This lifebuoy bears the name of the ship, its origin, the shipping company and the red ensign. These details mean that the lifebuoy was part of the lifesaving equipment on the sailing ship the Loch Ness, part of the Glasgow Shipping Company’s Loch Line (G.S.C. on the red pennant) and a British-registered ship (the red flag with the Union Jack on it). Lifebuoys were part of the emergency lifesaving equipment carried on vessels in the late 19th and early 20th century. The ring was made of strips of cork wood joined together to make the ring shape then covered in canvas and sealed usually with white paint. Four evenly spaced canvas reinforcing bands would be added for strength and for a place to thread a rope or line. A lifebuoy, or life-preserver, is used as a buoyancy device often thrown to an endangered or distressed person in the water to keep them afloat while they receive help. It is usually connected by a rope to a person in a safe area such a nearby vessel or on shore. Lifebuoys is a made from a buoyant materials such as cork or foam and ae usually covered with canvas for protection and to make it easy to grip. The first use of life saving devices in recent centuries was by the Nordic people, who used light weight wood or cork blocks to keep afloat. Cork lifebuoys were used from the late 19th to early 20th century. Kapok fibre was then used as a filling for buoys but wasn’t entirely successful. Light weight balsa wood was used as a filler after WW1. In 1928 Peter Markus invented and patented the first inflatable life-preserver. By WW2 foam was combined with Kapok. Laws were passed over time that has required aeroplanes and water going-vessels to carry life-preservers on board. The ship LOCH NESS 1869-1922 … The ship Loch Ness, of Glasgow, was the same ship what William Carmichael sailed on to Australia when he laid the commemoration stone on behalf of his sister Eva and himself, dedicated to their parents, brothers and sisters. The family members lost their lives on June 1, 1878, when their ship, the Loch Ard, was wrecked at Mutton Bird Island in south west Victoria. Eva Carmichael was one of the two survivors from that shipwreck, the other 52 tragically lost their lives. The ship Loch Ness was a three-masted sailing ship built in 1869 for the Loch Line owned by the Glasgow Shipping Company. The line transported cargo and passengers from Glasgow, Scotland, to Australian ports. The Loch Ness was sold in 1908 to Stevedore & Shipping Co, Sydney for use as a coal hulk. In 1914 the Australian Government took over the ship for naval defence purposeless. In 1926 the ship was sunk during gunfire practice by the 1922 built, light cruiser HMAS Melbourne, near Fremantle, Western Australia. The lifebuoy is an example of equipment carried on vessels in the late 19th and early 20th century to help preserve life. There were many lives lost in Australia’s colonial period, particularly along the coast of South West Victoria. The lifebuoy is significant for its connection to the ship Loch Ness on which William Carmichael, brother of Eva Carmichael, travelled to lay a memorial to their parents and all of their other siblings who lost their lives in the Loch Ard disaster of 1878 near Peterborough, Victoria. Lifebuoy, round, cork filling inside canvas cover, painted white, with rope attached. Lifebuoy has printed name of vessel Loch Ness, Glasgow. Symbols of red flag with white initials G S Co. There is also a red ensign."LOCH NESS", "GLASGOW" "G S Co"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, loch ness, loch ard, william carmichael, eva carmichael, lifebuoy, glasgow sailing ship, loch ness of glasgow, life rings, safety ring, life-saving buoy, ring buoy, life preserver, personal floating device, floatation device, safety equipment, g s c, glasgow shipping company, hmas melbourne, cruiser melbourne

The Loch Ard was an iron hulled clipper, built in Scotland in 1873 and wrecked on the southwest coast of Victoria in 1878 at what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge, near Port Campbell. Fifty two crew and passengers died and only Tom Pierce and Eva Carmichael survived. The Loch Ard was the last sailing ship to lose emigrants' lives when negotiating the entrance to Bass Strait. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton porcelain peacock - one of only nine in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. It had been well packed, which gave it adequate protection during the violent storm. Today, the Minton peacock can be seen at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. From Australia's most dramatic shipwreck it has now become Australia's most valuable shipwreck artefact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register. The Victorian History Advisory Council decided 1978 was an appropriate year to mark, not only the centenary of the sinking of the Loch Ard in 1878, but also commemorate the large part played by sailing ships in immigration, and through this, the development of Australia. The Victorian Government authorised the commemoration and a "Loch Ard Centenary Committee" was formed. It was established to create public interest and awareness for the 100th anniversary of the tragic Loch Ard shipwreck. Activities and events included student essays, exhibitions, videos, publications, competitions and historical information. A booklet called "Settlers Under Sail" by Don Charlwood was commissioned to be made available to all school children. The anchor of the Loch Ard was raised from the wreck and displayed at Port Campbell, a memorial plaque (erected by The National Park) was unveiled at Loch Ard Gorge, a special "Loch Ard Shipwreck Centennial Port Campbell" postmark was issued by the Post Office and a model ship competition was held. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village, together with other local towns and shires along the south-west coast participated in many of these commemorative activities. This letter is a significant reminder (and recognition) of the importance the Loch Ard (and other immigrant ships) played in the settling of Victoria and the dangers faced by the settlers who came to Australia in these ships. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the LOCH ARD. The LOCH ARD collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The LOCH ARD collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best-known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Single page letter typed in blue ink, on behalf of Koroit Council, written on 14th March 1978 and addressed to the Chairman, Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village Advisory Board, in recognition of the "Loch Ard Centenary Commemoration 1878 - 1978". It has the "Borough of Koroit" stamp at the top of the page and a red "Borough of Koroit" seal on the bottom right-hand corner of the page. It is signed by the Mayor (Allan R. Waterson), a councillor (J. W. Smith) and the Town Clerk (Jim Macdonald). The letter is in a plain buff manilla folder labelled in blue type.Top left corner - "Address correspondence to:/TOWN CLERK / P.O. BOX 5/KOROIT, 3282" Top Centre - blue circular ink stamp of "BOROUGH OF KOROIT 1870" with coat of arms in the center Top right - "TOWN HALL,KOROIT/ PHONE KOROIT (055) 658230/After Hours (055) 658490" The letter is addressed to - "CR. J. S. Lindsay, /Chairman,/ Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village Advisory Board,/ WARRNAMBOOL. 3280" "LOCH ARD CENTENARY COMMEMORATION 1878 - 1978" (underlined) The letter begins - "It is with much pleasure that the Council of the Borough of Koroit, join with neighbouring municipalities, civic leaders and other organisations on this day, in commemorating the "Loch Ard" Shipwreck centenary. The "Loch Ard" operated as a cargo and passenger vessel for immigrants, for a period of five years, from 1873 to 1878. Its last voyage was from England to Melbourne, and the ship was sunk on the 1st June 1878, with only two survivors from passengers and crew of fifty-four. The celebrations being conducted throughout our district this day will help us all to remember and appreciate the determination and spirit shown by these people, for they had the faith to realise that their endeavours would be successful, even against great odds in comparison to present day standards and techniques, and their imprint on our history is record of this fact. This commemoration acknowledges the important role undertaken by sailing ships such as the "Loch Ard" and the vital role this ship played in the early settlement of the State of Victoria." The letter ends with -" the Common Seal of the Mayor, Councillors and Burgesses of the Borough of Koroit was hereunto affixed this 18th day of March, 1978." The letter is signed "Allan J. Waterson Mayor/J. W. Smith Councillor/ Jim Macdonald Town Clerk and a large red seal of the Borough of Koroit (with their coat of arms) is in the bottom right-hand corner. Front of manilla folder - "BOROUGH OF KOROIT / LOCH ARD CENTENARY COMMEMORATION/ 1878 - 1978" "4050" written in black ink top right-hand corner next to a scribbled out numberflagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, loch ard, port cambell, shipwreck, commemorative committee, loch ard centenary, koroit council, commemorative letter, loch ard commemorative committee

This concretion of tobacco pipes is one of a group of artefacts in the McCulloch Collection. It was recovered from the shipwreck of the Victoria Tower. The pipes may have been amongst the ship's cargo but could have been included in a passenger’s personal effects. The object is now one of the shipwreck artefacts in Flagstaff Hill’s Mc Culloch Collection, which includes items recovered from the wrecks of the Victoria Tower (wrecked in 1869) and Loch Ard (wrecked in 1878). They were salvaged by a diver in the early 1970s from the southwest coast of Victoria. Advanced marine technology had enabled divers to explore the depths of the ocean and gather its treasures before protective legislation was introduced by the Government. The artefacts were donated to Queensland’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) by a passionate shipwreck lover and their locations were verified by Bruce McCulloch. In 2017 the Department repatriated them to Flagstaff Hill where they joined our vast collection of artefacts from Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast. The Victoria Tower: - The three-masted iron clipper ship was built in 1869 in Liverpool, England, as a passenger and cargo ship for the Australian trade. She was named after one of the two towers of the British Houses of Parliament and owned by the White Star line. The Victoria Tower sailed under the command of Captain Kerr from Liverpool towards Melbourne on her maiden voyage. She carried 34 passengers and 16 crew plus a general cargo including bottled beer, slates, iron pipes and hardware. She was almost at her destination when she was wrecked on 17th October 1869 at Point Impossible, west of Thompsons Creek, Breamlea. The shipwreck is a very popular dive site.The artefact is an example of cargo or personal items on board a ship in 1869. It provides a reference point for classifying and dating similar items. The artefact is significant for its association with the clipper ship Victoria Tower, which is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as S698. The Victoria Tower is recorded as the most intact historic shipwreck accessible between Point Lonsdale and Cape Otway. The Victoria Tower is one of only seven shipwrecks in Victoria that have had more than 100 objects recovered from them reported as a result of the Commonwealth Amnesty held in 1993-94.Concretion of clay tobacco pipes. Bowls and stems of several broken orange tobacco pipes are joined together in ac irregularly shaped clump of concretion from the sea. The concretion also contains stones, shells, sand and particles of seaweed. It was recovered wreck of the ship Victoria Tower.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, wreck dive, mcculloch collection, bruce mcculloch, white star line, victorian heritage register, clipper ship, victoria tower, captain kerr, shipwreck victoria tower, migrant ship 1869, cargo ship 1869, iron clipper, british clipper ship, 1869, cargo imported to australia, pipe cluster, concretion of pipes, pipe, ceramic pipes, tobacco pipes, smoker's pipes