tragic guardian of the bay Divers honour Goorangai wreck victims Divers from Dive Victoria place a wreath on the wreck of HMAS Goorangai, which sank in Port Phillip Bay in 1940 with the loss of 24 lives. PT2M9S http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-2xuqa 620 349 November 20, 2013 - 12:29PM It is a peaceful, beautiful site 15 metres beneath the flowing tides at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The seaweed, grasses, coral and fish mostly blanket and camouflage what remains of the HMAS Goorangai, which sank 73 years ago on Wednesday, taking all 24 crew with it. It was very traumatic. Still is... Life had to go on but there was an empty chair. The minesweeper was the first Royal Australian Navy ship sunk during the Second World War after it was split in two in a collision with the 10,400 ton troopship MV Duntroon at the mouth of the bay. Dive Victoria's Josh Clark lays a wreath on the wreck of HMAS Goorangai to mark the 73rd anniversary of the ship's sinking. Photo: Tim Young Despite the years, the outline of the Goorangai is still visible as you dive deep into the cool bay water; you can still see the splintered remains of the former 223-ton fishing trawler that was converted to a minesweeper at the start of the Second World War. It is not hard to picture the panic of the sailors aboard the broken ship as it sank like a stone in the fading light. Until that point, the Goorangai had been carrying out the urgent task of clearing mines along Australia's east coast that had been laid by the German merchant raider Pinguin and its auxiliary Passat. The mines had already sunk two merchant ships: the British ship Cambridge and the American vessel City of Rayville. As Goorangai returned to Melbourne to resupply and seek calm refuge, it crossed the path of the MV Duntroon ferrying troops to Sydney. The Goorangai had been anchored at Queenscliff and decided to move to more comfortable anchorage at Point Nepean near the quarantine station. At about 8.45pm on the 20 November 1940, the MV Duntroon collided with the HMAS Goorangai. The Goorangai sank in less than a minute. Poor ship lighting was later blamed for the tragedy. The reason was of little consequence to those on board, all 24 died with only a handful of bodies recovered. This week diving operator Dive Victoria laid a wreath at the Goorangai wreck to commemorate those lost on the tragic night in November 1940. A commemorative Service was also held at Queenscliff on Sunday for the Goorangai by the Naval Commemoration Committee of Victoria. Wal Ladlow had had turned 10 a few days before the Goorangai sank. He remembers his birthday week well - his brother, Able Seaman Arthur Thomas Robert Ladlow was one of the two dozen sailors aboard the Goorangai when it was hit. Arthur had just turned 20. Still is," an emotional Mr Ladlow said of the sinking. "Life had to go on but there was an empty chair," he told Fairfax Media. Mr Ladlow said few people realise how close the war came to Melbourne. It is amazing how many people do not know just how close Germany was to Melbourne. There were 40 mines between Gabo and Otway," he said. The president of the Naval Commemoration Committee of Victoria, Terry Makings, said the Goorangai is an important part of Australia's history. "It was the first warship lost by the Royal Australian Navy since federation," he said. He said the Goorangai's loss was a tragic reminder of how dangerous life at sea could be. "You had people that were essentially fishermen and were then sweeping mines in Bass Strait and were seeking save haven and were all lost," he said. Josh Clark from Dive Victoria said the wreath was to pay respect to a little-known war grave at Melbourne's doorstep. He said the Goorangai is an important part of Victoria and Australia's history, and those who were lost should be remembered and honoured for their sacrifice. Mr Clark said the bay was rich with Australia's military history - the first Australian shots of both World War I and World War II were fired from Fort Nepean. A few months after the HMAS Goorangai collision the military set explosives on the minesweeper to clear the important shipping channel. Despite this clearing work, and the more recent massive dredging of the bay, the HMAS Goorangai remains - a largely unknown sentry and memorial to lost sailors, still guarding the bay. Fairfax Media visited the Goorangai with Dive Victoria.