Kookaburra2011
Terminally endangered HMVS CERBERUS in better days at Black Rock - Rose series postcard, SLV.
5839: Very sadly, we reproduce this image of the 1868 colonial breastwork monitor HMVS CERBERUS from the famous Rose postcard series at a time of despair for those who have fought for decades to save Australia's most unique and probably greatest maritime relic.
In the lead-up the 2012 Victorian and Federal budgets, it was learned that both the Commonwealth and State Heritage Departrments were abandoning their joint commitment to brace the deteriorating ship's massive turrets, whose weight is placing the decks in imminent danger of collapse [after almost 70 years of unheeded warnings, the rusting hull broke during a storm in the 1990s].
Now it appears that $500,000 allocated to brace the turrets is to be used instead to establish an interpretive display ashore, and place her guns in parkland, while continuing an existing cathode [sacrificial zince block] anti-corrosion program. Essentially, this means more passive neglect: people ashore will be briefly educated about the ship as they look on the slow-motion but increasingly irreversible heritage tragedy unfolding before them.
The bracing of the turrets was already a fall-back position from earlier plans to investigate mounting the former 3,340 ton monitor - last of its kind in the world - on an under-pinning concrete platform.
The 'Friends of CERBERUS' group says the latest decisions sound a final deathknell for the relic.
An extract from their CERBERUS.com website's news page:
'...HMVS CERBERUS News
CERBERUS Bracing Abandoned
After having carried out 3D scanning and detailed design work for a visually low-key permanent structure around the base of the gun turrets, the Australian and Victorian heritage departments have pulled the plug on CERBERUS by abandoning the bracing project. Instead of completing the bracing project these departments propose to use money allocated to saving CERBERUS to mount the guns in parkland, establish nice displays and undertake cathodic protection of CERBERUS already planned as part of the bracing project.
Abandoning the bracing project will sound the death knell of Cerberus. Without the bracing CERBERUS WILL COLLAPSE.
Those concerned with this disasterous proposed action are asked to contact the relevant ministers and protest about this irresponsible proposal..." Addresses to write to are on the page, here:.
www.cerberus.com.au/cgi-bin/newsscript/newsscript.pl?reco...
We find it difficult to approxiumate a date for this postcard produced by the company founded by famous 3-D stereographic photographer George Rose [1862-1942], a business still extant in Melbourne [and one which looks like out-living the ironclad CERBERUS]. The Rose P series postcards were produced between 1913 and 1967, and our best guess - very rough - is that this image may fall around some mid-point in that range, perhaps the 1940s. Someone may be able to give us a better dating.
We have had a number of stereographs on the Photostream. A beautifully mounted 1908 Great White Fleet image by George Rose was at Pic NO. 5402, here:
' www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/6592052427/
This photo: Rose postcard series, State Library of Victoria [La Trobe Library].
A COMPENDIUM of links to 35+ HMVS CERBERUS images on the Photostream can be found under entry NO. 5848, here:
www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/7253528494/in/photostream
Terminally endangered HMVS CERBERUS in better days at Black Rock - Rose series postcard, SLV.
5839: Very sadly, we reproduce this image of the 1868 colonial breastwork monitor HMVS CERBERUS from the famous Rose postcard series at a time of despair for those who have fought for decades to save Australia's most unique and probably greatest maritime relic.
In the lead-up the 2012 Victorian and Federal budgets, it was learned that both the Commonwealth and State Heritage Departrments were abandoning their joint commitment to brace the deteriorating ship's massive turrets, whose weight is placing the decks in imminent danger of collapse [after almost 70 years of unheeded warnings, the rusting hull broke during a storm in the 1990s].
Now it appears that $500,000 allocated to brace the turrets is to be used instead to establish an interpretive display ashore, and place her guns in parkland, while continuing an existing cathode [sacrificial zince block] anti-corrosion program. Essentially, this means more passive neglect: people ashore will be briefly educated about the ship as they look on the slow-motion but increasingly irreversible heritage tragedy unfolding before them.
The bracing of the turrets was already a fall-back position from earlier plans to investigate mounting the former 3,340 ton monitor - last of its kind in the world - on an under-pinning concrete platform.
The 'Friends of CERBERUS' group says the latest decisions sound a final deathknell for the relic.
An extract from their CERBERUS.com website's news page:
'...HMVS CERBERUS News
CERBERUS Bracing Abandoned
After having carried out 3D scanning and detailed design work for a visually low-key permanent structure around the base of the gun turrets, the Australian and Victorian heritage departments have pulled the plug on CERBERUS by abandoning the bracing project. Instead of completing the bracing project these departments propose to use money allocated to saving CERBERUS to mount the guns in parkland, establish nice displays and undertake cathodic protection of CERBERUS already planned as part of the bracing project.
Abandoning the bracing project will sound the death knell of Cerberus. Without the bracing CERBERUS WILL COLLAPSE.
Those concerned with this disasterous proposed action are asked to contact the relevant ministers and protest about this irresponsible proposal..." Addresses to write to are on the page, here:.
www.cerberus.com.au/cgi-bin/newsscript/newsscript.pl?reco...
We find it difficult to approxiumate a date for this postcard produced by the company founded by famous 3-D stereographic photographer George Rose [1862-1942], a business still extant in Melbourne [and one which looks like out-living the ironclad CERBERUS]. The Rose P series postcards were produced between 1913 and 1967, and our best guess - very rough - is that this image may fall around some mid-point in that range, perhaps the 1940s. Someone may be able to give us a better dating.
We have had a number of stereographs on the Photostream. A beautifully mounted 1908 Great White Fleet image by George Rose was at Pic NO. 5402, here:
' www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/6592052427/
This photo: Rose postcard series, State Library of Victoria [La Trobe Library].
A COMPENDIUM of links to 35+ HMVS CERBERUS images on the Photostream can be found under entry NO. 5848, here:
www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/7253528494/in/photostream