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Image Not Available for Material relating to the Cerberus Preservation Trust
Material relating to the Cerberus Preservation Trust
Image Not Available for Material relating to the Cerberus Preservation Trust

Material relating to the Cerberus Preservation Trust

Date1970 - 1972
Object numberANMS0878
NameArchive series
MediumPaper
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from McIlwraith McEacharn Limited
DescriptionThis archive collection is comprised of documents dating from 1970 to 1972 regarding the establishment and management of the Cerberus Preservation Trust - dedicated to saving the remains of the monitor HMCS / HMVS / HMAS CERBERUS from the Victorian Naval Brigade. It includes circulars, letters, meeting and financial records, newspaper clippings, memorandums, a report, list, submission, brochure and agenda.HistoryThe CERBERUS was ordered in 1868 by the Colony of Victoria in pre-federation Australia to provide naval protection for Port Phillip. CERBERUS was the first major warship to rely on steam propulsion alone, and had her turrets raised on an armoured breastwork to improve her sea-keeping ability. The vessel arrived in Port Phillip in 1871 and never left, becoming the longest serving colonial warship. Sold for scrap in 1925, she was sunk as a breakwater in the bay in 1926. The world wide significance of CERBERUS in the development of naval architecture and the conduct of naval warface was recognised in 2005, when it was included in the Australian National Heritage List.SignificanceThis archive collection hightlights the public interest in preserving the remains of the CERBERUS, with the formation of the Cerberus Preservation Trust - later the Maritime Trust of Australia - in 1971. The organisation aimed at raising the wrecked CERBERUS and towing it to a dry dock for restoration, but was unsuccessful in raising funds.