this vessel. Let me know if you want to know more.
Thank you so much for this comprehensive reply Darren. Much appreciated. She is sadly sinking into the mangroves and will eventually disappear. cheers Ian