For decades, the rusting hull of Cheynes II has sat in the waters of Princess Royal Harbour, a reminder of a very different chapter in Albany’s history.

Long before it became a wreck visible from the shores of Albany, the 440-tonne steam whale chaser was a working vessel that travelled thousands of kilometres, hunted whales along WA’s southern coast, took part in a rescue at The Gap and carried adventurers to one of the world’s most remote islands.

Built by the Smiths Dock and Engine Company at Teesside, Middlesbrough, the steam vessel was originally named Thorbryn and operated for a Norwegian whaling company.

In 1962-63, it was bought by Queensland-based Whale Product Co. and renamed Looma II.

The ship’s connection with Albany began in 1963 when it was purchased by the Cheynes Whaling Co., renamed Cheynes II and put to work hunting sperm whales along the southern coast.

For the next 15 years, the vessel was part of an industry that had been central to Albany for generations.

One of its most remarkable moments came in 1978, when Cheynes II and its crew were called upon to rescue a young man who was swept into the ocean at The Gap.

South Australian tourist Stephen Mathews had travelled to the Natural Bridge with a new camera he had received for his 21st birthday.

Mr Mathews had climbed down below the bridge when a king wave struck.

As he tried to scramble back from the water, he was swept from the rocks and into the ocean.

His friends found a ranger and police were called at 5.45pm after Mr Mathews had already spent about 15 minutes in the water.

A passing driver who was the wife of Cheynes Beach radio operator Gordon Cruickshank, was flagged down and the vessel was contacted by radio.

Skipper Paddy Hart answered the call.

With daylight fading, a spotter plane searched the water and eventually located Mr Mathews.

Soon the lights of Cheynes II appeared through the darkness and first mate Keith Richardson stripped off, grabbed a lifeline and went over the side as Mr Hart held the chaser against the sea.

At 7.15pm, Mr Mathews was pulled from the water.

On November 21, 1978, Cheynes II, Cheynes III and Cheynes IV berthed at the old Albany Town Jetty after their final whale hunt.

Their return marked the closure of the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company — the last shore-based whaling station in Australia and the end of more than 150 years of whaling in Albany waters.

But Cheynes II was not finished at sea.

After being sent to Hobart in Tasmania, it was chartered in 1982 for an expedition to remote Heard Island carrying mountaineers, adventurers and scientists.

The journey was plagued by bad weather and fuel shortages.

A voyage expected to take six weeks stretched to 12 with the vessel stopping in Albany and Kerguelen for fuel and water.

The expedition eventually reached Heard Island, where mountaineers attempted to climb the 2700m high Big Ben while scientists recorded penguin and seal numbers.

Getting home proved just as difficult.

With fuel supplies almost exhausted the crew built makeshift sails from old tarpaulins and salvaged materials and sailed Cheynes II about 850 miles back towards Albany.

Capt. Laurie McEwan suffered heart trouble when the vessel arrived and was rushed to hospital.

After its return, Cheynes II was stripped of its fittings and left derelict at the Albany Town Jetty.

Then in 1992, a severe gale broke the vessel free from its moorings.

It drifted into Princess Royal Harbour and grounded on a sandbank in about 3-4m of water, not far off Camp Quaranup.

More than three decades later, the battered hull remains in the harbour.

For many who see it from Albany’s shores, Cheynes II may simply look like an old wreck but beneath the rust is a story spanning years of adventures.