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[pelican]

The Age

Divers salvage stolen cars from Maribyrnong

Marika Dobbin

September 5, 2008 - 10:06AM

Divers have discovered 169 cars at the bottom of the Maribyrnong River in a police operation to investigate stolen and dumped vehicles.

Police spent a month salvaging 68 cars - some of which had been underwater for more than two decades and one since July this year - but at least 100 sunken cars remain because they are too fragile to move.

Nearly all of the cars recovered from the river, between Footscray Road and the north-western end of Chifley Drive in Maribyrnong, had been reported stolen, with some of them suspected to be the subject of fraudulent insurance claims.

Inspector Steve Guilmartin said the same sonar equipment used in Operation River Sweep would soon target the Yarra and Barwon River in coming months.

"These vehicles we couldn't retrieve where those which were breaking up when we tried to tow or those which had already fallen to pieces,'' he said.

"Many of these vehicles have been in the water for a long period of time.''

Inspector Guilmartin said divers spent nearly 12 days immersed in the muddy river, sometimes in freezing, windy and rainy weather.

"An enormous amount of planning went into this operation, with a number of different units from within Victoria Police involved, along with external organisations such as RACV and AAMI.''

Police have identified all but one vehicle, the rear half of a VL Holden Commodore, with Fords and Holdens making up about half of those recovered.

Detective Senior Constable Laurie Noonan of the Vehicle Theft Task Force said the finds had caused a several investigations to be reopened.

"Although some of these cars have been missing for a long time, and a lot of incriminating evidence has been destroyed due to water immersion, we were amazed as to how much evidence was still available,'' he said.

"We have already identified several suspected fraudulent claims which we will be following up.''

The stolen value of the cars salvaged was $645,400.

The oldest was a Mazda RX7 stolen in May 1986, while a Toyota Camry stolen in July this year was also recovered.

[johnno]

interesting Read pel

sounds same as georges hall boat ramp

of henry lawson drive

they done that not long ago.

[pelican]

Yes police are looking for car thief with burly and fishing rods.

There must be a big jewfish hole if it could fit 150 plus cars in it.

Never heard more on the Georges River ones but most had been stolen. I wonder if those who had had claims refused ever got paid out?

Amazing how much fuel must just go in rivers and get flushed out

Edited September 5, 2008 by pelican

[johnno]

also things like oil which and the likes of fuel,metals etc which contaminate the water ways.

[Dreamtime]

also things like oil which and the likes of fuel,metals etc which contaminate the water ways.

Spare a thought for the countries that now accomodate sunken naval ships from WW2

Here in Solomons the passage out front of the capital was named Sealark Sound prior to the war. It is now named Iron Bottom Sound with over 50 sunken vessels littering the ocean bed. (including the HMAS Canberra)

Recently fuel and oils began leaking from these wrecks. The US Government was notified of this problem, unfortunately however, nothing has been done to remove this pollution.

Ironically, the US have a war memorial in the capital here depicting such losses of ships and human lives. It is meticulously maintained.

Click on the link for further info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironbottom_Sound

[pelican]

I know with the more modern wrecks the millitary uses the opportunity to get recovery divers training to pump them out best they can and in some pretty deep water. They would still be pretty busy in the Mid east from the last few years. I though some of the Solomons were designated war graves but from my crap memory some were scuttled as well still full of ammo. War sucks.

In other parts of the world due to temperature and depth the heavy fuel oils have solidified but still ooze. There are still natural oil seeps around the worls ad still some locally just up off the Newcastle coastt where significant oil comes from the sands. They tried drilling it a few years ago to see if it was a suitable resovior quality to catually pump but it wsn't.

Just put a sign up saying free fuel oil and you'll have an indonesion fleet in there in 5 minutes to get it out with a garden hose.

Scrap metal is bring a good price , all that brass from shell casings , iron and lead ya just need a big hook and a megga rod to bring it to the surface - Honest officer I was just fishing not collecting scrap

[Smitty]

I used the ramp on the Georges near Flower Power a couple of days after they pull 12 or 14 cars from the river last year (the cars were all still in the car park).

What a bloody mess.....the entire ramp was ankle deep in greasy, oily, muddy oose with car parts and broken glass all through it, it smelt like a bloody wreckers yard. Nearly went arse over on a strut assembly burried in the crap .

I decided then never to use that ramp again....it's a s*#t house ramp at the best of times anyway!!!

The idoits on their jet skis and in their speed boats are welcome to it!

[nemo1203]

I used the ramp on the Georges near Flower Power a couple of days after they pull 12 or 14 cars from the river last year (the cars were all still in the car park).

What a bloody mess.....the entire ramp was ankle deep in greasy, oily, muddy oose with car parts and broken glass all through it, it smelt like a bloody wreckers yard. Nearly went arse over on a strut assembly burried in the crap .

I decided then never to use that ramp again....it's a s*#t house ramp at the best of times anyway!!!

The idoits on their jet skis and in their speed boats are welcome to it!

well said chris its so true ramp its for the hoons only.