| Accession Number | ART94500 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | sheet: 17.8 x 27.8 cm; image: 14.8 x 23.8 cm |
| Object type | |
| Physical description | wood-engraving on paper |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London |
| Date made | 1869 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
The Cerberus Turret-Ship
Description
HMVS Cerberus (Her Majesty's Victorian Ship) was a breastwork monitor that served in the Victorian Naval Forces, the Commonwealth Naval Forces (CNF), and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) between 1871 and 1924. Built for the colony of Victoria, Cerberus was completed in 1870, and arrived in Port Phillip in 1871, where she spent the rest of her career. The monitor was absorbed into the CNF following Federation in 1901, and was renamed HMAS Cerberus when the navy became the RAN in 1911. The monitor was scuttled in 1926 at Half Moon Bay to serve as a breakwater for the Black Rock Yacht Club.
HMVS Cerberus had two gun turrets which enabled the guns to swivel. The guns retracted into the turrets, with two 10 inch rifle muzzle loading guns on each turret. Cerberus was the first ironclad steam-powered screw-driven naval vessel in Australia, for the defence of Victoria.