The 107-year-old floating forest – SS Ayrfield
Location: Homebush Bay, Sydney, Australia
Building/Facility Type: Shipwreck
Last recorded use: 1972 (Launched from the UK in 1911 under the name SS Corrimal)
Abandoned place description: Homebush Bay was home to various ship-breaking operations during the mid-20th Century. Different wrecked hulls remain in the area, including the most famous of them, the SS Ayrfield.
The ship was built and launched from the UK in 1911 and later registered as SS Ayrfield in Australia in 1912 as a steam collier. It transported supplies during WW2 and returned to service as a steam collier post-war until decommissioned in 1972.
Most of its superstructure was reclaimed and scrapped during the 1970s, and ship-breaking operations ceased in the same decade, leaving the hull to float ominously in the bay. Nature has since reclaimed the ship creating a magnificent, yet creepy, abandoned shipwreck.