The ''Ozone'' was a ship built in 1886 near

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, in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It could exceed 17 kts and is regarded as one of the finest

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...

s ever built. ''Ozone'' was commissioned by the Bay Excursion Company and relocated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where it became a great favorite on

Port Phillip Port Phillip ( Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is com ...

Bay, in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, and remained in service there for many years.

History

The ''Ozone's'' first bay excursion was on 18 December 1886, when she commenced a run between

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and Queenscliff. On arrival she collided with the pier at Queenscliff. In 1889, the ''Ozone'' was involved in a collision with the vessel ''Elfin'', in

Hobsons Bay Hobsons Bay is a small open bay in Victoria, Australia, and is the northernmost part of the larger Port Phillip Bay. Its western and eastern boundaries are marked by Point Gellibrand in and Point Ormond in respectively, and defines the coast ...

, near Williamstown. In 1894, she was involved in another collision, this time with the vessel ''May'', in Port Phillip Bay. The ''Ozone'' was withdrawn from service in 1918 and was sold to Melbourne shipbreaker J. Hill in March 1925. In October 1925 she was dismantled and her hull was sunk off-shore at

Indented Head Indented Head is a small coastal township located on the Bellarine Peninsula, east of Geelong, in the Australian state of Victoria. The town lies on the coast of the Port Phillip bay between the towns of Portarlington and St Leonards. Indent ...

to form a

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...

for small craft. The wreck is gradually eroding away. In April 1991, the starboard paddle wheel collapsed, dramatically changing the configuration of the remains. One of ''Ozone's'' two anchors has been incorporated into an historical monument, which stands on the cliff-top near Taylor Reserve, Indented Head, overlooking the wreck.

Dive location

The wreckage of the ''Ozone'' remains visible about 50 metres offshore at Indented Head. The wreck is an easy shallow dive.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ozone (Paddle Steamer) Water transport in Australia Paddle steamers Ships built on the River Clyde Port Phillip Underwater diving sites in Australia

History

Dive location

References

Further reading

External links