Notorious

'NOTORIOUS' is a recreaton of a 1480's caravel, researched, designed and constructed by Graeme Wylie. The ten year project used 300 tons of reclaimed timber. 'NOTORIOUS' was launched in February 2011 at Port Fairy. In November 2013 the Notorious visited Jervis Bay and spent a few days anchored near Vincentia.  The small timber ship created quite a bit of excitement and this seems to be the case wherever she travels. Below is a short video of the Notorious sailing between Waratah Bay and Wilsons Promontory on Thursday 9th June 2016.  She had encountered strong winds from the North West which had her sailing along at 7 knots and more. She was in the midst of two swells meeting SW & E as she rounded South East Point en route to Twofold Bay, Eden.   For most of us we will probably never go to sea on a sailing ship,  let alone one faithfully recreated from the 1480’s , but watching and hearing this video gives you a small sense of what it was like.   Continue to more photos from when she was in Jervis Bay Nov 2013.

Graeme and Felicite kindly gave us permission to use their video and you can follow their adventures here. https://www.facebook.com/notorioustheship/

South East Point lies on the southerly tip of Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, Australia. It commands sensational views of Bass Strait and is a major landmark for all ships travelling between the southern Australian ports (Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth) and the Pacific Ocean. South East Point is the site of the Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse.

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Huskisson 1930’s

How times have changed. Naval Drill Practice on Owen Street Huskisson in the 1930’s

Lady Denman Ferry

She may be showing a few wrinkles in her old age but she is still a beautiful old girl and Huskisson and the shoalhaven community are lucky to have her.

You are allowed to roam her decks and ring her bell, you can stand in her wheel house and imagine steering her across Sydney Harbour.   For many of our older visitors coming aboard will be a trip down memory lane, this beautiful old ferry has taken thousands of passengers across Sydney Harbour and many who visit her today can tell a story or two.  For the younger people,  you can experience and learn about an era that has  long past, and by the hard work of many volunteers won’t be forgotten.

The Maritime Museum.

Is a beautiful place to relax, take a leisurely stroll around the gardens, keep your eyes peeled for the many different birds that are attracted to the fish pond and  native plants.

Hull Patina

Below is one of the bolts securing the hull of the Lady Denman Ferry. A combination of rust, shell fragments, copper sheet, nails and atmosphere, give us this wonderful texture and patina any artist would be happy to create.

Wandandian Snippet

July 1890

Shoalhaven Snippet.

16th June 1939

Old houses of Shoalhaven

Heading south along the highway you will see this old building situated next to the highway near Wandandian. It was used as a post office and was built around 1937.

Directly behind the building above and adjoined to the same property is this wonderful old house built around 1908. Sitting on timber stumps and in need of repair.  Both property’s are for sale,  hopefully somone will see the value in preservation and not demolition.

Wonderful photo of the Wandandian Post Office while still in operation taken by Don Gazzard  http://www.dongazzard.com/

The age of Steam and Sail.

There was a period in maritime history when steam driven vessels and sailing vessels were in a state of transition.  Sail had been the only means by which large loads of cargo and people could be transported from place to place relativly easily and cheaply. Steam engines were a slow development around the 19th century, mostly used for river journeys in small boats, as the technology improved, timber was replaced with coal as fuel to drive the steam engine. Smaller more powerful engines were developed and were being used by “coastal steamers”. Many of the first coastal steamers still carried a full set of sails, they were known as ‘auxiliaries”.  The engines were used to drive large paddle wheels attached to the sides of the vessel,  but their efficency depended a lot on the conditions they encountered during their journey. Was the 150 ton “Sophia Jane”,  Built in England in 1827,  equiped with two 50 horse power engines, she sailed to Sydney Australia in 1831, and was the first coastal steamer to be used in N.S.W.  The vessel was a regular visitor to Jervis Bay and South Huskisson. Ian Henson's painting of the Sophia Jane loading Wool at the wharf near South Huskisson, this painting can be seen at the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum.

Another paddle wheel (sail) steamer to operate along the south coast was the 117 ton wooden paddle steamer,  P.S. Mynora.  She went ashore in 1864 just south of Jervis Bay on the beautiful “Steamers Beach”,  which is named after her.

By the 1860’s compound steam engines were introduced and the paddle wheel was replaced by screw propellar propulsion.  A drive shaft went directly to the stern driving propellars.  This development meant steam vessels could travel greater distances more efficently.   Sail was still relied upon to cut running costs and could still be more efficient in the right conditions.  There were many Australian built timber steamers plying the Australian coast,  they required quite a lot of coal  to run the engines.  Besieged by bad weather the steamers could run out of coal and be forced to use their sails. On occasion Jervis Bay was a convenient place for steam/sailing ships to seek refuge in foul weather. The story in the previous post of the Balclutha is a perfect illustration of the use of steam and sail to save a vessel. Over time steam became the prefered means of propulsion,  the ships became larger, ports provided coal so the ships could restock their holds along their journey, their capacity for carrying coal increased,   passengers could now travel in luxury. Steamers didn’t have to rely on favourable winds, they were able to leave port in almost any conditions,  the end of the great sailing ships was drawing to a close… Shipbuilders along the coast had to adapt to the changes, and the shipbuilders operating at Jervis Bay started to produce steam powered vessels of all sizes. A beautiful example of this was the S.S HILLMEADS 206 gross tons,  Length:126'4" x Width:27'5" x Depth:9'2". She was a wooden twin screw steamship, driven by  2 compounded engines producing 28 nhp. Built as a passenger-cargo vessel by E Pritchard at Jervis Bay New South Wales in the Joseph Dent ship yard on the banks of Currambene creek in 1907 for the Numba Steam Shipping Co Ltd. The vessel worked the trade from Sydney to Moruya, Bawleys Head and and Batemans Bay carrying passengers and timber. S.S Hillsmeads – continue reading. Some of the many vessels built at Huskisson. 1874 – The Australian - Wooden Steamship/schooner 1874 - Fleetwing – Steamer, builder James Hardiman. 1876 - Maggie – Steamer, builder Joseph Dent Jnr. 1879 - Heka – Steamer, builder George Dent Snr. 1881 – Meteor – Steamer, James Dent. There are many more and their story and their stories are yet to be told.

Captain Brown quietly and quickly told his passengers of the imminent peril.

The story of the Balclutha clearly illustrates the transitional period between steam driven ships and sail. In this case both modes of propulsion were inadequate to save the vessel by themselves, but by the skillfull use of both disaster was averted. .

1864. With the recent run of large swells hitting our shores, causing damage to coastal ports and vessels right along the south coast, I though it very timely to post the remarkable story of the S.S Balclutha and her lucky escape 152 years ago from disaster.  The captain and  crew displayed amazing courage and skill as they endured unimaginable hardship in their endeavour to save the ship and passengers, and finally arrive safe inside the welcoming  headlands of  Jervis Bay.

State Library Queensland.

9th June 1864. The A. S. N. Company's steamer Balclutha left Rockhampton on Monday, the 6th instant, with fine weather, expecting to reach Sydney on the following Friday. The first portion of the voyage was in every respect agreeable, and until after passing Cape Moreton nothing occurred to indicate that a change in the weather would take place. 10th June. On Thursday night however, Captain Brown thought it prudent to deviate from his usual course, and to stand off the land.  On the following morning, the gale increasing, the sea rolled up in mountain waves, higher and higher, he kept further away from our ¡ron bound lee shore, and was consequently well out to sea, to this circumstances alone must be attributed the ultimate safety of the steamer. For several days the land of course was not sighted, a dense mist hemmed the steamer in on all sides and the consumption of fuel was so great that all the coal on board was exhausted, and it became necessary to use every available means to keep up the steam, and for this purpose spars, fittings, and even casks of tallow were burned. 11th June. The wind had increased to a perfect hurricane, but all fore and aft sails were set, steam got up and the vessel heading S. SE. was again plunging madly in the heavy sea,  in the hope of clearing the dreaded shore. 12th June. Daylight at last came and all eyes were anxiously cast to leeward,  but still no land in sight. The engines are again stopped,  and the vessel kept under fore and aft canvas. The foredeck house was cut up quickly into pieces, and soon passed down to the stoke hole, when at noon land was sighted,  all hope seemed now gone. 3.30pm. The gale moderated a little,  by which time the land was only 2 miles distant.  The ship being unable to work off,  steam was got up. 4 pm.. Captain Brown tacked,  and she came round,  and headed to sea,  the wind suddenly shifted to S. the steamer heading E. to E.N.E. Large quantities of water broke on board,  but that was disregarded in the excitement consequent on her rapidly leaving the dreaded shore. 5.pm. The engines stopped – wood and coal all done; sail however was kept on her until 8pm; when as suddenly the welcome light on Cape Jervis was decried bearing N.N.E. 12pm. The weather had moderated, by daylight Jervis light bore north. 13th June - 8am. The captain made sail and kept the ship away,  and with some dunnage from the after-hold and bulkheads hastilly pulled down steam was again got up. After this portions trip the Balclutha entered Jervis Bay on Monday morning, about 10 o'clock. So perilous was the position of the steamer, shortly before her arrival to Jervis Bay, that the captain had resolved to beach her at Brush Island, near Bateman's Bay, and the anchors were ready, and everything prepared for so doing, when to their great relief, the wind suddenly shifted, and they were enabled to clear the land and make Jervis Bay. Captain Sullivan, in the Hunter, steamer, had put into Jervis Bay on Saturday morning,and yesterday brought on the passengors by the Balclutha, about thirty in number.

The conduct of Captain Brown and Mr. Hills, the chief officer, who never left the deck for three days and nights,  and indeed the whole crew is spoken of by the passengers as beyond praise,  and as a slight token of their asteem for their untiring exersions displayed and skill with which the vessel was handled,  they have presented Captain Brown with fifty guineas, Mr Hills with fifteen guineas, and the second officer with 10 guineas.

specifications Ship Type: Iron passenger-cargo steamship Tonnage: 433grt (1868: 456grt, 262nrt) Length: 145.0ft (1868: 202.0ft) Breadth: 26 feet (1868: 23.3ft) Draught: 9.5 feet

Last seen 1881 by the steamer CAHORS, observed in tremendous seas  on a trip between Sydney for Melbourne with a cargo of coal. Presumed sunk. All 22 crew missing.

HMNZS Endeavour

June 8th 2016 The large north east swell that has been rolling since Sunday showed no sign of backing off today.  The New Zealand refueler HMNZS Endeavour was still in the bay conducting training exercises this morning.

Refueler - HMNZS Endeavour

East Coast Low -

If you thought the last event was dangerous for shipping, then the current East Coast Low (ECL) battering the coast today is quite remarkable.  The intense low that formed off the east coast  on Saturday caused the seas to rise very quickly, recorded by off shore swell bouys reaching 11 meters near Sydney and up to 8 to 9  meters off the south coast.  This ECL event was different to the last event as the swell direction was from the north not the south east,  so most of the swell swept past the bay. This was probably a fortunate thing because a similar storm in 1974 nearly washed away houses at Callala Beach and caused a lot of damage along the beach fronting Elizabeth Drive. HMAS Creswell and the southern beaches of Hymas and Greenpatch bore the brunt of the swell.  Large waves breached the wall at Creswell washing away floating concrete pontoons with a couple of yachts attached,  one was re- secured the other proceeded to float outside the wall, and despite brave efforts has ended up on Seamans beach. The large work boat Seahorse Horizon broke a  75mm tiger rope at the main wharf. Watch the video here.

Stones tossed by the sea from in front of the wall and deposited on the inside of the wall – Pic Paul Newman. Large backwash off the wall – Pic Paul Newman. Large swell lines running down the breakwall. Paul described the area as looking like  awar zone.

Cape St George. I headed out to Cape St George Lighthouse,  the headland the old ruins sit on was being battered by the large swells. I managed to take a few photo’s trying to dodge large plumes of spray coming over the land covering me and the camera.

The swell and conditions should start to ease tomorrow. The low is slowly drifting south towards Victoria.

Plane Crash Dived into Jervis Bay.- 1938

A Rare View

The well worn hull of the Lady Denman – this beautiful old ferry is the reason the museum exists today.  Without the dedication and hard work of volunteers past,  this beautiful hand crafted  timber vessel would have gone the way of so many other sydney ferry’'s and been lost forever.

After many years of toil the protective copper sheeting has seen better days – slowly walking around the hull,  you can see the work involved,  sections like this above,  evoke a feeling of being there,  watching the men bend and nail the copper to the hull.

Support your local Museum

Community support By supporting the Maritime Museum,  the Maritime Museum can support the local community, This is illustrated in the most colourful and tactile way right now – The Sea Change  Festival is in full swing around the local area.   Artists of all description, painters, musicians, dancers, etc,  have been showing their talents and the museum is currently exhibiting works by local artists as part of the ongoing festival. Come along to the museum, and see this wonderful exhibition, by visiting the museum you will not only be helping the Maritime Museum, you will also be amazed at what local artists have created.

Cape St George Lighthouse

I took these photo’s around 1979

Back in those days you could drive right up to the lighthouse. The vegetation was alot more cleared than what you encounter today. Continue reading.