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The "Euro vs H.C. Pigott" Debate
(or How wreck identification isn't always easy!)
Written by Greg Blair & Barrie Heard

When wrecks have been re-discovered post sinking/scuttling there is a fair amount of effort involved in, first identifying, then verifying, exactly what is the name of the vessel. Sometimes this effort involves far more time than what was spent "mowing the lawn" in the surrounding area. As wrecks can be "discovered", sometimes after submerged for a long time, a certain amount of deterioration may have occurred further hampering efforts to identify and prove the ships identity. Further complications for identification arise when any blueprints or identifying information that might have been available has been discarded into the dusty archives, buried and over time, lost forever. The subsequent identity can be a subject of discussion for several years with ongoing debate between interested parties as to the wreck's true identity. One such case (or mystery) surrounds two vessels locate in the Commonwealth Dumping Ground Number 3, located off the coast of Victoria, Australia.

Over many years, several discussions have occurred between various technical diving groups regarding that true identity of two vessels, one, a harbour tug called the EURO and another, a dredge named the H.C. PIGOTT. Normally, you would think that there would be a clear distinction between both vessels due to their totally different purposes, superstructure and configuration but unfortunately time and the ravages of the sea has complicated the identification for these vessels. Comparing images taken from the archives with the modern images taken recently of the vessels lying on the seabed can further confuse the issue of identification. Hopefully the pages documenting our research will go some way in resolving this situation.

Both vessels lie in depths deeper than normal recreational diving limits and subsequently require substantial decompression obligations before divers can safely surface after even moderate bottom times. The area that they lay is also subject to weather and conditions that are not always conducive to diving meaning opportunities to visit them are also limited. This report/page is a record of various discussions and opinions from various Technical Divers, Charter Operators and leading local experts involved in searching and identification of shipwrecks in this part of Victoria's coastline.

Divers involved in the project:
Barrie Heard - Technical Diving expert, Wreck finder, Team IANTD member.
Rowan Stevens - Trimix Technical Diver, Leader of the Red October Group, Wreck finder, Team IANTD member.
Jeff Giddens - Operator and Owner of Scuttlebutt Scuba Charters, Technical Diver.
Greg Blair - Trimix Technical Diver, Underwater Photographer, Team IANTD member.
Pedr Klein - Trimix Technical Diver, Team IANTD member

The Vessels:
EURO - The EURO was originally laid down in the Gourlay Bros. shipyard, Dundee, Scotland in 1897 and was originally operated in the Port of Adelaide by the Adelaide Steamship Company for most of its working life before being sold to Howard Smith's Australian Steamships, based in Melbourne. After half a century of use, it was stripped of fittings and scuttled in the Ships' Graveyard in 1948. The EURO was a screw steamer (ss) tug of 247 tons with the dimensions of 130' x 22.5' x 12.2'.

H.C. Pigott - The PIGOTT was used extensively during the maintenance of rivers, channels and port facilities of Port Phillip Bay. The vessel was named after Henry Capel Pigott, one of the first commissioners of the Melbourne Harbour Trust. He served as a commissioner between the years 1887-82 and 1885-1913. The vessel was laid down in the shipyards of Fleming & Ferguson, Paisley, Scotland in 1912 and scuttled in the Ships' Graveyard in 1935. She was a screw steamer (ss) hopper barge of 495 tons with the dimensions of 160.0' x 28.1' x 12.6'.

Research Links:
Some links used in our quest to positively identify these scuttled vessels:
Picture Australia for images - www.pictureaustralia.org
Department of the Environment and Heritage -www.deh.gov.au
Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology - www.aima.iinet.net.au

Dispelling inaccuracies:
Both vessels were "sister" ships. This rumour is impossible to be taken seriously due to these facts: one is a tug, the other a hopper, both were built in different shipyards and several years between and finally they were built for two totally separate owners.
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