While houses and cemeteries dominate the conversation regarding a haunted location, the beauty and allure of a good haunted ship tale is too often ignored. In this article, we will learn about the Alkimos, which holds paranormal significance about Australia regarding haunted legends and curses.
The merchant shipping vessel wrecked about the coast north of Perth in Western Australian territory is the well-known subject of many rumors, stories, and mysteries in the region. In 1963, the ship went down , forever taking a collection of secrets to a watery final resting place. As tourists view the site as a place to dive, experts in the area whisper caution to those who wish to encounter the wreck.
In the past, many of those who have come across the Alkimos are known to have vowed to never return to the venue again. Over the years, a great deal of scientific, historical, and paranormal interest has increased regarding the wreck, as more and more people are willing to brave the waters surrounding the ship to get to the bottom of its legend.
The History of the Alkimos
During World War II, the ship was constructed as part of the United States “Liberty” ship program and was launched across waters in Baltimore in 1943. In the beginning, the original intention was to call the ship, “George M Shriver,” but instead the ship took to the travel as the “Viggo Hansteen.” The vessel served as a Liberty ship for close to 18 months until it was sold after the war to a Greek shipping company and took on the name, the “Alkimos.” For two decades, the Alkimos traveled across the globe and in March of 1963 , the ship met with an untimely fate.
During a voyage from Jakarta to Bunbury, the ship struck a reef situated off of the Western Australian coast. Despite this setback, the Alkimos was salvaged and towed away to Fremantle (the port city of Perth), where repairs were made that lasted about two months. At this time, an argument surfaced as to who would be responsible for the payment of the repairs. Finally, the ship left Fremantle under tow by way of a Hong Kong ocean-faring tug.
It was only a few hours out of port that the Alkimos fell back to shore after the tow line broke off. Although the ship was able to stay in tact and did not float away at the time, it was simply filled with water to make sure it stayed in place. To look over the vessel, an on-board caretaker was assigned. In January of 1964, another tug returned and the ship was refloated, but the voyage to Manila was short-lived when the tug was captured at sea by authorities and the Alkimos remained anchored.
To learn the fate of the Alkimos and the paranormal tales attached to its past and present, Part 2 of this article will shed more light on the history of this Australian gem.
