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HMVS Cerberus and Heritage Lists

National Heritage List	Register of the National Estate	Victorian Heritage Register

National Trust Register	Endangered Places List	Heritage at Risk - Top 10

National Heritage List

Added to the List in 2005.

The National Heritage List is the highest heritage list in Australia. In November 2005 Cerberus was added to the National Heritage List. This recognised Cerberus as having "outstanding heritage significance to Australia".

Summary: Cerberus was deemed to have met the following criteria.

the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia's natural or cultural history.
the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia's natural or cultural history.

Cerberus was co-nominated for the National Heritage List by Friends of the Cerberus and the National Trust of Australia (Victoria). David Moloney from the National Trust and Ross Anderson from Heritage Victoria made invaluable contributions and complemented our own approach.

Details: Cerberus was deemed to have met the following criteria.

Criterion	Values
(a) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia's natural or cultural history.	The HMVS Cerberus is important as evidence of the development of Australia as a nation and as part of the British Empire. The British Parliament passed the Colonial Naval Defence Act 1865 giving the colonies the power to make laws to provide for their own naval defence. The construction of HMVS Cerberus (1867-1870) reflects a period in Australia's history when the colonies were thought vulnerable to coastal attack and invasion. This was especially felt by Victoria, the wealthiest colony, and from which, a significant amount of the wealth from the goldfields was exported. The history of the service of HMVS Cerberus, from 1871 to 1924, illustrates the development of Australia's defensive needs as part of the British Empire and the role of Britain in providing naval expertise and technical assistance to the Australian colonies. The desire of the colonial governments to produce a coordinated defence was one of the major considerations in the move towards federation, and one, which moved the Cerberus from the Victorian Colonial Navy to the Royal Australian Navy in 1911.
(b) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia's natural or cultural history.	The HMVS Cerberus was one of only three vessels of its exact type ever built, and is the only surviving example of this type of vessel in the world. It is the only substantially intact, surviving warship of Australia's pre-Federation colonial navies. The HMVS Cerberus was the first British built naval ship in which sail-power was dispensed with and which used steam power alone for propulsion. It was the first ship to have a central superstructure, with gun turrets above deck both fore and aft. It was also the first British designed warship to use low freeboard in the monitor style and the first to have iron breastwork protection. The HMVS Cerberus, both as an example of Reed's naval design and a monitor style vessel, is a rare feature of Australia's maritime and naval history at a time when the defence of the Australian colonies relied on British expertise and technical assistance.

Criterion

Values

(a) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia's natural or cultural history.

The HMVS Cerberus is important as evidence of the development of Australia as a nation and as part of the British Empire. The British Parliament passed the Colonial Naval Defence Act 1865 giving the colonies the power to make laws to provide for their own naval defence. The construction of HMVS Cerberus (1867-1870) reflects a period in Australia's history when the colonies were thought vulnerable to coastal attack and invasion. This was especially felt by Victoria, the wealthiest colony, and from which, a significant amount of the wealth from the goldfields was exported.

The history of the service of HMVS Cerberus, from 1871 to 1924, illustrates the development of Australia's defensive needs as part of the British Empire and the role of Britain in providing naval expertise and technical assistance to the Australian colonies. The desire of the colonial governments to produce a coordinated defence was one of the major considerations in the move towards federation, and one, which moved the Cerberus from the Victorian Colonial Navy to the Royal Australian Navy in 1911.

(b) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia's natural or cultural history.

The HMVS Cerberus was one of only three vessels of its exact type ever built, and is the only surviving example of this type of vessel in the world. It is the only substantially intact, surviving warship of Australia's pre-Federation colonial navies.

The HMVS Cerberus was the first British built naval ship in which sail-power was dispensed with and which used steam power alone for propulsion. It was the first ship to have a central superstructure, with gun turrets above deck both fore and aft. It was also the first British designed warship to use low freeboard in the monitor style and the first to have iron breastwork protection.

The HMVS Cerberus, both as an example of Reed's naval design and a monitor style vessel, is a rare feature of Australia's maritime and naval history at a time when the defence of the Australian colonies relied on British expertise and technical assistance.

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Register of the National Estate

Added to Register in 1986.

The Register of the National Estate is Australia's national inventory of natural and cultural heritage places which are worth keeping for the future. It is compiled by the Australian Heritage Commission, the Commonwealth Government's adviser on the National Estate.

"The HMVS Cerberus, as the only survivor of its type in the world, illustrates a particular type or phase in the development of naval technology. Its design, by prominent naval architect E. J. Reed of the British Admiralty, is widely regarded by maritime historians as a complete break with established tradition, which had been manifest in sail-powered timber vessels, towards iron clad steam turret ships, the forerunners of the modern battleship. It incorporated developments in metallurgy, steam power, gun turrets and use of low freeboard. The design for the Cerberus was the first in the world to incorporate the combination of a central superstructure with fore and aft gun turrets, mounted on the deck. It was also the first British warship to dispense completely with sail power and to incorporate the shallow draft, a feature which gave it the ability to reduce the amount of target space for enemy fire."

Victorian Heritage Register

Classified National in 1997.

The Cerberus is one of the most historically important naval vessels in existence with worldwide significance in the history of naval architecture.
The design of the cerberus by the eminent naval architect, e.J. Reed, chief constructor for the british admiralty, was the prototype upon which all major battleships from 1885-1905 were based. Representing a complete break from established tradition, it was known as a turret ship or breastwork monitor.
The first breastwork monitor built, she commenced the development of the ironclad battleships and is now the only surviving vessel of her type in the world.

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National Trust Register

Classified National in 1997.

The Cerberus is one of the most historically important naval vesels in existence, with world-wide significance in the development of naval architecture and the conduct of naval warfare. It was the longest-serving colonial warship. As such, the Cerberus has had closer ties with the history of Melbourne, the State of Victoria, and the Royal Australian Navy than any other vessel.
The Cerberus was the first fully-armoured fighting ship purpose-built for service in Australia, and the first designed to operate without sails. In service, it was the most powerful colonial warship in Australian waters prior to the foundation of the Royal Australian Navy in 1911.
The design of the Cerberus by the eminent naval architect, E J Reed, Chief Constructor for the Royal Navy, was the prototype upon which all British battleships built between 1885 and 1905 was based. It represented a complete departure from the established tradition of wooden, high-sided warships.
As the first breastwork monitor built, the Cerberus represented an important step in the evolutionary development which led to the 20th century battleship, and is now one of only two known monitor-type vessels anywhere in the world - the other being the wreck of the original Monitor which foundered off the U S coast in 1862.
The archaeological significance of the Cerberus is high, as investigations of the remains may have the potential to answer questions and provide interpretations and education in relation to the development of warships, and the naval technology developed and in use at the time.

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The above is adapted from the National Trust's comprehensive Statement of Cultural Heritage Significance.

Endangered Places List

Added to list in 2003.

The National Trust of Australia has run an Endangered Places program for the last seven years. It has been the only national advocacy program of the National Trust Movement and is a collaborative program of the eight State and Territory Trusts, coordinated and managed by the Australian Council of National Trusts.

Cerberus was added to the Endangered Places List in 2003 -

"The Cerberus is of international significance as one of the earliest and last remaining 'Monitor' style warships in the world. It was purpose built for Port Phillip Bay in 1870 to protect Melbourne and its gold from foreign attack. It was the flagship of the Victorian Navy - the largest of the Australian colonial navies.

Its heavy iron superstructure, and lighter iron hull (in the pre-torpedo era) was a radical departure from the wooden warships that had previously dominated world navies. It was the first British warship to be powered purely by steam, and the first ship in the world to mount rotating gun turrets on a central superstructure."

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Our Heritage at Risk - National Top 10

Listed in 2007 and 2008.

The HMVS Cerberus is not only of great significance to Australian heritage, but also internationally, as it was one of the World’s first “Monitor” style warships.

The Cerberus was built 1867-69 for the purpose of defending Melbourne’s gold, but went on to serve for 50 years. She was the flagship of the Victorian Colonial Navy before federation and the first capital ship of the Royal Australian Navy in 1911.

Having acted as a breakwater at Black Rock, Victoria since 1926 the majority of the deck in now under water and despite removal of its heavy guns, the hull is under imminent threat of collapse.

It was placed on the National Heritage List in December 2005 but has not yet received any funding to ensure its survival.

As well as being the only intact Monitor style ship to survive anywhere in the world, the Cerberus was itself a turning point in British battleship design. Its ‘floating fortress’ concept included many firsts – full steam power, a central superstructure with protective armoured breastwork, dual revolving gun turrets, low freeboard and a heavily armoured superstructure.

Martin Purslow, CEO of National Trust Victoria, says that the Cerberus marks a significant period in the history of the battleship. “International naval historians recognise Cerberus as a crucial link between the period of timber line-of-battle ships and the more modern battleships”, said Mr Purslow.

“We are very fortunate that this extraordinary vessel survives just a few hundred metres offshore. We are seeking the State and Federal governments to jointly fund the stabilisation of this rare heritage asset, before it is too late.”

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Our Heritage at Risk is an Australia wide program run in partnership with Engineers Heritage Australia (EHA), Museums Australia (MA) & the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA).