Ale 301 Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Guys, knowing plenty on here fish and live in the area I thought itd be a good topic to discuss!! The area, the fishing and its History. ( yes Fishie, I’m looking at you)Now, as far as my understanding goes, the “ barges†are indeed 2 separate barges? Sunk next to each other but at right angles? Anybody got any underwater footage or pix of them? Be good to see what they looked like prior to sinking even!! Where they out there when the refinery was working? Seems odd having 2 sunken boats in an area where Oil tankers used to motor around on a daily Basis!!!I grew up down south, and spent many hrs on the adjacent shoreline fishing, looking at the Stanvac jetty wishing I could fish it with all the urban legend type stories of the fish caught by the maintenance staff.Was always impressive seeing the tanker outs there.Now that I visit the place occasionally from a boat, I notice that at some stage the tankers must’ve docked hard up against the end of jetty thus the rubber stoppers and concrete blocks out there?But I’m sure I heard at some stage that the tankers used to more to the infamous “blocks†and wait to be unloaded. So this begs the question, how did the tankers actually attached themselves to the underwater structure? Why didn’t they just drop anchor. Id love to hear exactly the process that was used. It would help me understand exactly what the underwater structure is. Any ex refinery workers reading this?After speaking to some divers last year, they said that the “blocks†(that us fishos refer to) are indeed a labyrinth of big round pipes.( I had always been told it was 3 separate concrete moring blocks???) Now did the tankers attach themselves to these pipes as a moring, or are they under seafloor pipes that were used to transfer the fuel from the refinery to the awaiting tankers.The logistics of the above intrigue me!! Underwater footage of the area would be great if anybody has it!!I’ve heard of the fuelling station, is this the same structure as the blocks or something different?Then there is “the dumpâ€, adjacent and in close to the jetty, apparently an area where the refinery dropped trucks and old equipment into the water to make a place for divers to use!! Crazy that there was a time when that behaviour was allowed to happen!!I’d love to see, hear, or read anything about this famous area and its history!! An area of our coast where many fish plenty of big reds have been caught!! Jack., Poppa Snake and Just Me 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rotare 491 Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Believe it or not my uncle use to work at the advertiser many many moons ago. As a very young lad he gave me a tour of the place. I took heaps of souvenirs whilst I was there and actually was given the original black and white photos that were taken of the barges being sunk, by the photographer himself! These weren’t copies, or re-prints, but the original photos, all of about A4 size. I kept them for many years but have no idea where they ended up. I think the barges were sunk in the 50's, but the photographer just happened to be cleaning up his work area of thousands of photo’s and prints when I was being shown around (early 80’s), and because they were pictures of boats, I took an interest in them and he said I could have them. How’s that for a bit of useless history!From memory when I use to fish with my dad out that way, the stanvac blocks were a locating point for a set of bouys that floated on the surface. The boats obviously connected their ropes to the bouys, and not directly to the blocks.... if that makes sense. The stanvac dump use to also have a big arse bouy sitting on it too, and we always use to pass it heading towards Hallets Cove. I also think there are 3 barge pieces on the bottom, although two barges were sunk, and I think it’s because one broke in half when it got sunk. There is a 3D sonar picture of how they are sitting on the bottom, somewhere on the net. I’ll see if I can find it for you Just Me and 4THALOVE 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rotare 491 Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 saurian.pdf Poppa Snake, Just Me and 4THALOVE 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ale 301 Posted February 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Oarsome!!!The buoys, on the blocks: always thought that the blocks where there so the tankers could “dock†and connect to the pipelines to unload whilst it was rough and not safe to do so against the jetty!!!But your theory could explain the logistics of an underwater pipeline and connecting to it whilst out at sea. Maybe the only way they did unload was against the jetty as you say. But if so, why couldn’t they just anchor up out there and just wait their turn?Id love to see underwater shots of the infamous blocks!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rotare 491 Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 This is likely the saurian in better days: afishyfish, Poppa Snake and Just Me 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brenton 637 Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 It is an interesting tale but i have nothing to add,you have pretty well covered the situation as far as i understood it....besides that i rarely fish the southern grounds cheers brenton Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ale 301 Posted February 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Disscussion offline with Rotare reminded me that there is actually 3 boats sunken out there:http://www.users.on.net/~abowie/wreckGPS.htmhttp://www.benandcamera.com/diving/adelaide-south-australian-dive-sites/stanvac-barges/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wahoo 146 Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Hi AleRegarding the onloading and offloading from tankers. Due to the difficulty in close manouvering of such a large vessel which would be hard to control in close proximity to a shallow coastline, especially with any windage, tankers moor up to what is known as a SBM or Single Bouy Mooring. These bouys have a pipeline from the refinery to the bouy which then connects to the tanker for loading. They are used a lot in the offshore oil industry where there is no alternative loading facility. The following link tellr you more in depth :whistle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_buoy_mooring Saw a lot back in my offshore days. There used to be a dive team at the refinery which maintained the whole infrastructure.CheersWahoo Fishie and Ale 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fishie 98 Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Prior to the refinery being at Port Stanvac the area was known as Curlew Point and consisted of a nice inshore reef. My father used to tell me stories of how when he was a lad, he'd row around the reef with a drift line trailing behind and catch massive sized Kingies.The 3 barges were sunk in the early fifties off Curlew Point. The refinery was built in around 1960 by the Standard Vacuum Company or something similar and was then renamed Port Stanvac being the first 3 letters of the companies nameThe Blocks was made up of a series of pipes and a platform above the water where the ships would offload during rough weather as wahoo mentions. There is also another lot of blocks out off Stanvac about 1 km or so nearby afishyfish and Ale 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ale 301 Posted February 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Hi AleRegarding the onloading and offloading from tankers. Due to the difficulty in close manouvering of such a large vessel which would be hard to control in close proximity to a shallow coastline' date=' especially with any windage, tankers moor up to what is known as a SBM or Single Bouy Mooring. These bouys have a pipeline from the refinery to the bouy which then connects to the tanker for loading. They are used a lot in the offshore oil industry where there is no alternative loading facility. The following link tellr you more in depth :whistle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_buoy_mooring Saw a lot back in my offshore days. There used to be a dive team at the refinery which maintained the whole infrastructure.CheersWahoo[/quote']Killer!! You reckon that the line back to the jetty was on the seabed or floating?So that, with Fishie's response, make me suspect that the mark that most fish and call the blocks is actually the refuelling station? Reason being that I actually saw the divers out at the mark that told me it was pipes underneath. I'm assuming the platform was disassembled and any underlying structure not hindering boating was left behind. I've also dragged up platform grating and pipe flanges on my anchor at this mark so that explains that when being disassembled, the workers helped us fishos out!!! thanx WahooPrior to the refinery being at Port Stanvac the area was known as Curlew Point and consisted of a nice inshore reef. My father used to tell me stories of how when he was a lad' date=' he'd row around the reef with a drift line trailing behind and catch massive sized Kingies.The 3 barges were sunk in the early fifties off Curlew Point. The refinery was built in around 1960 by the Standard Vacuum Company or something similar and was then renamed Port Stanvac being the first 3 letters of the companies nameThe Blocks was made up of a series of pipes and a platform above the water where the ships would offload during rough weather as wahoo mentions. There is also another lot of blocks out off Stanvac about 1 km or so nearby[/quote']That explains a fair bit Fishie, the barges where there before the refinery!!! and why its called Port Stanvac!!Now these other blocks, I have the marks, and when ever I've gone to go to them I've assumed they are wrong cos they are 1km away from Rundle Mall and never have anybody on them. Sounds like I must do a bit of exploring and see what they are. Fishie, feel free to PM me with any info you have about these other " secret blocks" thanx a heap fishie, I knew youd have the downlow on the areaSo, that leaves the "dump", anybody dared to anchor near it? again, spoken to divers that say they see snapper on it all the time!!! Anybody ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fishie 98 Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Killer!! You reckon that the line back to the jetty was on the seabed or floating? Umm! It is pipes on the bottom that are secured by "blocks" Wahoo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wahoo 146 Posted February 28, 2012 Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 Yeh. The SBM would have been moored by chains and either anchors or very large concrete blocks. No guarantee all chains were removed when the refinery was closed. & yes, fishies correct, the pipeline would run along the seabed, often short runs like this would be secured with blocks to stop it floating.Wahoo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fishie 98 Posted February 28, 2012 Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 Fuel station is different to the blocks. MarkWouldn't you say that the fuel station platform would've been in the middle of the concrete blocks as wahoo is suggesting about the fixings/mooringsThere definitely was a platform structure there as I used to go past there and wish you could fish it urhookedfish 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fishie 98 Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Here's a decent video on Youtube of the Saurianhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcPmLNBaDgc Rickster 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jagger 24 Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 I think I know whos berley pot he was carrying Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rotare 491 Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 I think I know whos berley pot he was carrying.... and anchor! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
afishyfish 4 Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 Here's the nearby Lumb.Got to wonder where the bike came from tho Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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