After the J-class submarines joined the Royal Australian Navy, the old ironclad was renamed HMAS Platypus II and reclassified as their secondary submarine tender. She was towed to Geelong for this duty. The Cerberus name later passed to the former HMAS Protector and to the naval training base at Western Port, which adopted it in 1921. The original ship was sunk as a breakwater and now lies in about three metres of water, less than 200 metres from shore. Divers can reach the wreck easily, but repeated proposals to raise and restore it face the practical problem of preserving an iron hull. At the time of the recording, available funding appeared to be aimed at corrosion control and interpretive displays on the nearby shore.
Notable Point · 16:31-18:17
From submarine tender to surviving breakwater
Renamed HMAS Platypus II, Cerberus served as a secondary tender for Australia's J-class submarines before becoming a shallow-water breakwater and difficult preservation case.