Star of Greece Shipwreck

We often take for granted Gulf St Vincent - seemingly so peaceful - like a salty backyard playground. But this stretch of water can lose its temper. The type of conditions that stripped planks of jarrah off the Semaphore Jetty in 1993 were really only a swell compared to the night of Friday July 13 1888. That was considered a "one in a hundred years" storm.

One of it's victims was The Star of Greece. She was a three masted iron ship built in Belfast that carried cargo around the world. She had made many trips to Port Adelaide, one of which delivered the 22 ton cannons designed to defend the colony at Fort Glanville. The Star of Greece was the pride of the Star shipping line, but was no match for the tempest. She hit the bottom off Port Willunga and broke up - only 11 of the 28 men on board survived. "The remains of the Star of Greece lie just off shore here at Port Willunga, which makes you wonder why so many of the crew perished. Well, she ran aground around 3am and so it wasn't until dawn that a young girl on the shore first saw the ship and raised the alarm. However, the Telegraph Office didn't open until 9am, so it was mid morning before the authorities in Adelaide could mount a rescue attempt - and the first rescue boats didn't arrive until late afternoon." 110 years after the disaster, The State of Greece remains one of the easiest wrecks to access in the State.

The Star of Greece was 70 metres long, and today about half of that length remains on the sandy ocean floor. On clear days the girders of the mid section appear like a ribcage and a portion of the bow breaks the surface at low tide. The Star of Greece was carrying 16-thousand bags of wheat for Britain when she sank. When it started breaking up, a banker from Aldinga, Charlie Addison tried to swim through the mountainous seas to grab a rope tossed by the crew of the fast sinking vessel - to no avail. The people of Port Willunga created a memorial for those who perished, but it was destroyed by white ants. Now a plaque lies on the seabed telling the story to those who scuba or snorkel down to it. Inevitably the wreck has been stripped over the years, but it is still a fascinating dive. At low tide the wreck is about three metres below the surface, so you can snorkel around it. It lies close enough to shore for a strong swimmer to make it out and back.

Postcards Feature on the Star of Greece Cafe