The ship was built as the George M Shriver, during World War II. But she was launced as the Viggo Hansteen in Batlimore in 1943. After the war she was sold to a Greek shipping company and renamed Alkimos. After the ship was had been in use for near on 20 years, the ship was in one disaster after another. It started in 1964 when it hit a reef on the way to Bunbury and it had to be towed to Fremantle where it underwent repairs. Then when it was reshored the tow broke and it had to be left with an onboard caretaker. Again the ship was soon refloated but on the way to Manila it was siezed at sea by authorities and it was left anchored. Then the anchors broke and it went into Eglinton Rocks , this time it was more severly damaged, and the owners planned to sell it on as scrap. But this plan did not happen as in 1969 whilst salvage workers were onboard they had to flee due to a fire. The ship was then just left abandoned.

Varity of events and allegations have given reason to people to believe that the ship may be cursed and is haunted. Some of this is due to that 2 workman who were said to have died during construction, and a murder-suicide taking place when the ship sailed as the Alkimos.