The night that broke Hobart: city braces for 50th anniversary of fatal Tasman Bridge disaster

Despite the passage of 50 years, the epic tragedy of Hobart’s Tasman Bridge disaster remains barely believable, even for those who were present on the fateful evening in January, 1975.

Bernard Smith and Dion Dillon were aboard the tug boat Cape Peron which was on the water the night of the Tasman Bridge disaster. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

A devastating maritime collision. A capital cut in half. A miracle Monaro escape. Twelve lives lost forever in the Derwent darkness.

Despite the passage of 50 years, the epic details of Hobart’s Tasman Bridge disaster remain barely believable, even for those who were present on the evening of 5 January, 1975.

Tugboat skipper, Bernie Smith, was at home in nearby Rose Bay when the 7000-ton bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra struck a concrete pylon on the bridge, causing a 120m section of roadway to come crashing down onto its deck.

Tasman Bridge disaster

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Half an hour later, Mr Smith was out on the water aboard the tug Cape Peron with crewmates including Dion Dillon, using searchlights to hunt for survivors in the pitch-black water.

“It was awful, like something out of a war zone,” Mr Smith said.

“There was oil, deckchairs, and lifebuoys floating everywhere.

“Nobody knew how many people actually had fallen off the bridge at that stage, and so if anyone was going to still be alive, we wanted to give it our best shot to find them.”

Seven of the Lake Illawarra crew were killed in the disaster, along with five motorists from four cars which plunged into the river after the road disappeared.

On Sunday afternoon, Mr Smith and Mr Dillon will join others directly impacted by the tragedy at a private commemorative event hosted by the Motor Yacht Club of Tasmania in Lindisfarne.

Tasman Bridge spanning the Derwent River in Hobart showing the 80 metre break caused by the collapse of the bridge when it was hit by a ship. Picture: The Mercury

To be attended by Governor Barbara Baker and members of the Tasmanian parliament, the ceremony will pay tribute to the memory of the lives lost exactly half a century before.

Governor Baker will then host select guests aboard the official launch Egeria for a wreath-laying ceremony at the site of the collision.

Later that evening, the Tasman Bridge will be closed for three minutes from 9.27pm in reflection of the lives lost, while its feature lighting will be dimmed to dark blue for half an hour between piers 17 and 19 from, to signify the area of impact.

On Friday, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery will commemorate the disaster by launching the On The Edge exhibition, featuring the two cars left teetering over the bridge, and which were captured in the most enduring photograph of the disaster.

On the last day of the exhibition on 12 January, TMAG will host a classic car meet in the Dunn Place Car Park featuring both vehicles – one of which is the Holden Monaro Frank Manley and his wife Sylvia escaped from as it dangled over the water.

Meanwhile, the Maritime Museum of Tasmania will continue its Lake Illawarra memorial exhibition, with photographs and objects from the ship, and a model of the wreck site used during the inquest into the disaster.