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Cerberus Newsletter No. 225
30 August 2026
100 years at Half Moon Bay.
On Thursday the second of September 1926 the tugs Agnes and Minah towed Cerberus into Half Moon Bay in order to scuttle the flat bottomed warship as a breakwater. Small boats utilised the protection provided by Cerberus and the timber breakwater extension until at least the 1960s.
Preceding Cerberus and the tugs were the Plover and a motor-boat whose role was to mark where Cerberus was to be scuttled. According to the article reproduced below, Cerberus settled where intended. The myth that Cerberus drifted out of position is almost certainly a confusion with the submarine J7 which, when scuttled just four years later nearby, did indeed shift out of position as she settled. See Cerberus Myths
Fun Fact 1: The photo below (a section of the larger photo), which was captioned in the September 3 1926 Argus newspaper, as showing Agnes and Minah "just after the tugs had brought her [Cerberus] into position". The photo also appears to show Plover and the motor-boat at the left end of the flotilla.
Fun Fact 2: There is no evidence to support Google AI's claim that Plover was a tugboat.
Fun Fact 3: "the beach at Black Rock", mentioned in the photo's caption, is known locally as the Half Moon Bay Beach. Black Rock Beach is roughly two kilometres further down Port Phillip.
END OF CERBERUS
SUNK AT BLACK ROCK.
BREAKWATER FOR SMALL CRAFT.
Yesterday morning the hulk of the old iron-clad Cerberus was towed from her berth at the Williamstown pier, where everything of value had been removed from her, & sunk off the Black Rock jetty to form a breakwater for the yachts & fishing boats.
Although the ultimate fate of the Cerberus was decided some time ago, when the Black Rock Yacht Club purchased it for £150 & resold it for the same amount to the municipal council under an agreement that it should be used as a breakwater, the date of the final move was indefinite. This was because the vice-president of the Marine Board (Mr. George Kermode), under whose direction the vessel was sunk, did not wish to carry out the somewhat difficult task until the opportunity afforded by perfect weather conditions presented itself.
For this reason the sight of the strange flotilla that appeared off Half Moon Bay shortly after 9 o'clock took residents somewhat by surprise. The word, however, was passed round swiftly, & soon the cliffs were thronged by interested spectators, who saw approaching the grey, squat hull, towed by the tugs Agnes & Minah, & preceded by the Plover & a motor-boat to mark the mooring.
By 10 o'clock what was left of the Cerberus had been towed & coaxed by the tugs to within 400 yards of the jetty, where her bow was made fast to the existing breakwater, & the stern was slowly swung into position & secured to a temporary mooring. The operation had been timed for high water, when there is a depth of 15ft. on the bank selected for the breakwater, & it was estimated that the Cerberus was drawing nearly 14ft. Immediately the hull was made fast 3 seacocks were opened, & the flooding of the vessel began.
Dingys put off from the jetty, & the harbour master's motor-boat took off a large crowd of excited small boys who swarmed over the decks & down below to watch the rising water. The Cerberus sank almost imperceptibly, going down slightly by the stern. There was a large amount of scrap iron & odds & ends of useless gear, & visitors took away weighty bolts & nuts as souvenirs, after peeping into the turrets to inspect the heavy rusting guns.
Early yesterday morning the old ironclad Cerberus was towed from Williamstown across the bay to Black Rock, where she was sunk on a sandbank to form a breakwater for small craft. The Cerberus has lain at Williamstown for some years, stripped of everything of value. The photograph was taken just after the tugs had brought her into position off the beach at Black Rock.
The Argus, 3 September 1926 |
Another Progress Report
In our previous newsletter I wrote:-
Following a meeting in November 2025 between representatives from the City of Bayside, SMEG (Snowy Mountains Engineering Group), Professional Diving Services, Dr Ian MacLeod (Iron Preservation expert) and ourselves, a path forward regarding Cerberus was agreed on.
As quoted in our two previous newsletters the above mentioned course of action was "To further understand the condition and position of existing supporting elements under the gun turrets an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) Survey is being organised early in 2026. The results of this survey will hopefully allow us to understand whether additional support is required for the turrets and whether any support can actually be inserted under the turrets."
In the process of organising this investigation, the City of Bayside consulted with the Federal Heritage Department who indicated that they wanted a full Site Investigations Report. Expressions of interest were therefore advertised for. To their credit, the City of Bayside didn't simply choose the lowest tender and move forward. Rather, an assessment was made as to whether accepting one of the tenders would achieve the desired outcome and it was decided that doing so would not.
Our opinion is that, as all possible means of supporting the gun turrets, and hence Cerberus, have been investigated over the last 25 years except for the Polyurethane proposal, the best way forward is to proceed as was recommended in November 2025 and conduct an ROV study under the gun turrets.
The Victorian Navy - of the Colony of Victoria (Chapter 13)
Over the last decade I have been writing a book about the Victorian Navy. Although not yet complete, Friends of the Cerberus has decided to make the book available in instalments to our loyal supporters. Occasionally we will provide access to a new chapter in sequence.
Chapter 19, which details the campaign to Save the Cerberus, will be distributed when completed. This chapter will describe the 20 year campaign and give credit to those instrumental in advancing our campaign. The chapters are listed below. Chapters 17, 18 and 19 are in the process of being written.
As always, comments are most welcome. Chapter 13, Fleet Manoeuvres can now be downloaded.
