Question regarding the heritage listing, maintenance, and condition of the WWII submarine slipway at Arthur Head in Fremantle. The Minister confirms heritage listing, addresses maintenance concerns, and expresses satisfaction with its condition.

AnsweredQoN 2919Legislative Assembly
Asked
15 March 2018
Portfolio
Local Government; Heritage; Culture and the Arts

QuestionView source ↗

(1) Is the historic World War Two submarine slipway adjacent to Arthur Head in Fremantle heritage listed: (a) If not, why not? (2) Is the Minister aware of the concerns that have been raised that maintenance is needed on the slipway: (a) what is being done to address these concerns; (b) what preservation/maintenance works have been completed on the slipway; and (c) are any future preservation/maintenance works planned to take place? (3) Have you personally viewed the slipway since March 2017 and if so, are you satisfied with its condition?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
9 May 2018
Responded by
Minister for Local Government; Heritage; Culture and the Arts
Response time
8 days
(1) Yes. The slipways adjacent to the Maritime Museum are on the State Register of Heritage Places as part of the wider Victoria Quay .
(a) Not applicable
(2) Yes, I am aware of the concerns raised by a single volunteer at the Museum.
(a) A working group was formed in June 2017 to review and prioritise a program of maintenance for the slipway. This includes work currently being done to reinforce the supporting cradle.
(b) Over the past decade, major maintenance works to the slipway have included restoration of the winch mechanism, corrosion treatment and painting of the unused slipway bogies, and the fitting of steel reinforcements on the pawl racking. The Museum is currently installing new steel supports to reinforce the cradle holding the submarine. Once this latest work is complete, the submarine will reopen to the public.
(c) The Museum is currently reviewing options for future repair and maintenance programs for the submarine cradle, in particular its timber elements. Other scheduled maintenance tasks including conservation monitoring of the cradle, density testing of the submarine cradle timbers and laser surveying of submarine cradle are regularly undertaken.
(3) Yes, I have viewed the slipway and have had briefings on the current status of the Slipway Precinct.

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