If you happen to have been fortunate sufficient, you may need seen an awesome pale yellow monstrosity laying on the again of a truck being transported via city final week.
And for those who have been savvy sufficient to establish the wreck as a submarine, you’ll have been proper on the cash.
The historic oddity was hauled via Broome by Geraldton concreter Steve Easton as he made his approach again to Geraldton from Derby.
On the journey again he stopped by Broome Major Faculty to point out off the half-century-old submarine which has a wealthy and fascinating historical past.
Mr Easton’s vessel is a clone of one other submarine that was first constructed on the Dongara shipyard over a number of months in 1966 with it initially sporting a grey and crimson paint coat.
Standing 3m excessive, 8.four meters lengthy and weighing virtually 10 tonnes, the submarines’ supposed objective was to hunt painted crayfish on the ocean flooring, whereas others speculate it was constructed to search for misplaced treasure.
However after battery fumes from the electrical motor powering the submarine proved to be poisonous, the vessel was introduced again land facet and painted yellow in honor of the then-recently launched Beatles track Yellow Submarine.
It was then used as an iconic Geraldton monument for many years till the vessel degraded sufficient to want restoration, which is at the moment underneath approach by the Rotary Membership of Better Geraldton.
However the second submarine, which is now in Mr Easton’s possession, disappeared after leaving the Dongara shipyard in 1966, washing up years in a while the shore of King Sound.
The sub was then housed at Broome Museum for a few years, earlier than being taken to Derby and used as an attraction at a neighborhood cafe earlier than coming into Mr Easton’s possession.
Mr Easton mentioned he jumped on the alternative to seize the Derby submarine as quickly as he noticed it and hopes to refurbish the vessel and switch it into an attraction for the local people though he hasn’t settled on an concept simply but.
“I used to be pondering of turning it into one thing I can simply take round to colleges for a historical past lesson or I’d put it outdoors my farm as a little bit of an attraction,” he mentioned.
The Geraldton landmark now sits in a shed in Webberton owned by the Rotary Membership of Better Geraldton and is awaiting placement as an entrance assertion to the Gascoyne city.
