The historic (Lighthouse Supply and Navigational Aids Maintenance Ship) MV Cape Don is a “part of the maritime history of Australia”.
(Photo courtesy of MV Cape Don Society)
The Cape Don was built in at the Newcastle State Dockyards in NSW. The keel was laid in 1961 and the ship was completed in January 1963. It was commissioned that same year. It is one of the last remaining ships that were purpose-built to service navigational aids, including manned lighthouses. It was primarily used along the Western Australian coast.
The vessel is now berthed at the end of Balls Head Drive in Waverton, Sydney where it is being cared for by the MV Cape Don Society. The work of the Society is being overseen by a charitable trust called the Sea Heritage Foundation. The Society also has a Facebook page.
The Cape Don was the vessel that raised the two anchors from Matthew Flinders’ ship Investigator in 1973, as reported in Photos of the Recovery of the Lost Anchors from Matthew Flinders’ Ship HMS Investigator .
MV Cape Don Society needs volunteers to help, plus financial donations.