John Nimmo

Wreck Dive | Boat access

Steam Dredge | Max Depth: 68 m (223 ft) — Graveyard

John Nimmo Stern
© Steve Cartlidge

The John Nimmo steam dredge is one of the larger vessels in the Ships' Graveyard and possibly the shipwreck that is in the best condition. She was used for the original dredging of the Port Phillip channels after several mail steamers had grounded. The John Nimmo stands about 4 to 5 metres off the bottom in 68 metres of water. There is plenty of super-structure to explore.

Diving the John Nimmo Shipwreck

Diving the John Nimmo 20th August 2017 | © Aquability

John Nimmo Shipwreck History — Built in 1887

The John Nimmo was an iron hulled steam dredge of 1,209 tons gross, built in 1887, by Forman and Co in Footscray, Melbourne for the Melbourne Harbour Trust. The overall length of the John Nimmo was 228.2 ft (70 m), with a beam of 46.5 ft (14 m) and a draught of 15.5 ft (4.72 m). It had one deck, a round stern, carvel built with 7 bulkheads.

In 1893 the John Nimmo was involved in collision with vessel Eddystone in Corio Bay. In the same year and place she was involved in another collision with the vessel Melbourne.

On 20 July 1901, the dredge John Nimmo while under the command of Captain Robinson, collided with the collier Saint Ronald under the command of Captain James Rattey, in Hopetoun Channel, Geelong.

John Nimmo Sinking — Scuttled 10 August 1931

John Nimmo, Yarra Street Pier, Geelong
Source: State Library Victoria

The John Nimmo was stripped of valuable items by Melbourne shipbreakers. On Monday 10 August 1931 the John Nimmo was taken from Williamstown by the tug Keera and towed out into Bass Strait where she was scuttled in the Victorian Ships' Graveyard using explosive charges.

Heritage Warning: Any shipwreck or shipwreck relic that is 75 years or older is protected by legislation. Other items of maritime heritage 75 years or older are also protected by legislation. Activities such as digging for bottles, coins or other artefacts that involve the disturbance of archaeological sites may be in breach of the legislation, and penalties may apply. The legislation requires the mandatory reporting to Heritage Victoria as soon as practicable of any archaeological site that is identified. See Maritime heritage. Anyone with information about looting or stolen artefacts should call Heritage Victoria on (03) 7022 6390, or send an email to heritage.victoria@delwp.vic.gov.au.

Traditional Owners — This dive site does not lie in the acknowledged traditional Country of any first peoples of Australia.

John Nimmo Location Map

Latitude: 38° 21.787′ S (38.363123° S / 38° 21′ 47.24″ S)
Longitude: 144° 33.355′ E (144.555922° E / 144° 33′ 21.32″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2022-05-14 16:10:31 GMT
Source: Book - Victoria's Ships' Graveyard GPS (verified)
Nearest Neighbour: Malaita, 1,052 m, bearing 336°, NNW
Steam Dredge, 1,209 ton.
Built: Footscray, Victoria, 1887.
Scuttled: 10 August 1931.
Victorian Ships' Graveyard, Bass Strait.
Depth: 66 to 68 m.

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DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.

The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.