'Tasman Hauler', 1988

The 419-ton Tasman Hauler was built by Evans Deakin and Co. Ltd of Brisbane for BP (Kwinana) Pty Ltd. She was a firefighting tug, originally named the BP Cockburn, and was launched in November 1959. On 6th July 1988, she was stranded on rocks at Twofold Bay, presumably after dragging her anchors or breaking her mooring. She was refloated but was declared a total loss. The Tasman Hauler and another tug, the Henry Bolte, were purchased by the-then Eden dive operator, Gary Becus, for $1 each. On 1 October 1988, he sank the Tasman Hauler and, around the same time, the Henry Bolte just south of Red Point in Twofold Bay to start artificial reefs and to provide wreck sites for his divers.