Another small coastal freighter that sprung a leak shortly after leaving the old wharf at Cabbage Tree Harbour and sunk.

On the 11th of June 1951, the Patersen set sail and promptly sank in only 10 metres of water not 300 metres away. Built at Sydney in 1920 and being a wooden steamer, after her demise she soon began to disintegrate and her 148 foot length has all but disappeared.

Lying on sand in shallow water fairly close to rocks allowed the ocean to brutalise this wreck and after salvors removed as much cargo and equipment the wreck is now classified as a wrecksite.

Ideal depths around 8 to 10m make the Patersen a good place to finish off the remaining 50 to 80 bar in your tank, especially as the site is only two minutes away from the ramp at Cabbage tree Bay.

The large firetube boiler is a prominent feature of the site with eels and Lingfish taking up residence in the holes.
A large wobbie occasionally sleeps under some wreckage and the scattered remains are strewn in a fairly big area.

The Patersen is an ideal introduction into wreck diving as she is full of obstacles, with no entry points and being shallow- allows ample time for mapping exercises.

After sand shifts caused by large storms, relics can still be found still today- Such items as Ipana toothpaste tubes, white Marmite jars with several handfuls of knives and forks, plates, cups and saucers.

Drop in one time for a quick look around and be delighted with such an easy dive.