For more interesting footage of HMAS OTAMA after she left Westernport bay please check this channel out ua-cam.com/channels/NMq3XuWpmuNUOwWAseh2iQ.html
Thankyou Jamie, As a former member and a submariner this is sad to see. 😢. I will monitor her progress over the next 5 days and record her arrival at Henderson. Well done ✔️
Thank you Jamie well done mate. Extremely sad and disheartening to see another item of Aussie "identity/history" taken away, destroyed or demolished which happens much to often these days. 🥲Just saying. (dad) Peace.
A sad end to a sad and sorry debacle. They acquired it with a $500k of Federal Government Tax Payers money to buy it and move it to Crib Point, they had and still have no land to put it on, there were no prior negotiations with the State Government before it was acquired. The original Federal grant was meant to fund the landing of it to shore, but no negotiations or approvals to do so were in place when they were given that original $500k, where was the due diligence? There were 30 other bidders at the time, its likely Otama would be permanently preserved and on public display had the $500k grant and ownership been given to a more capable group with the capability and capacity to fund and deliver a real outcome. It seems little private funding or public fundraising has occured since to maintain it, $10k was donated when the mooring lines needed replacing but the Port of Hastings (Victorian Tax Payers ended up spending $50k to replace it). When the ballast tank flooded last year and caused it to list, it was the Victorian Taxpayer to the rescue again. In 2008 it was offered for sale on ebay - there was interest from Franston City Council and St Kilda Marina but the existing owners have persisted with this debacle. They shunned advice and support from experienced submariners and their Association. At any time since 2008 temporary or permanent preservation and display outcomes could have been pursued and implemented, HMAS Otama “could” have been towed to Williamstown and moored on Gem Pier next to the WW2 Minesweeper HMAS Castlemaine and restored and opened for public tours, it could in 2015 taken its turn in the Williamstown Dry Dock for repairs and maintenance- those are all lost opportunities and there is only one party to blame and thats the WPOA and VMC, not the Victorian Government or local Councils? There is more background to the apparent incompetence and behaviours behind this debacle, the writing has been on the wall for the last two years and none of those alternative outcomes to save the sub appear to have been pursued. In 2016 they have acquired another ship with no money to move it, no money to restore it and no place to put it - will that too become the fault and problem of the Victorian and local governments and the burden of Victorian Tax Payers? Its the Defence Dept who is funding the $5M to recover and transport it back to WA for scrapping as its their history that is being tarnished by this debacle and its their likely liability should it sink or contaminate Westernport Bay as clearly WPOA have to insurance or funds to cover that either. Its interesting to note that RAN land at Cerberus was not made available for siting of Otama either. Put the blame where it is deserved - squarely at the feet of WPOA / Victorian Maritime Centre, and don’t permit the same thing to be done again with another ship that is well beyond their capabilities.
100% they made no effort and just waited for government to hand them money, they should be ashamed, and they are doing it again with the ship in tassie
I actually proportionate a large amount of the blame for this debacle squarely at the feet of the RAN. Had they done their due diligence at the start with an in-depth investigation into WPOA and VMC they would have found out that neither organisation were mature enough to purchase the submarine and that neither organisation either seperate or combined had the assets or infrastructure to own a submarine
Heads need to roll over the mismanagement of this whole HMAS Otama museum. Why the council couldn't take care of the site and issue the permits so it could be bought ashore is beyond me. 20 years sitting there and not a single attempt to get it happening. It's as if the council never ever wanted it to actually built in the first place. The whole council needs to be sacked and administrator put in control like has been done a few times already and is currently the situation with the City of Whittlesea.
For more interesting footage of HMAS OTAMA after she left Westernport bay please check this channel out ua-cam.com/channels/NMq3XuWpmuNUOwWAseh2iQ.html
Nicely done mate - as a serving Navy member, it is sad to see it end like this.
Yes a very sad occasion, I was hoping after all the media last year they would finally get funding. Thanks for your service ✌️
Thankyou Jamie,
As a former member and a submariner this is sad to see. 😢. I will monitor her progress over the next 5 days and record her arrival at Henderson.
Well done ✔️
Farewell Otama
Very sad I waited over 4 hours to tour a submarine at Station Pier , 1983. Can't remember her name.
Thank you Jamie well done mate. Extremely sad and disheartening to see another item of Aussie "identity/history" taken away, destroyed or demolished which happens much to often these days. 🥲Just saying. (dad) Peace.
A sad end to a sad and sorry debacle.
They acquired it with a $500k of Federal Government Tax Payers money to buy it and move it to Crib Point, they had and still have no land to put it on, there were no prior negotiations with the State Government before it was acquired.
The original Federal grant was meant to fund the landing of it to shore, but no negotiations or approvals to do so were in place when they were given that original $500k, where was the due diligence?
There were 30 other bidders at the time, its likely Otama would be permanently preserved and on public display had the $500k grant and ownership been given to a more capable group with the capability and capacity to fund and deliver a real outcome.
It seems little private funding or public fundraising has occured since to maintain it, $10k was donated when the mooring lines needed replacing but the Port of Hastings (Victorian Tax Payers ended up spending $50k to replace it).
When the ballast tank flooded last year and caused it to list, it was the Victorian Taxpayer to the rescue again.
In 2008 it was offered for sale on ebay - there was interest from Franston City Council and St Kilda Marina but the existing owners have persisted with this debacle.
They shunned advice and support from experienced submariners and their Association.
At any time since 2008 temporary or permanent preservation and display outcomes could have been pursued and implemented, HMAS Otama “could” have been towed to Williamstown and moored on Gem Pier next to the WW2 Minesweeper HMAS Castlemaine and restored and opened for public tours, it could in 2015 taken its turn in the Williamstown Dry Dock for repairs and maintenance- those are all lost opportunities and there is only one party to blame and thats the WPOA and VMC, not the Victorian Government or local Councils?
There is more background to the apparent incompetence and behaviours behind this debacle, the writing has been on the wall for the last two years and none of those alternative outcomes to save the sub appear to have been pursued.
In 2016 they have acquired another ship with no money to move it, no money to restore it and no place to put it - will that too become the fault and problem of the Victorian and local governments and the burden of Victorian Tax Payers?
Its the Defence Dept who is funding the $5M to recover and transport it back to WA for scrapping as its their history that is being tarnished by this debacle and its their likely liability should it sink or contaminate Westernport Bay as clearly WPOA have to insurance or funds to cover that either.
Its interesting to note that RAN land at Cerberus was not made available for siting of Otama either.
Put the blame where it is deserved - squarely at the feet of WPOA / Victorian Maritime Centre, and don’t permit the same thing to be done again with another ship that is well beyond their capabilities.
100% they made no effort and just waited for government to hand them money, they should be ashamed, and they are doing it again with the ship in tassie
I actually proportionate a large amount of the blame for this debacle squarely at the feet of the RAN. Had they done their due diligence at the start with an in-depth investigation into WPOA and VMC they would have found out that neither organisation were mature enough to purchase the submarine and that neither organisation either seperate or combined had the assets or infrastructure to own a submarine
👍😍 🇱🇰
Heads need to roll over the mismanagement of this whole HMAS Otama museum. Why the council couldn't take care of the site and issue the permits so it could be bought ashore is beyond me. 20 years sitting there and not a single attempt to get it happening. It's as if the council never ever wanted it to actually built in the first place. The whole council needs to be sacked and administrator put in control like has been done a few times already and is currently the situation with the City of Whittlesea.