Meet the site
This site holds two vessels on one patch of seabed at the mouth of Fremantle Harbour. The Lygnern was a Swedish steel steamship of about 122 m and 2,874 tons. In September 1928 she touched an uncharted shoal, now Beagle Shoal, while moving from Gage Roads, lost her rudder and engine function and went aground at the harbour mouth. She stayed upright and intact for years until she was demolished with explosives during the Second World War.
The Samuel Plimsoll was a 1,500-ton clipper launched in 1874 and famous for fast passages between Britain and Australia. She caught fire and was scuttled in the Thames in 1899, was salvaged, then was dismasted in a gale near New Zealand and ended her days as a coal hulk in Fremantle. In 1945 she sank in the harbour, by one account after a collision with the Dalgoma. The hulk was cut up, raised and dumped over the Lygnern.
The result is a flattened field of iron plates, ribs, frames and fittings in 8 m. It is a site for divers who enjoy history and working out wreckage rather than an intact ship. The steel supports sponges, ascidians and small fish, and the seabed around the debris holds rays and flatheads.
The challenges are practical: heavy commercial and recreational traffic in and out of the port and to Rottnest, a long run from the ramps and river water that clouds the surface layer. Choose a calm day at the end of the flood tide and keep the boat attended.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
Lygnern & Samuel Plimsoll Wrecks is recorded as Wreck in Perth. The listed access is boat. Confirm the actual meeting point, route and permission to visit; a map pin does not establish any of these.
Topics flagged by the stored research
These are questions prompted by the existing notes, not a verified or complete hazard assessment.
- Other water users
- Ask about vessel activity, exclusion areas and the agreed surface arrangements.
- Lines and obstructions
- Discuss any known entanglement concerns and the suitability of the planned area.
- Water movement
- Ask how swell and local exposure affect the proposed entry, exit and route.
Historical access notes exist for this record, but have not been independently verified for current use. Request current directions from the operator or site manager rather than following an old entry description.
Questions, answered
Is Lygnern & Samuel Plimsoll Wrecks suitable for my certification?
The record lists Open Water. That does not establish suitability for every route or day. Share your training, recent experience and equipment needs with the operator and ask about the specific proposed dive.
Can I book Lygnern & Samuel Plimsoll Wrecks through YouDive?
YouDive is an independent research directory. Contact an operator directly to confirm whether it currently runs the trip, the inclusions and the booking terms.
What you might see
Sponges, ascidians, bullseyes, old wives, wrasse, rays, flathead, octopus
Location
Two broken wrecks on one site in 8 m just outside the Fremantle Harbour entrance, immediately south of the isolated-danger navigation marker off the South Mole.
Facilities nearby
Leeuwin Boat Ramp (East Fremantle) and Woodman Point ramp: parking, toilets, fish-cleaning facilities.
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
divingwawrecks.comdivingwawrecks.comRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.
