Wreck of the Avon, Tamar River

A small wartime tug now rests in darkness, but she is bursting with marine life.

The Avon was one of a small fleet of about nine 30 ton vessels built during World War II at Fremantle, in WA, by Arcus shipbuilders. She was made of WA jarrah 45mm thick to a standard US tug design. Her original engine was a Hercules DNX6 270HP diesel. At a speed of 8 knots she had a range 500 miles.

These harbour towboats served in and around Fremantle with other vessels berthing and towing targets for practice gunnery, ranging for ship guns and towing barges and stores to waiting ships.”

After the war the Avon was owned by the Fremantle Harbour Board to perform harbour maintenance until 1976, when she was sold to the public works department at Albany. She was used to tow a maintenance barge around Albany waterways. Albany Tug Services bought the Avon in 1981 and continued general duties around Albany until 2007. It was brought to Tasmania and ran aground near Low Head. She was derelict and abandoned when she finally sank off the old Incat ferry terminal near Peppers in York Cove.

Now she lies almost upside down on the riverbank, in dark water but blown with fish and covered in colourful sponges.