surveyingtheadelaide.com.au

After some 10 years of planning the former H.M.A.S Adelaide was destined to be scuttled off Avoca Beach, on the NSW Central Coast, on Saturday 27th April 2010.

The intervention by a group of local objectors led to an injunction preventing the scuttling until further remedial work was carried out on the hull.

Some 12 months later, with much less local fanfare, the Adelaide made her final voyage and was moored off Avoca in the evening of 11/04/2011.

Playing no official part of the event, but recognising the opportunity to engage the wider community and promote some of the important work Surveyors do local firm Chase Burke & Harvey surveyed the former HMAS Adelaide as she was finally scuttled of Avoca Beach on Wednesday 13th April 2011.

REDUCTION & ANALYSIS OF MEASUREMENTS

The reduction and analysis of the results of the survey are currently being undertaken. It is expected the survey will yield:

A number of single, and redundant, triangles within which all elements can be solved by simple plane trigonometry.
MGA system coordinates at sea level of the mast-head;
A series of timed MGA coordinates that can be used to map the speed and trajectory of the ship as she sank;
MGA coordinates at sea level of the buoys released off the bow, stern and mast-head (i.e. of the ship as submerged).

DEVELOPMENT OF THE TEACHING RESOURCE FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS

The development of the schools Resource is also currently underway.

A substantial amount of time has been allocated to receiving feedback from teachers as to the most appropriate scope of the Resource since the survey data can be presented in an escalating order of complexity from a simple single triangle solution, through to the analysis of multiple triangle solutions and/or statistical analysis.

In addition, graphical and plotting techniques can be introduced to analyse speed and trajectory from sea surface to sea bed.

OUTCOMES

The survey achieved a rare mix of Government, Professional, School and Community cooperation that is unprecedented.

The former HMAS Adelaide, now a popular dive site and artificial reef, continues to generate enormous interest locally, State-wide, Nationally and Internationally and there remains an on-going opportunity to highlight the connection with N.S.W. Surveyors.

The enormous success of this initiative can be measured by the extraordinary width and depth of enthusiasm and support lent by such a broad range of people who were all committed to the underlying theme of the promotion of the Discipline of Surveying, the enrichment of Mathematics education and the engagement of the wider Community.

The teaching Resource will provide assistance to teachers, careers advisors and those wishing to promote the public image of surveying. Significantly, the Resource will be flexible in the degree of complexity and so can be applied across a range of students, typically from Year 10 through to University.

Overall, the project exceeded all expectations and proved that from awareness comes motivation, action and understanding.