Alkimos (ship)
Encyclopedia
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
vessel
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
which was wrecked on the coast north of Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in 1963. The wreck is a diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
venue, but is also of interest to ghost hunters
Ghost hunting
Ghost Hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts.Typically, a ghost hunting team will attempt to collect evidence claimed to be supportive of paranormal activity...
.
History
The ship was built as part of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
program during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was launched in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
in 1943 and was originally scheduled to be named George M. Shriver. The ship was instead christened Viggo Hansteen and saw war service for about 18 months. After the war it was sold to a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
shipping company and renamed Alkimos (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
for "strong"; also the father of Mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
).
As Alkimos, the ship plied the world's oceans for some two decades. In March 1963, the vessel was on a voyage from Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
to Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
when it struck a reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
off the Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
n coast. It was salvaged and towed to Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, the port city for Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, where it underwent repairs for two months. After settlement of a dispute concerning payment for the repairs, the Alkimos left Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
under tow by an ocean-going tug from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Only a few hours out of port, the tow line gave way and the Alkimos was driven onto the shore. Although the ship remained intact, it could not be floated off at that time, and so it was filled with water to secure it in place and left in the charge of an on-board caretaker. Another tug returned in January 1964 and the ship was refloated, but the planned journey to Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
had hardly begun when the tug was seized at sea by authorities and the Alkimos was left anchored. In May 1964, the vessel broke anchor and was driven onto the Eglinton Rocks near present-day Yanchep
Yanchep, Western Australia
Yanchep is an outer coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 56 kilometres north of Perth's central business district. It is part of the City of Wanneroo local government area. It was built by entrepreneur Alan Bond in the 1970s for the 1977 America's Cup...
. On this occasion it was more severely damaged, and all thought of salvaging it intact was abandoned. It was sold by the owners for the purposes of scrapping. However, even that outcome was thwarted when, in 1969, a salvage worker said he heard ghostly noises when he was going to sleep and salvage workers were driven off the wreck by an unexplained fire, and since that time the partly dismantled remains of the ship have been left standing in several metres of water very visible to visitors to the location.
As of April 2007 the structure was almost fully disintegrated above the water line to the point where only the engine block is visible from the beach.
Ghost stories
A variety of events and allegations throughout the vessel's history have given rise to it being regarded as being 'jinxed', cursed or haunted, both during its working life and since it was wrecked. This aspect is the main focus of present-day interest in the ship.Regular references are made in radio and television shows regarding the superstitions. Jack Wong Sue
Jack Wong Sue
Jack Wong Sue, OAM, DCM, JP also known as Jack Sue was a Chinese Australian from Perth, Western Australia. Wong Sue served as a member of the commando/special reconnaissance section, Z Special Unit....
, who co-authored a book on the subject, has appeared on ABC television describing the hauntings.
Stories of paranormal events linked with the Alkimos (many detailed in Sue's book) include:
- During the hasty construction of the ship welders were allegedly sealed between hulls, with their ghosts haunting the vessel ever since (this story is identical to one told about the SS Great EasternSS Great EasternSS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steam ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built by J. Scott Russell & Co. at Millwall on the River Thames, London. She was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers around the...
)
- Apparitions of a small dog in the engine room during the ship's service.
- A murder-suicide is alleged to have occurred on the ship.
- Horses riding along the beach are said to refuse to pass the wreck.
- An apparition of a human figure (christened "Harry") has been sighted on the ship by various people including local craySpiny lobsterSpiny lobsters, also known as langouste or rock lobsters, are a family of about 45 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia...
fishermen. Subsequent searchings of the wreck have never been able to locate anyone. Harry is said to appear in rubber boots and oilskins.
- A number of allegedly paranormal phenomena were reported by salvage workers occupying the wreck. Footsteps were heard on ladders when all salvage crews were accounted for, and ghostly footsteps would follow workers around the vessel at night. Cooking smells and noises would emanate from the galley, but upon investigation would cease, only to begin again when the galley door was closed. Tools were reported to be moved by unseen hands, mysteriously vanishing then reappearing later.
- At one point a married couple took over as caretakers of the ship. The wife (who was pregnant) suffered a serious fall and had to be rushed to hospital where she gave birth to a premature stillborn baby.
- Herbert Voight, a locally well known long distance swimmer vanished while attempting to swim between Cottesloe Beach and Rottnest IslandRottnest IslandRottnest Island is located off the coast of Western Australia, near Fremantle. It is called Wadjemup by the Noongar people, meaning "place across the water". The island is long, and at its widest point with a total land area of . It is classified as an A Class Reserve and is managed by the...
in 1969. Some years later his skull was found near the wreck.
- The ship was bought and sold at least 8 times whilst stranded. It is claimed that each person or persons who purchased the ship suffered inexplicable bad luck (such as bankruptcy and life threatening illness) which mysteriously vanished once the vessel was re-sold.
- Bad luck is said to have plagued others associated with the wreck. A US Navy submariner by the name of Ted Snider was killed in a plane crash after assessing the wreck. Jack Sue was hospitalised in intensive care with an unidentified respiratory disease after researching the ship.
- Numerous other stories of near drownings, engine failures and accidents near the wreck are reported.
Legacy
There is now a locality named AlkimosAlkimos, Western Australia
Alkimos is an unpopulated coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located north-northwest of Perth's central business district. It is part of the City of Wanneroo local government area....
near the site of the wreck and named after it.
- Jack Wong SueJack Wong SueJack Wong Sue, OAM, DCM, JP also known as Jack Sue was a Chinese Australian from Perth, Western Australia. Wong Sue served as a member of the commando/special reconnaissance section, Z Special Unit....
and Barry Sue Ghost of the Alkimos (Revised edition: Perth, 2005) - Sunday Times Magazine (Perth), 19 March 2006, p. 14
Online
- ABC Television program Stateline (Transcript)
- Supernatural Traditions of Western Australia
- Jack & Barry Sue's Book concerning the Alkimos
- Diving company notice about the Alkimos
- Shipwrecks of the Wanneroo Coast
- Ghostwriting: The Alkimos and its Ghosts
- Photo of the Alkimos in 1969
