Comments

Because of a difficult problem with the blog site I have been unable to see any comments being made about any of the posts. I only found these today, sitting in the spam folder instead of the inbox. It's good to know other people are interested and appreciate the history.

Jen Littlechild's - MV Desikoko.
Hello, my father was assigned to Desikoko for a time during WWII.
He used to tell stories of being incognito & scouting the islands for Japanese radio transmitters, but never mentioned the islands. We know from his army records he arrived in Milne Bay, but no mention of Desikoko. The story has always been a fascination, wanting to fill the gaps. So interesting to read about Desikoko's connection to Rabaul, as my husband & I visited Old Rabaul Town 4 years ago, the day after the last erruption, & the whole place was in clean up mode. We stay at the Rabaul Hotel with Suzie, & explored the history & area for a week. We also went to Milne Bay & the Trobriands. Even if I had no idea exactly which islands dad had sailed to I got a good feel for the people, geography & history.
I would love to know if you have any more details of Desikoko's activities during WWII, & we must come  & visit the museum ONE day

Thank you
Jen Littlechild
Continue reading about the Desikiko.

Pemupukan Kacang Tanah has left a new comment on your post "Wrecked Navy Yacht.":
You took amazing photos.
Continue reading about the wrecked yacht.

Wrecked on Bowen Island.
Pemupukan Kacang Tanah.
Good post! thanks for sharing.
Continue reading about being wrecked on Bowen Island

Warwick Donnelly coments on - Nerriga
Hi
We suspect that these photos are of the home and blacksmiths shop of Thomas Donnelly. He is recorded as being both a blacksmith and a carrier, running a coach and mail service between Braidwood and Nowra from around 1870 and thew 1890's. He lived in Nerriga and married Elizabeth Ann Hollands in 1871. The Hollands family lived in Nerriga at the time, having moved there from Sutton Forest.
We are researching the Donnelly family background back to James Donnelly who arrive as a convict in 1798. Thomas is our great grandfather and James was his grandfather.
We would like to make contact with the current owners of the property and get any further information about the Donnellys and the Hollands in the Nerriga area, if anyone can help.
Thanks. Warwick Donnelly.
Continue reading about Nerriga.

 
Julian Armstrong  - The sinking of the SS Dandenong off Jervis Bay.

Very interesting. I have just found out that my 3x Great Uncle was a survivor of this terrible wreck, and his account of the disaster was perhaps the first passenger account to be published. I have attached a transcript from The Evening News (Sydney), 15 Sep 1876 (TROVE online newspapers).

“NEWS OF THE DAY
Statement of Survivors

Mr. J.M. Hartley, a cabin passenger, tells us that there were three boats attached to the Dandenong, but that a considerable time elapsed before the first boat could be lowered— half-an-hour, he thinks — but the time very likely appeared to him longer than it really was. He also thinks the ship was not properly supplied with pumping apparatus, which was fitted to be worked
by steam. The passengers and crew worked hard to keep the water under, but finding the water was gaining on them rapidly, desisted, and the captain then gave orders to lighten the ship, and hoisted signals of distress.

Mr. Hartley is of opinion that Captain Irwin considered their only hope of safety lay in transhipping the passengers from the steamer to the barque; but nearly the whole of the passengers were afraid to trust themselves in the open boat. Mr. Winship, of Newcastle, was among those who refused to get into the boats. This reluctance is to be accounted for partly by the imminent danger of death in the boats, and partly from the hope that they could be saved in the captain's boat.

The first boat that left was smashed to pieces when near the vessel, but three or four managed to climb up the side by the aid of ropes. Mr. Hartley, like all the others, had a very narrow escape. He was almost unconscious in the water, but held on to a rope that was thrown him with that tenacity that can only spring from desperation. Somehow he managed to get the rope looped around his arm, and this enabled him to hold on a little longer. The last thing he remembers is being caught by the hair of the head and by the heels, and dragged on to the deck of the barque.

He speaks very highly of Captain Walker and the officers and crew of the barque Albert William, who showed the rescued passengers every possible kindness — gave up all their bunks, and remained without shelter themselves. Mr. Hartley has lost all he possessed. He was coming over to Sydney to start in the ironmongery trade. He was in business in the boot and shoe trade, opposite the Post Office in Melbourne.”

Thanks for your site, I will endeavour to visit your museum soon.

Julian Armstrong, Narooma NSW
Continue reading about the S.S. Dandenong

Jeff Laffite Jones  -  "The mystery of Scrimshaw":
This is the recently discovered secret of my family and ancestors. The secret was carved by my 7th great....great-grandfather on a scrimshaw Powder horn and passed down from father to son for 200 years. I am the first son to decode and decipher the secret and prove it (The Skeleton Horn)The scrimshaw powder horn was carved by my great....great-grandfather Chris Jones. The horn was carved with 309 masonic cryptic anagrams & picture puzzles that tell the secret of my family. My great...great- grandfather is George Washington's only son. Scott F. Wolter of the History Ch. paid for my DNA test to prove it's true. I am Viking descent Washington-Osborne, 72nd generation to Odin and Thor. Ref. ( The Pedigree And History Of The Washington Family: Derived From Odin, The Founder Of Scandinavia, B.C. 70 (1879) by Albert Welles) Kessinger Publishing's
https://plus.google.com/108482539820581852184/posts/Dw6MXJC1ti6
Continue reading about the Scrimshaw

Daniel Reilly – "The tragic death of Thomas Speechley.":
A moving story from yesteryear with time marching on. Thank goodness some of the details are being preserved by your work.
Thanks Danny
Continue reading about Thomas Speechley

Akhila - "HMAS Creswell":
informative post! I really like and appreciate your work, thank you for sharing such a useful facts and information about base bay management strategies, keep updating the blog.
Continue reading about HMAS Creswell.

Anonymous - "Southern Pencillings - By the Raven.":
I enjoy what you guys are usually up too. This kind of clever work and coverage!
Keep up the fantastic works guys I've included you guys to
our blogroll.
Continue reading about Southern+Pencillings

Prince Arora - "The S.S. Wollumbin":
The blogs are really appreciable and one can trust the knowledge and information provided in the writing. The article you do produce on a weekly base really the best. 
Continue reading about the S.S. Wollumbin

Chew Bacca - "Reported in the Brisbane Courier Mail 9th June 1891":
To bad about Miss Moss.
Continue reading about miss+moss
 

Chew Bacca - They both admitted they had eaten the unfortunate wretch” 1801
Those were the days!
Continue reading about .They both admitted they had eaten the unfortunate wretch.

Chew Bacca - "Violent, unrelenting spectacle across the headland":
wow! great photo.. must of been great to witness that in person
Continue reading about the Violent Spectacle.

Chew Bacca - "Woollamia Church….1934":
Awesome! kind of looks like Henry Thoreau's cabin at Walden pond in Massachusetts
Continue reading about Woollamia Church 

Chew Bacca - "Super Moon":
We enjoyed the same moon over here in california for a few evenings! Didnt know about the reasons for the occurence thanks for the information. Great photos!
Continue reading about the Supermoon 

Chewbacca - "Moona Moona Creek":
So cool! good to see these images being digitized and saved for the future
great history
Continue reading about Moona Moona creek.

Jervis Bay's mystery wreck.

The mystery of the sunken wreck at Callala Bay.

When I was a young boy and holidaying at Callala Beach, on occasion my father took me fishing on the rocks at the northern end of the beach.

Sticking from the water on the southern end of the reef was a large, rusted cylindrical object.
Dad told me it belonged to a ship which was sunk by the Japanese during World War Two, and what you could see was all that remained, this was pretty exciting news to a 10-year-old.

Many years later in my early 20's while diving the reef looking for lobsters I came across the rusted remains sitting in shallow water amongst the kelp. There wasn't much left by this time, but you could still make out the cylindrical shape with a hole in the side. My imagination took hold, and had me wondering if this was caused during the "battle with the Japanese."

By 1976 I belonged to a wreck diving club in Sydney called Canterberry Underwater Divers.  A good friend and diving buddy John Sumner was a foundation member of the club, he was a leading authority on wrecks and part owner of a wreck salvage business.  John was what you would call "obsessed" with wrecks, in particular, their bells.   His obsession saw him put together a comprehensive shipwreck index of all the wrecks around the Australian Coast.  I did many dives with him on wrecks over many years.

By 1983 I moved permanantly to Callala Beach with my family.  John was visiting and we launched the boat at Callala Bay and headed out across the bay for a dive, passing the reef I drew his attention to the old boiler remains, to my surprise he told me he believed it was the remains of an old Sydney Harbour Ferry, at the time he didn't know any other details about how the ferry ended up wrecked on the point, and like the boiler slowly disappearing beneath the waves, thoughts of the boiler disappeared  from my memory.

Many years later the remains came up in a conversation with an old resident of the bay. He told me the boiler belonged to the Sydney Harbour ferry Lady Hampden, but he didn't know any other details.

- Was this the vessel dad told me had been sunk so dramatially by the Japanese.?

Recently doing research into the bay, I came across information about the Lady Hampden.

The Lady Hampden was a timber vessel built at Balmian in 1896 The 'Lady Hampden' was the fourth in a series of 'Lady' vessels. They were ferries that characterised the refined operation of the double-ended type, just like the Lady Denman on display at the Museum. These ferries formed the mainstay of ferry operations and act as a legacy for Walter Reeks, an Australian based naval architect who was a leading pioneer in the design of the double-ended ferries. The off-centre funnel of ‘Lady Hampden’ made her unique on Port Jackson.  She was one of the first propeller driven ferries that began to replace the paddle steamers.

The real story.

The Hampden was sold to the Royal Australian Navy, and during World War 2 was anchored at the entrance to Jervis Bay to act as a decoy. 

- By this stage I was starting to think dads story was true, the story continued.

During a storm she broke away from her moorings and was washed across the bay ending her days on the reef where she slowly disintegrated.

- So dad's story was just that, a story,  - The old saying, "never let the truth get in the way of a good story.' comes to mind,  especially when your trying to impress a 10 year old, a bit of an anti climax really.

or was it?

Not totally convinced I had found the final piece of the mystery, I did some more research and came across information on the Australian War Memorial website, which stated the Lady Hampden was sunk in 1943 as a naval target during World War II."  no mention of Jervis Bay, or being used as a decoy, or being lost in a storm,  so for me the mystery of the old wreckage remains just that, a mystery.

I still like my fathers story the best.


If you have any further information about this mystery please contact me here.
yourcontributions@gmail.com

S.S. Meteor 1881

Much regret was expressed in shipping circles when it became known that the well-known coastal steamer Meteor had foundered on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.

The 33-ton Meteor was a timber coasting steamer built at Jervis Bay in 1881, 65.8 ft x 14.2 ft x 5.4ft. driven by a 16hp engines, pushing her along at 71/2 knots.
.
Built by James Dent for George Dent Senior. She was purchased at Sydney by Mr. F.O. Henry. of Strahan, for the trade between Sydney and Trial Harbour.

Early days.
Under the command of Captain John Leask, she made several trips on the Launceston-West-Coast trade, and afterward under the command of Captain W .J. Taylor, who chartered her from the owner.
She was then leased by Mr. G. J. Haylett, and experienced engineer, who was in charge of the engine room at the time of the disaster, captain Richard Greene was in command, and two ordinary seamen made up the compliment. During her life, the Meteor was a busy vessel, doing a brisk trade on the North West Coast, each trip had full cargoes.

The first anyone knew of the disaster was when a notice was posted on the shipping board outside the Telegraph office.

:- Burnie. 8 a.m.   Meteor foundered about 7 miles from Burnie.

The owners of the vessel the Don Trading Co. received a similar notification from Mr. G. J. Havlett, who had rented the vessel. The wire being supplemented by the satisfactory news that no lives were lost.

Leading up to the loss.

She left the Mersey on her usual visit to coastal ports and arrived at Table Cape, she took in a full cargo of produce for Emu Bay for transshipment. Very severe easterly weather was encountered on the voyage. After arriving at the Bay and being unloaded it was found she was leaking badly.  Some of the cargo was found to be spoiled by water.

After discharging she was taken back to Table Cape and hauled onto the slips, shipwrights were employed to make the necessary repairs.  A new false keel was added, the rudder post was found to be damaged, the leak was caulked and iron works carried out, the work was completed with the application of a new coat of paint.  She was considered by those on board to be fit for sea.

Her last voyage – April 1893

8 a.m. Wednesday  - During the morning she was loaded with 301 bags of potatoes valued at 50 pounds.

9.30. p.m. Thursday - In fine order, she left port for the Mersey, Davenport, the weather was beautifully fine,  and the sea very smooth.

10 p.m. - The bar at the Cape was cleared, shortly after one of the crew Mr. Smart, went below for a piece of tobacco and heard a noise of water rushing in amidships.  He immediately informed Captain Greene.  Engineer Mr. Haylett, went to the engine-room and discovered the stoke holes making water freely.  The men were ordered to the pumps, the vessel carried three appliances on deck for pumping, these were quickly employed.
One seaman in the company of the captain started bailing out water with buckets, "in which task they all worked like trojans" feeling their lives depended on their efforts.

The captain turned the vessel believing she would make it back to the Bay, the men worked hard to save her, the pumps were kept going until the water reached the furnaces and extinguished the fires. The sails were hoisted, but not a breath of wind was stirring, and the vessel commenced drifting in a north-easterly direction at the mercy of the waves. The men hoisted distress signals in the form of torches fixed to battens in the hope of attracting the attention of passengers on a passing vessel, but in this, they were again unfortunate.

12.30pm - Orders were given for the pumping and bailing to cease and attention was directed to lessen the weight of cargo by throwing all the deck cargo overboard, hopefull giving the vessel a better chance of floating, this action also proved futile, she was filling fast.

In defiance of the perils that menaced him.

3.am - Some six or seven miles abreast of Emu Bay she had settled well into the sea which commenced to wash over her decks, she was rapidly sinking. The crew took to the lifeboat which had been lowered from her davits when it was discovered the vessel was making water.

The captain would not leave his ship, and though the crew implored of him to do so, he was determined to stick to his ship till her timbers disappeared, in defiance of the perils that menaced him.

The vessel rocked like a huge cradle on the breast of the waves, water washing clean over her. She listed to starboard and dipped back to port alternately, the ironwork shivering at every motion. The suction caused by the sinking vessel was imperiling the lives of the crew manning the lifeboat still clinging to the side of the vessel.  Captain Greene remained faithful to his post, and at times was half covered by the waves.

3.30 a.m - The end was reached when the vessels head was lifted high out of the water, and the Meteor suddenly disappeared below the waves stern first. Captain Greene was thoroughly exhausted and rescued just in time.

The men quickly hauled away from the sinking steamer.

The occupants of the boat then shaped for Emu Bay.  A heavy fog has settled low over the sea making it impossible to make out the shore.

6.30 a.m - After three hours of hard pulling, in bitterly cold, the sound of a steamer's whistle was a welcome sound, and though they couldn't discern any light, they were directed to the port of Burnie by the ship's whistle.  To compound their difficulties they were attacked by a huge shark off Blackmans Point, which was soon beaten off.

7.30 a.m - After a wearisome voyage in a boat leaking like a sieve, requiring constant bailing, the crew landed at Burnie in an exhausted state.  The seamen managed to save their clothes, but many other valuables were lost.

The vessel was insured in the New Zealand Insurance Company for 750 pounds. Those connected to the vessel said the amount will not cover the loss, the cargo was uninsured.

When constructed she was regarded as a finely built vessel, 8 years of hard continuous service with little trouble proved that to be the case.

"Rotten old Tub"

"At the time of the sinking men best qualified to venture an opinion described her as a "rotten old tub," absolutely unseaworthy: and had seen her best days. The fact of the vessel not having met her fate long ere this has been a matter of wonderment among those who had seen her recently."

Fortunately, the night was calm. Had it been otherwise it is doubtful any of those on board would have reached land.

The Meteor had escaped disaster on a number of occasions.

Feb 24 1991 – While negotiating the Pieman River if it had not been for the coolness and courage displayed by Captain Leask, the wreckage of the Meteor would have marked the graves of the whole crew.  While crossing the bar which was comparatively smooth the steamer was caught by one sea that carried her completely out of the very narrow channel. The ship would not answer her helm, was swept within 10 feet of the breakwater some 50 feet high, as the wave receded, a grinding noise was heard and the vessel heeled over to the railing, but fortunately slipped off the rock that had pierced a hole in the forward part of the hull. By great management and a certain amout of luck the Meteor fast filling with water, was brought back into the channel, entered the heads and was run aground in the river.
The cargo was brought ashore by the efforts of men running between the ship and shore, a distance of 200 yards, covered by about a foot of water, all trying to save as much of the cargo as possible. The work continued throughout the night till 2 a.m the next day, when the tide was at it's highest,  the steamer by this time was submerged to the top rail.
On the next low tide the steamer was temporarily repaired, pumped out and refloated.



For any seaman the most feared catastrophe which can happen to a vessel is to catch on fire.




October 1889 – While lying under Hunter Island disaster was averted by the quick action of Captain Leask and his crew. The captain and crew had gone below to dinner and noticed smoke coming into the cabin. They rushed on deck and found all in flames. Through quick action they got the fire under control. Captain Leask suffered burns to the arm while fighting the fire. The damage was confined to the deck, while fighting the fire a portion of the cargo, chaff, was thrown overboard while still burning.  She was returned to Formby for repairs.

Captain John Leask was born on the Shetland Islands before travelling to Australia in 1861 . He was a well repected seafaring captain and died at Port Adelaide in 1898



No image of the vessel has been found, if you can help or add to the story please contact me at
yourcontributions@gmail.com

Jervis Bay

Simos Afloat Fishing Charters . 
Ron Simpson has been operating his professional fishing charter/tour business for over 20 years, making him one of the longest running charter/tour operators working from Jervis Bay.
This morning the bays light looked amazing as he headed towards the spectacular Point Perpendicular on another fishing, and sightseeing adventure.

A short tour of the Ferry Well.

This area of the museum is not available to the public at the moment.  In the near future access to this area will be open to visitors, enabling people to inspect this spectacular vessel close up. It will give the museum a great opportunity for a new display area, something which has been lacking for many years.

This video gives you a brief look at the amazing hull of the Lady Denman.

Ships in the bay

MV Sycamore is a regular visitor to the bay, she can be seen on average every couple of weeks conducting helicopter training exercises.
This morning she cruised along the northern shores of the bay into a strong North West wind and the rising golden sun.





Continue to more images and information about MV Sycamore.

John Bolton

Another fascinating image from 1933.
Workmen on board the John Bolton in the process of water proofing the deck timbers. Tapered gaps in the deck planks would be filled with fibre, cords, and pitch in a process called caulking.  The fibre was usually Oakum,  (hemp fiber soaked in tar) derived from Jute,  the pitch was usually tar.  The process was highly skilled, not enough fill and the ship would let in water, to much and the planks could split apart. Wooden caulking mallet was used to carefully tap the fibre into the groves with caulking irons, caulking irons are chisel-like tools with flared blades they varied in shape, they could be sharp,  blunt or made with grooves known as creases, each had a specific purpose.  The steady tapping from the wooden mallets could be heard all over Huskisson and was refered to as "singing".



Examples of the timber mallets and irons used in the photograph can be found on display at the museum, as well as many other tools used in building ships.


The area the tools are displayed in at the museum was built in the same manner used to build wooden ships by Alf Setree the last of the wooden boat builders in Huskisson.



I have covered the launch and followed the workings of the John Bolton in a previous post, a fascinating tale, well worth a read. Continue reading.

A precarious adventure - 1864

During the early settlement of the east coast travel by ship was the most efficient and economical  way for goods and people to travel long distances between coastal towns and cities, the onset of winter with it's accompanying turbulent weather must have caused much anxiety for ship owners, captains, crews and travelers.

The onset of winter and the infamous east coast low pressure systems which are prevalent between the months of May to October could cause havoc right along the east coast,  any ship unlucky enough to be caught in one of these storm systems could count themselves very lucky if they reached port safely.

Newspapers from the time had regular columns covering the movements of vessels along our coast  lighthouse observations were reported by telegraph.  Vessels on reaching their destination would report on the ships they observed during the voyage,  these reports would be sent to the newspapers and appear under the heading of "Shipping Intelligence."  .  Before radio communication, this was the only way ship owners and relatives could find out where a vessel was at any particular time.  Of course, the information could be days old before it was passed on.

One of the regular features which appear in newspapers of the time came under the heading of "Wrecks on the Coast". These columns were a list of ships that were lost during violent storms.  Details were often no more than the name of the vessel lost, other times the information was quite comprehensive, with accounts from survivors and witnesses.

The most striking thing in these reports is the number of vessels and lives which were lost, the impact of a storm could stretch over a wide area,  sometimes hundreds of miles of coastline would be subjected to gale force winds and high seas,  catching many ships in its torturous grip.

In June 1864 the Shoalhaven was hit with heavy gales, and over the course of a few days, many vessels battled for survival. During the storm, four vessels came to grief on the south coast.

The schooner Emma was driven ashore by her captain to save his passengers from certain death on an un-named Shoalhaven beach. Her crew landed safely and her cargo recovered.

The Barque Pacific went ashore at Crookhaven Heads.  A sailor named James Grant drowned attempting to get ashore.

The ketch Sarah was driven ashore on the North Head of the Shoalhaven after suffering badly, waves broke clean over the vessel washing the man at the tiller overboard.

The schooner Ewald was driven ashore on a beach inside Brush Island south of Ulladulla.

All the vessels were a complete loss, portions of the cargo were saved, some of the vessels had their fittings stripped, three of the four vessels were uninsured.

Travelling by sea could certainly be a precarious adventure.

Huskisson Bush Fire Brigade.

Huskisson Bush Fire Brigade Truck. 1950's

I took this photograph of an abandoned Ford Blitz truck on a property at Tomerong in July 2018.



The Canadian designed Blitz Trucks were primarily made for military use during World War 2. They were licenced to be built in Australia and because of the large numbers made,  after the war they were readily available.

Owen St 1968

Two photos of Owen Street Huskisson, one is the first pharmacy in Huskisson, Ray L. Coats was the chemist the other is taken from inside the Pharmacy looking towards the bay.

The launch and loss of the steamer Currumbene.

The launch of the steamer Currumbene 1922
On a glorious Monday morning on the 13th February 1922, The normally quiet seaside village of Huskisson was a bustle with cars and people. Motor buses arrived from Nowra crowded with passengers, and cars kept arriving with visitors, all eager to see the launching of the fine vessel,
built by Joseph Dent.

18 months earlier the keel made from locally sourced timber was laid on the banks of Currumbene Creek at the Dents shipyards. Joe Dent's workmen set about to construct a fine cargo boat for E.D. Pike and Co., Timber Merchants of Sydney.

Like so many other vessels constructed by the Dent family, the launch was marked with a large celebration. Invitations were issued to the launch. On the Monday morning at 9.30am, a large crowd assembled from all over the district to see the launching.

At precisely 9.30am on the high tide, Mr. Dent gave the signal, and the sound of many heavy hammers on the dog-shores gave notice that the work of launching had commenced, within a few minutes the vessel glided "majestically" into the creek from which she was named. 

The vessel was built for the North Coast timber trade between Bellinger River and Sydney. Measuring 132ft in length, breadth 28ft and a depth of hold at 8ft, she was built of colonial hardwood mostly sourced from the local forests.

Mrs. Burroughs, the wife of managing director of the owner, broke a bottle of champagne across the bows as the boat commenced its first journey into the blue waters and named her "Currumbene."  the large gathering clapped and gave a mighty cheer as the vessel entered the water.

The vessel was hauled alongside the wharf, everyone partook of refreshment of every kind, liberally provided by Mr.Dent.

"The jolliest time possible was spent, and there seemed no end to the good things provided."

The managing director of the company Mr. Burrows, in a speech, said he was very pleased with the outcome of their investment.

" It afforded him the greatest pleasure to propose 'The health of Mr. Dent and the men working on the job." He said they had not stinted Mr. Dent for money, but they had full value for the money spent, and he also wanted to compliment the men working on the job, they were the only men he had seen working that he would care to give another job too."

Not everything went to plan during the launch, caught in the outgoing tide the Currumbene went aground for a short time, before being towed to the wharf.


The celebrations continued into the night finishing with a dance in the new hall of the School of Arts, present-day "Huskisson Pictures" and given to the public by Mr. Burroughs, and greatly appreciated by the young folk.


Currambene after fit out.

Not much information has come to hand on the life of the Currambene after her launch

Currumbene ashore

1924 -  March, She was stuck on the bar entering the Bellinger River, later refloated on the high tide without damage.

1925 -  October, She had a lucky escape from disaster after going ashore at the Bellinger River, on inspection she was found to be badly damaged, she was refloated and repaired.

1926 - She was once more stuck on the bar at the entrance to Bellinger River, again refloated without damage.

No blame was ever laid on the Captain or his crew for any of the standings, it was the peculiarities of the channel and sand shifting with currents and tides.

1928 - She was moored in Sydney when one of the fiercest Cyclones ever recorded hit the NSW coast. During the storm, the steamer White Bay foundered near Morna Point with the loss of 16 men. The steamer Euralla went aground, her crew of 16 were rescued.  At the time the storm hit there was a seaman's strike in progress, so many of coastal steamers were moored in Sydney Harbour.
The tremendous storm hit Sydney causing steamers anchored in the harbour to drag their moorings, the Currumbene was one of those. She broke adrift and was in danger of fouling several other steamers before being removed by the tug Leveret.

1928 - She was chartered for salvage operations on the luxury coastal steamer Merimbula which had gone aground near Beecroft Head Currarong. The charter was
canceled when it was found the Merimbula had settled considerably by the stern and salvage operations were canceled.

No other information comes to hand until 1934.

By 1934 the once busy steamer had become a liability to her owners, E. D. Pike and Co., Her last contract was by the Newcastle  Stone Crushing Company Ltd., finished in July 1931, since then no further work could be obtained for the vessel. She remained moored at Newcastle.
Built at a cost of 19.500 pounds, valued by the company at 10.500 pounds, she was insured for 5000 pounds. The Currumbene  had been a losing proposition to the company.

1934 - The once mighty steamer was lost in a mysterious, devastating fire on the banks of the William River Seaham.  The fiercely burning vessel lit up the countryside for half a mile or more.
The fire was watched by scores of residents from the verandas of their homes. Every now and then explosions like those of rockets could be heard."
She burnt for a few hours down to the waterline, she was still smoldering the following morning before sinking in 15 ft of water.  A large area of bush around the vessel was badly burnt as well.

Coroners inquiry.

The  Currumbene was moved to Clarencetown to remove the saltwater growth in 1932, but owing to bad weather she was moored at Seaham on the return journey, where she remained. Mr. Kelly was engaged as a caretaker. Kelly was instructed to light a fire in the boiler and take the vessel to
Clarence town for repairs. Mr. Edward Wilson of Seaham was on board the vessel on the night of the fire and left her at about 10.45 p.m., he
could see the vessel from his home.  The first he knew of the drama was when two rockets were fired by Mr. Kelly.

John Willam Kelly, the caretaker of the Currumbene, said he lit the boiler fire at Cullen's direction to shift the vessel to Clarencetown. He retired to bed at 11.p.m. and was awakened by smoke coming from the engine.  He did not know how the fire had started, He had inspected the ship before the fire.
The coroner returned an open finding.


Continue reading about the T.S.S Merimbula