Showing 67 items
matching timber hull
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Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
Vehicle - Yacht hull
... timber hull...Timber hull of a Jubilee class yacht J82 named FLASH. ... timber hull Timber hull of a Jubilee class yacht J82 named FLASH ...Seen as an excellent recreation for a maritime power, racing or cruising in purpose-built vessels became increasingly popular in Britain from the beginning of the 19th century. Some immigrants brought their enthusiasms to Port Phillip Bay, holding the first regatta in 1838. The Devil Afloat, the first unequivocal pleasure yacht, arrived a year later. Regattas were organised intermittently, featuring wagers on both rowing and sailing races. The Victoria Yacht Club, founded in 1856, soon folded, but another club of that name was established in 1872 and became the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria based at Williamstown. The Albert Park Yacht Club also began on the newly improved lagoon in 1872, other clubs soon followed and inter-club regattas were organised. In the 1880s the popularity of larger yachts built for cruising, as well as for racing, increased. Sailing in smaller boats consolidated in the first three decades of the 20th century, with several more clubs formed. After the great storm of 1932 destroyed many yachts the fleet was rebuilt with new designs such as Charles Peel's Jubilee One-Design Class dinghies.Jubilee yachts were popular in Port Phillip between 1930 to 1970. In later years, they were later made of fibreglass.Timber hull of a Jubilee class yacht J82 named FLASH. jubilee yacht, timber hull -
Anglesea and District Historical Society
Items from ship "Joseph H. Scammell"
... of hull timber from the "Scammell" and few pieces of plywood... of the "Scammell". 2. Shavings of hull timber from the "Scammell" and few ...1. Piano key from the wreck of the "Scammell". 2. Shavings of hull timber from the "Scammell" and few pieces of plywood contained in glass jar. 3. Shavings of hull timber from the "Scammell" plus small block of wood in large glass jar.1. "Key from piano of wrecked 'Scammell' / Point Danger Torquay 1891". 2. "From the wreck of the Joseph H. Scammell / May 8 1891 Torquay". Written in pen on both sides of key.joseph h. scammell, piano key -
Anglesea and District Historical Society
Items from ship "Lightning"
... edges. 3. Shavings of white oak timber recovered from hull... with planed edges. 3. Shavings of white oak timber recovered from hull ...1. Rectangular block of wood with shallow lozenge shaped cut out on one side. 2. Rectangular block of wood with planed edges. 3. Shavings of white oak timber recovered from hull of "Lightning" contained in glass jar.1. and 2. have "Lightning" written on them.ss lightning -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Muntz Metal
... of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called... ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through ...This sheet of copper sheathing or muntz metal has been recovered from the sea. It has been damaged by reaction of the metals to the sea, it has encrustations from the sea such as sand, and other damage has caused the edges to break away or fold over. ABOUT MUNTZ Early timber sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called ‘sea worms’ or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and the bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by applying coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch onto the timber. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper sheathing or a combination of 60 percent copper and 40 percent zinc (called Muntz metal). The ships would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. Piece of Muntz metal, copper/zinc sheathing for protecting ship hulls.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, muntz, muntz metal, copper sheating,, copper sheathing, teredo worms, sea worms, sea termites, ship building -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Copper Sheathing, Ca. 1855
... a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine.... Early sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls being ...This sheet of copper sheathing or Muntz metal has been recovered from the site of the wrecked ship Schomberg. It has been damaged by the reaction of the metals to the sea, it has encrustations from the sea such as sand, and another damage has caused the edges to break away or fold over. Early sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called ‘sea worms’ or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in seawater and the bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Early shipbuilders applied coatings of tar, was, lead or pitch onto the timber to prevent this. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the outsides of ships’ hulls were encased in either copper sheathing or Muntz metal, which is a combination of 60 per cent copper and 40 per cent zinc. The ships would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. About the SCHOMBERG- James Blaine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned the luxury sailing ship, Schomberg, to be built for its fleet of passenger liners The three-masted wooden ship was launched in 1855, designed by the Aberdeen builders to sail faster than the quick clippers designed by North American Donald McKay. The material used for the diagonal planking was British oak with layers of Scottish larch. The Schomberg’s master Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes commanded the ship on its maiden journey between Liverpool and Melbourne, departing on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons of cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. After sailing for 78 days she ran aground on a sand spit at Curdies Inlet near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December 1835. At dawn on the next day, the ship’s Chief Officer signalled a passing steamer, SS Queen, for help and all of Schomberg’s passengers were able to disembark safely. The passengers’ baggage and some of the cargo were later collected from the Schomberg. Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and the remaining cargo but did not attempt to salvage the cargo that was still on board. They eventually sold it and after two of the men drowned in the salvage efforts the job was abandoned. In 1975, divers from Flagstaff Hill, including former Director, Peter Ronald, explored the Schomberg wreck site and recovered many artefacts that are now on display at the Museum.The copper sheathing is significant for its connection with the Schomberg, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612), has great historical significance as a rare example of a large and fast clipper ship that sailed on the England-to-Australia run, carrying emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. She represents the technical advances made to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is significant for its association with the shipwreck. The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they can interpret the story of the ship, Schomberg. It is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger Ship. It is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and for its association with the shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be the fastest and most luxurious of its day.Copper sheathing; rectangular sheet of copper, shaped for use on a ship's hull, buckled, with fibres protruding from one edge. The object was recovered from the wreck of the SCHOMBERG.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, schomberg, clipper ship, black ball line, 1855 shipwreck, aberdeen clipper ship, captain forbes, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, ship construction, copper sheating, sheathing, sea worm, muntz, muntz metal, copper sheathing, teredo worms, sea worms, sea termites, shipbuilding -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Copper Sheathing
... of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called... ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through ...This sheet of copper sheathing or muntz metal has been recovered from the sea. It has been damaged by reaction of the metals to the sea, it has encrustations from the sea such as sand, and other damage has caused the edges to break away or fold over. ABOUT MUNTZ Early timber sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called ‘sea worms’ or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and the bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by applying coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch onto the timber. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper sheathing or a combination of 60 percent copper and 40 percent zinc (called Muntz metal). The ships would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. ABOUT THE SCHOMBERG When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Blaine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned her to be built for their fleet of passenger liners. At a cost of £43,103, the Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the quick clippers designed by North American Donald McKay. She was a three masted wooden clipper ship, built with diagonal planking of British oak with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury vessel was designed to transport emigrants to Melbourne in superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first class passengers. At the launch of Schomberg’s maiden voyage, her master Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes, drunkenly predicted that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The winds were poor as Schomberg sailed across the equator, slowing her journey considerably. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand-spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to Schomberg and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted SS Queen at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers were able to disembark safely. The Black Ball Line’s Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers’ baggage from the Schomberg. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo, but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. After two of the men drowned when they tried to reach Schomberg, salvage efforts were abandoned. In 1975, divers from Flagstaff Hill, including Peter Ronald, found an ornate communion set at the wreck. The set comprised a jug, two chalices, a plate and a lid. The lid did not fit any of the other objects and in 1978 a piece of the lid broke off, revealing a glint of gold. As museum staff carefully examined the lid and removed marine growth, they found a diamond ring, which is currently on display in the Great Circle Gallery. Flagstaff Hill also holds ship fittings and equipment, personal effects, a lithograph, tickets and photograph from the Schomberg. Most of the artefacts were salvaged from the wreck by Peter Ronald, former director of Flagstaff Hill. The Schomberg, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612), has great historical significance as a rare example of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, carrying emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. She represents the technical advances made to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is significant for its association with the shipwreck, The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Schomberg. It is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger Ship. It is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and for its association with the shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be fastest and most luxurious of its day Copper sheathing or "Muntz metal" - 60% copper and 40% zinc, used to line the hull of the Schomberg to prevent shipworm infestation. Recovered from the wreck of the Schomberg. There are 11 irregular shaped small pieces. Verdigris, nail holes and slight encrustation.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, schomberg, clipper ship, black ball line, 1855 shipwreck, aberdeen clipper ship, captain forbes, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, muntz, muntz metal, copper sheating,, copper sheathing, teredo worms, sea worms, sea termites, ship building -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Copper Sheathing
... of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called... ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through ...This sheet of copper sheathing or muntz metal has been recovered from the sea. It has been damaged by reaction of the metals to the sea, it has encrustations from the sea such as sand, and other damage has caused the edges to break away or fold over. ABOUT MUNTZ Early timber sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called ‘sea worms’ or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and the bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by applying coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch onto the timber. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper sheathing or a combination of 60 percent copper and 40 percent zinc (called Muntz metal). The ships would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. ABOUT THE SHOMBERG When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Blaine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned her to be built for their fleet of passenger liners. At a cost of £43,103, the Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the quick clippers designed by North American Donald McKay. She was a three masted wooden clipper ship, built with diagonal planking of British oak with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury vessel was designed to transport emigrants to Melbourne in superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first class passengers. At the launch of Schomberg’s maiden voyage, her master Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes, drunkenly predicted that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The winds were poor as Schomberg sailed across the equator, slowing her journey considerably. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand-spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to Schomberg and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted SS Queen at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers were able to disembark safely. The Black Ball Line’s Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers’ baggage from the Schomberg. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo, but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. After two of the men drowned when they tried to reach Schomberg, salvage efforts were abandoned. In 1975, divers from Flagstaff Hill, including Peter Ronald, found an ornate communion set at the wreck. The set comprised a jug, two chalices, a plate and a lid. The lid did not fit any of the other objects and in 1978 a piece of the lid broke off, revealing a glint of gold. As museum staff carefully examined the lid and removed marine growth, they found a diamond ring, which is currently on display in the Great Circle Gallery. Flagstaff Hill also holds ship fittings and equipment, personal effects, a lithograph, tickets and photograph from the Schomberg. Most of the artefacts were salvaged from the wreck by Peter Ronald, former director of Flagstaff Hill. The Schomberg, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612), has great historical significance as a rare example of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, carrying emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. She represents the technical advances made to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is significant for its association with the shipwreck, The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Schomberg. It is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger Ship. It is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and for its association with the shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be fastest and most luxurious of its day Copper sheathing or "Muntz metal" - 60% copper and 40% zinc, used to line the hull of the Schomberg to prevent shipworm infestation. Recovered from the wreck of the Schomberg. Folded, with verdigris, marine growth and slight encrustation. Irregular shaped 2' 2" long by 2' 1" wide.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, schomberg, clipper ship, black ball line, 1855 shipwreck, aberdeen clipper ship, captain forbes, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, muntz, muntz metal, copper sheating,, copper sheathing, teredo worms, sea worms, sea termites, ship building -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Copper Sheathing, ca 1855
... . Early timber sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls... of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called ...This sheet of copper sheathing or Muntz metal has been recovered from the sea at the wreck-site of the ship SCHOMBERG. . It has been damaged by the reaction of the metals to the sea, it has encrustations from the sea such as sand, and has other damage that has caused the edges to break away or fold over. Early timber sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called ‘sea worms’ or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in seawater and the bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by applying coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch onto the timber. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the outsides of their ships were sheathed in copper sheathing or a combination of 60 per cent copper and 40 per cent zinc (called Muntz metal). The ships would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. ABOUTH THE SCHOMBERG- When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Blaine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned her to be built for their fleet of passenger liners. At a cost of £43,103, the Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the quick clippers designed by North American Donald McKay. She was a three masted wooden clipper ship, built with diagonal planking of British oak with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury vessel was designed to transport emigrants to Melbourne in superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first class passengers. At the launch of Schomberg’s maiden voyage, her master Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes, drunkenly predicted that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The winds were poor as Schomberg sailed across the equator, slowing her journey considerably. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand-spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to Schomberg and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted SS Queen at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers were able to disembark safely. The Black Ball Line’s Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers’ baggage from the Schomberg. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo, but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. After two of the men drowned when they tried to reach Schomberg, salvage efforts were abandoned. In 1975, divers from Flagstaff Hill, including Peter Ronald, found an ornate communion set at the wreck. The set comprised a jug, two chalices, a plate and a lid. The lid did not fit any of the other objects and in 1978 a piece of the lid broke off, revealing a glint of gold. As museum staff carefully examined the lid and removed marine growth, they found a diamond ring, which is currently on display in the Great Circle Gallery. Flagstaff Hill also holds ship fittings and equipment, personal effects, a lithograph, tickets and photograph from the Schomberg. Most of the artefacts were salvaged from the wreck by Peter Ronald, former director of Flagstaff Hill.The Schomberg, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612), has great historical significance as a rare example of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, carrying emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. She represents the technical advances made to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is significant for its association with the shipwreck, The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Schomberg. It is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger Ship. It is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and for its association with the shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be fastest and most luxurious of its dayCopper sheathing or Muntz metal recovered from the shipwreck Schomberg. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, schomberg, clipper ship, black ball line, 1855 shipwreck, aberdeen clipper ship, captain forbes, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, muntz, coppper sheathing, ship building, sea worm -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Copper Sheathing
... of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called... ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through ...This sheet of copper sheathing or muntz metal has been recovered from the sea. It has been damaged by reaction of the metals to the sea, it has encrustations from the sea such as sand, and other damage has caused the edges to break away or fold over. ABOUT MUNTZ Early timber sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called ‘sea worms’ or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and the bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by applying coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch onto the timber. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper sheathing or a combination of 60 percent copper and 40 percent zinc (called Muntz metal). The ships would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. ABOUT THE SCHOMBERG When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Blaine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned her to be built for their fleet of passenger liners. At a cost of £43,103, the Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the quick clippers designed by North American Donald McKay. She was a three masted wooden clipper ship, built with diagonal planking of British oak with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury vessel was designed to transport emigrants to Melbourne in superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first class passengers. At the launch of Schomberg’s maiden voyage, her master Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes, drunkenly predicted that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The winds were poor as Schomberg sailed across the equator, slowing her journey considerably. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand-spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to Schomberg and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted SS Queen at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers were able to disembark safely. The Black Ball Line’s Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers’ baggage from the Schomberg. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo, but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. After two of the men drowned when they tried to reach Schomberg, salvage efforts were abandoned. In 1975, divers from Flagstaff Hill, including Peter Ronald, found an ornate communion set at the wreck. The set comprised a jug, two chalices, a plate and a lid. The lid did not fit any of the other objects and in 1978 a piece of the lid broke off, revealing a glint of gold. As museum staff carefully examined the lid and removed marine growth, they found a diamond ring, which is currently on display in the Great Circle Gallery. Flagstaff Hill also holds ship fittings and equipment, personal effects, a lithograph, tickets and photograph from the Schomberg. Most of the artefacts were salvaged from the wreck by Peter Ronald, former director of Flagstaff Hill. The Schomberg, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612), has great historical significance as a rare example of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, carrying emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. She represents the technical advances made to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is significant for its association with the shipwreck, The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Schomberg. It is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger Ship. It is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and for its association with the shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be fastest and most luxurious of its day Copper sheathing or "Muntz metal" - 60% copper and 40% zinc, used to line the hull of the Schomberg to prevent shipworm infestation. Recovered from the wreck of the Schomberg. With verdigris, marine growth and slight encrustation. Irregular shaped 1' 2½" Wide by 2' 7" long.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, schomberg, clipper ship, black ball line, 1855 shipwreck, aberdeen clipper ship, captain forbes, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, muntz, muntz metal, copper sheating,, copper sheathing, teredo worms, sea worms, sea termites, ship building -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Copper Sheathing
... of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called... ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through ...This sheet of copper sheathing or muntz metal has been recovered from the sea. It has been damaged by reaction of the metals to the sea, it has encrustations from the sea such as sand, and other damage has caused the edges to break away or fold over. ABOUT MUNTZ Early timber sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called ‘sea worms’ or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and the bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by applying coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch onto the timber. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper sheathing or a combination of 60 percent copper and 40 percent zinc (called Muntz metal). The ships would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. ABOUT THE SCHOMBERG When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Blaine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned her to be built for their fleet of passenger liners. At a cost of £43,103, the Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the quick clippers designed by North American Donald McKay. She was a three masted wooden clipper ship, built with diagonal planking of British oak with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury vessel was designed to transport emigrants to Melbourne in superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first class passengers. At the launch of Schomberg’s maiden voyage, her master Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes, drunkenly predicted that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The winds were poor as Schomberg sailed across the equator, slowing her journey considerably. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand-spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to Schomberg and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted SS Queen at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers were able to disembark safely. The Black Ball Line’s Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers’ baggage from the Schomberg. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo, but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. After two of the men drowned when they tried to reach Schomberg, salvage efforts were abandoned. In 1975, divers from Flagstaff Hill, including Peter Ronald, found an ornate communion set at the wreck. The set comprised a jug, two chalices, a plate and a lid. The lid did not fit any of the other objects and in 1978 a piece of the lid broke off, revealing a glint of gold. As museum staff carefully examined the lid and removed marine growth, they found a diamond ring, which is currently on display in the Great Circle Gallery. Flagstaff Hill also holds ship fittings and equipment, personal effects, a lithograph, tickets and photograph from the Schomberg. Most of the artefacts were salvaged from the wreck by Peter Ronald, former director of Flagstaff Hill. The Schomberg, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612), has great historical significance as a rare example of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, carrying emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. She represents the technical advances made to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is significant for its association with the shipwreck, The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Schomberg. It is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger Ship. It is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and for its association with the shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be fastest and most luxurious of its day Piece of rectangular Muntz metal from the wreck of the Schomberg. Metal has been bent back on itself at one end. Evidence of nail holes. Metal has verdigris and marine encrustation. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, schomberg, clipper ship, black ball line, 1855 shipwreck, aberdeen clipper ship, captain forbes, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, muntz, muntz metal, copper sheating,, copper sheathing, teredo worms, sea worms, sea termites, ship building -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Copper Sheathing, ca. 1855
... of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called... ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through ...This sheet of copper sheathing or muntz metal has been recovered from the sea. It has been damaged by reaction of the metals to the sea, it has encrustations from the sea such as sand, and other damage has caused the edges to break away or fold over. ABOUT MUNTZ Early timber sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called ‘sea worms’ or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and the bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by applying coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch onto the timber. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the outsides of their ships were sheathed in copper sheathing or a combination of 60 per cent copper and 40 per cent zinc (called Muntz metal). The ships would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. ABOUT THE SCHOMBERG- When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Blaine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned her to be built for their fleet of passenger liners. At a cost of £43,103, the Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the quick clippers designed by North American Donald McKay. She was a three-masted wooden clipper ship, built with diagonal planking of British oak with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury vessel was designed to transport emigrants to Melbourne in superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first-class passengers. At the launch of Schomberg’s maiden voyage, her master Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes, drunkenly predicted that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The winds were poor as Schomberg sailed across the equator, slowing her journey considerably. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to Schomberg and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted SS Queen at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers were able to disembark safely. The Black Ball Line’s Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers’ baggage from the Schomberg. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. After two men drowned when they tried to reach Schomberg, salvage efforts were abandoned.32 In 1975, divers from Flagstaff Hill, including Peter Ronald, found an ornate communion set at the wreck. The set comprised a jug, two chalices, a plate and a lid. The lid did not fit any of the other objects and in 1978 a piece of the lid broke off, revealing a glint of gold. As museum staff carefully examined the cover and removed marine growth, they found a diamond ring, which is currently on display in the Great Circle Gallery.33 Flagstaff Hill also holds ship fittings and equipment, personal effects, a lithograph, tickets and photographs from the Schomberg. Most of the artefacts were salvaged from the wreck by Peter Ronald, former director of Flagstaff Hill.The Schomberg, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612), has great historical significance as a rare example of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, carrying emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. She represents the technical advances made to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is significant for its association with the shipwreck, The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Schomberg. It is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger Ship. It is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and for its association with the shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be fastest and most luxurious of its dayCopper sheathing or "Muntz metal" - 60% copper and 40% zinc, used to line the hull of the Schomberg to prevent shipworm infestation. The sheet was recovered from the wreck of the Schomberg. It is irregular in shape with nail holes and slight encrustation.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, schomberg, clipper ship, black ball line, 1855 shipwreck, aberdeen clipper ship, captain forbes, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, muntz, muntz metal, copper sheating,, copper sheathing, teredo worms, sea worms, sea termites, ship building, late 19th century sailing ships -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Copper Sheathing
... of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called... had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through ...This sheet of copper sheathing or Muntz metal has been recovered from the sea. It has been damaged by the reaction of the metals to the sea, it has encrustations from the sea such as sand, and has other damage that has caused the edges to break away or fold over. Early timber sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called ‘sea worms’ or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in seawater and the bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by applying coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch onto the timber. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the outsides of their ships were sheathed in copper sheathing or a combination of 60 per cent copper and 40 per cent zinc (called Muntz metal). The ships would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. ABOUT THE SCHOMBERG- When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Blaine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned her to be built for their fleet of passenger liners. At a cost of £43,103, the Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the quick clippers designed by North American Donald McKay. She was a three masted wooden clipper ship, built with diagonal planking of British oak with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury vessel was designed to transport emigrants to Melbourne in superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first class passengers. At the launch of Schomberg’s maiden voyage, her master Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes, drunkenly predicted that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The winds were poor as Schomberg sailed across the equator, slowing her journey considerably. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand-spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to Schomberg and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted SS Queen at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers were able to disembark safely. The Black Ball Line’s Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers’ baggage from the Schomberg. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo, but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. After two of the men drowned when they tried to reach Schomberg, salvage efforts were abandoned.32 In 1975, divers from Flagstaff Hill, including Peter Ronald, found an ornate communion set at the wreck. The set comprised a jug, two chalices, a plate and a lid. The lid did not fit any of the other objects and in 1978 a piece of the lid broke off, revealing a glint of gold. As museum staff carefully examined the lid and removed marine growth, they found a diamond ring, which is currently on display in the Great Circle Gallery.33 Flagstaff Hill also holds ship fittings and equipment, personal effects, a lithograph, tickets and photograph from the Schomberg. Most of the artefacts were salvaged from the wreck by Peter Ronald, former director of Flagstaff Hill.The Schomberg, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612), has great historical significance as a rare example of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, carrying emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. She represents the technical advances made to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is significant for its association with the shipwreck, The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Schomberg. It is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger Ship. It is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and for its association with the shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be fastest and most luxurious of its day This Muntz sheet was recovered from the wreck of the Schomberg. It has been folded, bent and wrinkled. It has nail holes, Verdigris, marine growth and slight encrustation. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, schomberg, clipper ship, black ball line, 1855 shipwreck, aberdeen clipper ship, captain forbes, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, muntz, muntz metal, copper sheating,, copper sheathing, teredo worms, sea worms, sea termites, ship building -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Copper sheathing
... of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called... ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through ...This sheet of copper sheathing or muntz metal has been recovered from the sea. It has been damaged by reaction of the metals to the sea, it has encrustations from the sea such as sand, and other damage has caused the edges to break away or fold over. ABOUT MUNTZ Early timber sailing ships had a problem of the timber hulls being eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called ‘sea worms’ or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and the bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by applying coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch onto the timber. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper sheathing or a combination of 60 percent copper and 40 percent zinc (called Muntz metal). The ships would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. ABOUT THE SCHOMBERG When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Blaine’s Black Ball Line had commissioned her to be built for their fleet of passenger liners. At a cost of £43,103, the Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the quick clippers designed by North American Donald McKay. She was a three masted wooden clipper ship, built with diagonal planking of British oat with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury vessel was designed to transport emigrants to Melbourne in superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first class passengers. At the launch of Schomberg’s maiden voyage, her master Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes, drunkenly predicted that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The winds were poor as Schomberg sailed across the equator, slowing her journey considerably. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand-spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to Schomberg and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted SS Queen at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers were able to disembark safely. The Black Ball Line’s Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers’ baggage from the Schomberg. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo, but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. After two of the men drowned when they tried to reach Schomberg, salvage efforts were abandoned.32 In 1975, divers from Flagstaff Hill, including Peter Ronald, found an ornate communion set at the wreck. The set comprised a jug, two chalices, a plate and a lid. The lid did not fit any of the other objects and in 1978 a piece of the lid broke off, revealing a glint of gold. As museum staff carefully examined the lid and removed marine growth, they found a diamond ring, which is currently on display in the Great Circle Gallery.33 Flagstaff Hill also holds ship fittings and equipment, personal effects, a lithograph, tickets and photograph from the Schomberg. Most of the artefacts were salvaged from the wreck by Peter Ronald, former director of Flagstaff Hill. The Schomberg, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S612), has great historical significance as a rare example of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, carrying emigrants at the time of the Victorian gold rush. She represents the technical advances made to break sailing records between Europe and Australia. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is significant for its association with the shipwreck. The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Schomberg. It is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger Ship. It is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and for its association with the shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be fastest and most luxurious of its day Copper sheathing or Muntz metal in concretion. Recovered from the wreck of the Schomberg.warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, schomberg, shipwrecked-artefact, clipper ship, black ball line, 1855 shipwreck, aberdeen clipper ship, captain forbes, peterborough shipwreck, ss queen, muntz, muntz metal, copper sheating,, copper sheathing, teredo worms, sea worms, sea termites, ship building -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Vehicle - Vessel, Lifeboat Warrnambool, 01/09/1910
... with building dates, is pencilled on a concealed timber 'plaque... on a concealed timber 'plaque' in the hull, was involved ...The construction of the lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ began 15th September 1909 and was completed almost 12 months later, 1st September 1910. It was built at the Government Dockyard in Williamstown, Victoria, along the lines designed by the Great Britain’s Royal Lifeboat Institution, and included whaleback decks fore and aft, mast and centreboard, and rudder and tiller hung from the sternpost. It could be propelled by both sail and oar. At that time Captain Ferguson was Chief Harbour Master and Mr Beagley was foreman boat builder when he and his fellow workmen built the boat. The boat was described as “… a fine piece of workmanship and does credit to her builders and designers…” It had all the latest improvements in shape, disposition of weight and watertight compartments, and it had space for a large number of people in addition to the crew. It appears that 'H Meiers' whose signature, along with building dates, is pencilled on a concealed timber 'plaque' in the hull, was involved with the building of the lifeboat. It is interesting that the ‘Melbourne Directory’ of 1911, published by Sands and MacDougal, lists McAuley and Meiers, boat builders, Nelson Place foreshore, between Pasco and Parker Streets, Williamstown, (Victorian Heritage Database, ‘Contextual History, Maritime Facilities’), It is probably the company of the person whose name is inscribed on the lifeboat plaque. Flagstaff Hill’s documentation also mentions that the keel was laid at ‘Harry Myers, boat builders, Williamstown, Melbourne’ – the name ‘Myers’ can also be spelled ‘Meiers’, which could be the same person as the Meiers in “McAuley and Meiers” (as mentioned in genealogy lines of Myers). The new lifeboat, to be named ‘Warrnambool’ was brought to town by train and launched at the breakwater on 1st March 1911 using the Titan crane (the old lifeboat built in 1858, was then returned to Melbourne in 1911). This new lifeboat was stationed at Warrnambool in a shed located at the base of the Breakwater, adjacent to the slipway. A winch was used to bring it in and out of the water. The lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ was similar in size to the old lifeboat but far superior in design, build and sea-going qualities such as greater manoeuvrability. The ‘self-righting, self-draining’ design was “practically non-capsizeable” and even if the boat overturned it would right itself to an even keel and the water would drain away. The hull was built of New Zealand Kauri, using double diagonal planking, laid in two layers at right angles, with a layer of canvas and red lead paint between the timbers to help seal the planking. It has “… plenty of freeboard, high watertight spaces between the deck and bottom… through which pipes lead…” The backbone timbers were made of Jarrah. The lifeboat Warrnambool was one of several rescue boats used at Port Fairy and Warrnambool in early 1900's. In late 1914 the Warrnambool lifeboat and crew were used to help find what was left of the tragic wreckage of the Antares, and were able to discover the body of one of the crewmen, which they brought back to Warrnambool. Between 1951 and 1954 the lifeboat was manned under the guidance of Captain Carrington. He held lifeboat practice each month on a Sunday morning, to comply with the Ports and Harbour’s request that lifeboats be manned by a strong and competent crew, ready for action in case of emergency. In the early 1960’s it ended its service as a lifeboat and was used in Port Fairy as a barge to help dredge the Moyne River, bolted to the Port Fairy lifeboat. Flagstaff Hill obtained the Warrnambool in 1975. In 1984 it was on display at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool. On 23rd May 1990 she was lifted from the water and placed in a cradle for restoration. The name ‘WARRNAMBOOL could be seen faintly on the lifeboat before it was restored. It was during the restoration that Flagstaff Hill's boat builder discovered the 'plaque' inside the hull. A copy of the blueprint plans has the name “V.E.E. Gotch” printed on it. His advertisement in Footscray’s ‘Independent’ newspaper of Saturday 11th May 1901 states he is “Principal and Skilled member (Naval Architect) to the Court of Marine Inquiry of Victoria and holds classes for naval architectural drawing and arithmetic.”The lifeboat WARRNAMBOOL is significant for its half century service to the local community as a lifesaving vessel. She was also used to help retrieve the body of a shipwrecked crew member of the ANTARES. Lifeboat "Warrnambool", a wooden, clinker hull, 'self-righting, self-draining design, single mast, pivoting centreboard. Complete with sail and yardarm. A 'plaque' was found inside the hull of the lifeboat, made of untreated wood, disc-shaped with one straight edge (Diam 15.5cm), inscribed by one of the boat builders in pencil script "Life Boat Start building / 15/9/09 - complete 1/9/10 / (signature looks like H Meiers) / Boat Builder)."'Plaque' inside body of boat is inscribed in pencil, script writing "Life Boat Start building / 15/9/09 - complete 1/9/10 / (signature looks like H Meiels) / Boat Builder)." flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, lifeboat, life boat, vessel, life saving, 1910 vessel, port fairy, boat builder plaque, rescue boat, beagley, williamstown, government dockyard, v.e.e. gotch, royal lifeboat institution, captain ferguson, meiers, nelson place, non-capsizeable, self-righting, titan crane, double diagonal planking, captain carrington, barge, antares, self righting, crew of twelve, capacity of 30 survivors -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Nail, 1855
... , the preferred hull-frame timber of British Oak has a high content..., the preferred hull-frame timber of British Oak has a high content ...The artefact is the lower portion of a rectangular shanked ‘planking nail’ with a straight-edged ‘flat point’. The distinctive ‘point’ of a planking/skirting nail was designed to be driven into timber across the grain in order to prevent the wood from splitting. This relic is from the shipwreck of the SCHOMBERG, which ran aground near Peterborough in 1855. It was retrieved in 1875 from a large section of the ship’s bow which had been carried by ocean currents to the western coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The nail is still fixed in a fragment of the original timber that it secured in the SCHOMBERG. The top portion, or ‘head’ of the nail, has corroded away but the pronounced rectangular shank and its flat point indicate its likely purpose and position on the vessel. Most fastenings used in sailing ship construction were either wooden treenails or copper bolts, which were relatively resistant to seawater corrosion. In addition, the preferred hull-frame timber of British Oak has a high content of gallic acid which rapidly corrodes unprotected iron work. The ferrous composition of this planking nail suggests it came from an internal and upper portion of the ship’s bow (protected from exposure to the sea or oak). According to an 1855 edition of the Aberdeen Journal, the five outer layers, or ‘skins’, of the SCHOMBERG’s pine hull were “combined by means of patent screw treenails”. However the “beams of her two upper decks” were of “malleable iron”, and “part of the forecastle” was “fitted for the accommodation of the crew”. It is therefore possible that iron nails of this description were used by the ship’s builders to secure floor and wall planks in enclosed areas of the crew’s quarters. (The same reasoning would apply to officer and passenger accommodation amidships and at the stern of the vessel, but it was the bow that floated to New.Zealand.) The SCHOMBERG was a 2,000 ton clipper ship, specifically designed for the Australian immigration trade (back-loading wool for Britain’s mills), and constructed in Hall’s shipyard in Aberdeen, Scotland. She was owned by the Black Ball Line and launched in 1855. Alexander Hall & Son were renowned builders of sleek and fast 1,000 ton clippers for the China trade (opium in, tea out) and were keen to show they could also outclass the big North American ships built by Donald Mackay. Consequently the SCHOMBERG was ‘overbuilt’. Her hull featured five ‘skins’ of Scotch Larch and Pitch Pine overlaying each other in a diagonal pattern against a stout frame of British Oak. Oak has been favoured by builders of wooden ships for centuries. Its close, dense grain made it harder to work, but also gave it great strength and durability. In addition, the lateral spread of its branches supplied a natural curvature for the ribs of a vessel’s hull, as well as providing the small corner or curved pieces (‘knees’ and ‘elbows’) that fit them together. At the launch the SCHOMBERG’s 34 year old master, Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes, had promised Melbourne in 60 days, "with or without the help of God." James Nicol Forbes was born in Aberdeen in 1821 and rose to fame with his record-breaking voyages on the famous Black Ball Line ships; MARCO POLO and LIGHTNING. In 1852 in the MARCO POLO he made the record passage from London to Melbourne in 68 days. There were 53 deaths on the voyage but the great news was of the record passage by the master. In 1954 Captain Forbes took the clipper LIGHTNING to Melbourne in 76 days and back in 63 days, this was never beaten by a sailing ship. He often drove his crew and ship to breaking point to beat his own records. He cared little for the comfort of the passengers. On this, the SCHOMBERG’s maiden voyage, he was going to break records. SCHOMBERG departed Liverpool on her maiden voyage on 6 October 1855 flying the sign “Sixty Days to Melbourne”. She departed with 430 passengers and 3000 tons cargo including iron rails and equipment intended to build the Melbourne to Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. She also carried a cow for fresh milk, pens for fowls and pigs, 90,000 gallons of water for washing and drinking. It also carried 17,000 letters and 31,800 newspapers. The ship and cargo was insured for $300,000, a fortune for the time. The winds were poor as she sailed across the equator, slowing SCHOMBERG’s journey considerably. Land was first sighted on Christmas Day, at Cape Bridgewater near Portland, and Captain Forbes followed the coastline towards Melbourne. Forbes was said to be playing cards when called by the Third Mate Henry Keen, who reported land about 3 miles off, Due in large part to the captain's regarding a card game as more important than his ship, it eventually ran aground on a sand spit near Curdie's Inlet (about 56 km west of Cape Otway) on 26 December 1855, 78 days after leaving Liverpool. The sand spit and the currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. Overnight, the crew launched a lifeboat to find a safe place to land the ship’s passengers. The scouting party returned to SCHOMBERG and advised Forbes that it was best to wait until morning because the rough seas could easily overturn the small lifeboats. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted SS QUEEN at dawn and signalled the steamer. The master of the SS QUEEN approached the stranded vessel and all of SCHOMBERG’s passengers and crew were able to disembark safely. The SCHOMBERG was lost and with her, Forbes’ reputation. The Black Ball Line’s Melbourne agent sent a steamer to retrieve the passengers’ baggage from the SCHOMBERG. Other steamers helped unload her cargo until the weather changed and prevented the salvage teams from accessing the ship. Later one plunderer found a case of Wellington boots, but alas, all were for the left foot! Local merchants Manifold & Bostock bought the wreck and cargo, but did not attempt to salvage the cargo still on board the ship. They eventually sold it on to a Melbourne businessman and two seafarers. In 1864 after two of the men drowned when they tried to reach SCHOMBERG, salvage efforts were abandoned. Parts of the SCHOMBERG were washed ashore on the south island of New Zealand in 1870, nearly 15 years after the wreck. The wreck now lies in 825 metres of water. Although the woodwork is mostly disintegrated the shape of the ship can still be seen due to the remaining railway irons, girders and the ship’s frame. A variety of goods and materials can be seen scattered about nearby. Flagstaff Hill holds many items salvaged from the SCHOMBERG including a ciborium (in which a diamond ring was concealed), communion set, ship fittings and equipment, personal effects, a lithograph, tickets and photograph from the SCHOMBERG. One of the SCHOMBERG bells is in the Warrnambool Library. This nail is a registered artefact from the wreck of the SCHOMBERG, Artefact Reg No S/35 and is significant because of its association with the SCHOMBERG. The SCHOMBERG collection as a whole is of historical and archaeological significance at a State level, listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S612. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the SCHOMBERG is significant for its association with the Victorian Heritage Registered shipwreck. The collection is primarily significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the SCHOMBERG. The SCHOMBERG collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of an international passenger ship. The shipwreck 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 shipwreck and the ship, which was designed to be fastest and most luxurious of its day. The SCHOMBERG collection meets the following criteria for assessment: Criterion A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history. Criterion B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history. Criterion C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history. The object is the bottom end of a slightly curved iron planking nail with remnant of timber still attached, recovered from the wreck of the SCHOMBERG (1855). The shank of the nail is rectangular and it narrows to a flat (chisel like) ‘point’. The ‘head’ is missing although there is a quantity of dark red corrosion within the top of the surrounding wood, suggesting where it might have been. The artefact is from the wreck of the SCHOMBERG (1855) and was retrieved from part of the ship’s bow which was carried by sea currents to the South Island of New Zealand. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, schomberg, planking nail, rectangular ship’s nail, cast iron nail -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph - Ship, Alma Doepel, 1931-1934
This photograph is of the square-rigged schooner "Alma Doepel". Details added to the back of the photograph incorrectly describe the vessel as "Amy Doepel / ketch / Amy Doepel". The rigging on the vessel dates the photograph to sometime between 1931-1933. The location is yet to be determined. Frederick Doepel was a shipping agent in Bellinger Valley, NSW. He employed an experienced shipwright to build Alma Doepel, which was made from local timber. He named the ship “Alma Doepel” after his baby daughter Alma. The ship was registered in Sydney and launched 19th October 1903, and her first sea voyage was in December. She traded in timber Port Macquarie/Bellinger River and New Zealand. “Alma Doepel” was purchased by Henry Jones & Co., Hobart jam makers, in partnership with Harry Heather, her new captain, in 1916. The ship was then registered in Hobart. She carried jam and timber to the mainland, particularly Melbourne, and brought back cargo for Tasmania. She even carried the piles for the building of Portland Harbour. When Harry Heather passed away in 1937 he was succeeded by Eric Droscoll. Before the square-rigged "Alma Doepel" left for Tasmania on March 8th 1937 she was fitted with a new set of sails, becoming a fore-and-aft rigged schooner. She had been the last 'top sail' schooner in Bass Strait trade! "Alma Doepel" continued her coastal trading until 1942, when she was requisitioned by the Army. In January 1943 she was left in Melbourne by her crew and the Army took her over, taking her to Sydney in February, 1943. She was relaunched by the Army in 1944 minus two of her masts and her small 1936 engine, and was fitted with three large bus engines. In March 1945 she headed for the war zone, delivering cargo up and down the coast of New Guinea, at one time carrying over 400 troops. In 1946 she returned to Hobart where the Army re-converted her back for Bass Strait trading and returned her. In January 1947 Eric Driscoll took “Alma Doepel” to the eastern Tasmanian coastal port of St. Helens, trading cargo of local mountain ash timber to Melbourne on the mainland until 1959. She was then stripped down to her hull with only a single mast and two engines, and fitted with wooden bins on rails in her hold. From 1961 to 1975 she carried limestone to a factory to make carbide. Michael Wood and David Boykett, two of the governors of "Sail and Adventure", then bought her for the price of her two Gardiner engines and in 1976 they brought her to Melbourne. An Alma Doepel Supporters Club was formed to support the ship’s major restoration to a topsail schooner. In 1987 she was overhauled in Adelaide, with the support of Elders IXL and she returned to Sydney to lead the Parade of Sail on Bicentenary Day, 25th January 1988. She returned to Melbourne in February and began sail training voyages in Port Phillip Bay, operating from an office on Station Pier. The Alma Doepel Voyagers Club was started. Trainees joined the crew in sailing the ship over nine or ten days of instruction in sailing and seamanship. These trips plus chartered trips and fund raisers continued until early 1999, when she was no longer in a condition to operate; she needed a lot of attention. She lay idle in Victoria Dock for quite some time. In April 2001 “Alma Doepel” was taken to Port Macquarie’s Lady Nelson Wharf where she became a museum ship maintained by volunteers. In 2008 she had time in dry-dock and after sea-trials headed off to Victoria Harbour, Docklands, in Melbourne, where she is currently being restored with the help of The Supporters.This phot graph is significant for its connection with the Bass Strait trade, being the last top-sail schooner to brade across the strait. The photograph is also significant in its representation of the the sailing ships that traded around Australia in the 1930s.Photograph of "Alma Doepel " a wooden, 3 masted, square rigged sailing schooner built in Sydney, launched in 10/10/1903. Photograph is sepia coloured, mounted on card, inscription on the back. Information also provided with photograph. Photograph (marked incorrectly on back) "Amy Doepel / ketch / Amy Doepel". Sticker with "91" in pencil. Information provided (dated incorrectly) "1943, Sydney, New South Wales"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwreck coast, maritime museum, maritime village, photograph, alma doepel, frederick doepel, henry jones and co, harry heather, eric droscoll, alma doepel supporters club, elders ixl, parade of sail, bicentenary day, alma doepel voyagers club, last top sail schooner in bass strait trade, square-rigged, fore-and-aft rigged -
Port of Echuca
Coloured Photograph, 04/03/1984
This photograph of the plaque on the side of the P.S Adelaide while she was a stationary exhibit in the Hopwood Gardens from 1963 until 1984 tells the story of her manufacture and her work life up until 1963. The P.S Adelaide was launched on 21st July 1866. It was owned by J.G.Grassie from Poon Boon Station and the Officer Family of Murray Downs Station Swan Hill. The Adelaide was named after the niece of the Officer Bros, Adelaide Blackwood. The shipwrights who built her was George Linklater. The Adelaide brought wool and passengers from the wool stations on the Murray and Darling Rivers down to the Echuca Wharf. In 1872 she was sold to David Blair & Sons. She was used to bring timber from the Barmah Forest to the Echuca Wharf. She did this work for the next 80 years. In 1953 she was tied up near the Mill and left In 1958 she went to Paringa South Australia to work in the sawmill industry again. In 1960 the Echuca Apex Club and The Echuca Historical Society raised enough funds to buy the P.S. Adelaide and return her to Echuca. In November 1963 she was lifted out of the water and placed in Hopwood Gardens as this was thought to be a way of preserving her. In 1984 it was decided to return her to the water to resume work as a passenger vessel. In that time the Port of Echuca and the Echuca Wharf had been restored as a Tourist Precinct. The P.S Adelaide is extremely significant as it it the oldest known wooden hulled paddle steamers in the world. She was built in Echuca in 1866 and still operates on the Murray River today. She has worked in the Wool Industry, the Timber Industry and the Tourist Industry.Coloured photograph showing the information sign which was attached to the side of the P.S Adelaide whilst she was a stationary exhibit in the Hopwood Gardens from 1963 until 1984.On the sign is written; " P.S Adelaide/built on the Murray at Echuca for Officer Grassie &Co. Of Poon Boon and Murray Downs stations. Launched 20th July 1866. The vessel is typical of the steamers trading in the era of the Riverina and Darling River trade of 1853 to the early 1900's and which had by 1872 established aEchuca as the second busiest port in Victoria. Worked in the Red Gum logging trade until 1958 under the ownership of the Murray River Sawmills Co. She was purchased by that company from David Blair Saw Miller of Echuca in 1861. 75ft. 4 inches X 12 ft.5 inches X 3 ft. 6 inches built of 3 inch red gum planking on an angle. Iron frames 2? X 2?5/6. 30 H.P. Nominal arc original and made by Fulton & Shaw of Melbourne. Twin cylinders. 14 bore. 16 stroke Stephenson's reversing gear controlled by Captain from the wheelhouse. Locomotive type red gum wood. Master, Mate, Engineer, Fireman, Cook, and Deckhand. p.s. adelaide, port of echuca, grassie, j.g, linklater, george, poon boon station, blair, david, murray river, darling river, logging industry, officer brothers., barmah forest, fulton & shaw, hutchinson, kevin, adelaide blackwood, murray downs station -
Port of Echuca
Coloured Photograph, 04/03/1984
The P.S Adelaide was launched on 21st July 1866. It was owned by J.G.Grassie from Poon Boon Station and the Officer Family of Murray Downs Station Swan Hill. The Adelaide was named after the niece of the Officer Bros, Adelaide Blackwood. The shipwright who built her was George Linklater. The Adelaide brought wool and passengers from the wool stations on the Murray and Darling Rivers down to the Echuca Wharf. In 1872 she was sold to David Blair & Sons. She was used to bring timber from the Barmah Forest to the Echuca Wharf. She did this work for the next 80 years. In 1953 she was tied up near the Mill and left. In 1958 she went to Paringa South Australia to work in the sawmill industry again. In 1960 the Echuca Apex Club and The Echuca Historical Society raised enough funds to buy the P.S. Adelaide and return her to Echuca. In November 1963 she was lifted out of the water and placed in Hopwood Gardens as this was thought to be a way of preserving her. In 1984 it was decided to return her to the water to resume work as a passenger vessel. In that time the Port of Echuca and the Echuca Wharf had been restored as a Tourist Precinct. This photograph shows the beginning of the task to return her to the river. It took several weeks in March 1984.The P.S Adelaide is extremely significant as it it the oldest known wooden hulled paddle steamers in the world. She was built in Echuca in 1866 and still operates on the Murray River today. She has worked in the Wool Industry, the Timber Industry and the Tourist Industry.This is a coloured square photograph of an orange front end loader clearing a track from Hopwood Gardens down to the river. The track was used to bring the P.S Adelaide from the gardens back into the river. The P.S Adelaide is in the background. The paddle steamer appears to be up on a trailer of some sort and is surrounded but plastic orange temporary fencing. There are small mounds of soil in the foreground.On the orange front end loader are the numbers "5900" and the word "case." p.s. adelaide, grassie, j.g, port of echuca, linklater, george, poon boon station, blair, david, murray river, darling river, logging industry, officer brothers., barmah forest, fulton & shaw, hutchinson, kevin, murray downs station, blackwood, adelaide -
Port of Echuca
Photograph, 1984
The P.S Adelaide was launched on 21st July 1866. It was owned by J.G.Grassie from Poon Boon Station and the Officer Family of Murray Downs Station Swan Hill. The Adelaide was named after the niece of the Officer Bros, Adelaide Blackwood. The shipwright who built her was George Linklater. The Adelaide brought wool and passengers from the wool stations on the Murray and Darling Rivers down to the Echuca Wharf. In 1872 she was sold to David Blair & Sons. She was used to bring timber from the Barmah Forest to the Echuca Wharf. She did this work for the next 80 years. In 1953 she was tied up near the Mill and left. In 1958 she went to Paringa South Australia to work in the sawmill industry again. In 1960 the Echuca Apex Club and The Echuca Historical Society raised enough funds to buy the P.S. Adelaide and return her to Echuca. In November 1963 she was lifted out of the water and placed in Hopwood Gardens as this was thought to be a way of preserving her. In 1984 it was decided to return her to the water to resume work as a passenger vessel. In that time the Port of Echuca and the Echuca Wharf had been restored as a Tourist Precinct. This photograph shows the beginning of the task to return her to the river. It took several weeks in March and April 1984.The P.S Adelaide is extremely significant as it it the oldest known wooden hulled paddle steamers in the world. She was built in Echuca in 1866 and still operates on the Murray River today. She has worked in the Wool Industry, the Timber Industry and the Tourist Industry.Colour photograph of the P.S Adelaide, having been hauled out and dry-docked. The P.S Adelaide is resting on a log platform with a winch attached to the front.p.s. adelaide, grassie, j.g, port of echuca, linklater, george, poon boon station, blair, david, murray river, darling river, logging industry, officer brothers., barmah forest, fulton & shaw, hutchinson, kevin, murray downs station, blackwood, adelaide, 1866, 1984 -
Port of Echuca
Photograph, Approx.1980s
... of her design. The hull is timber, up to the water line ...The barge 'Ada' was built in Echuca in 1899. It was 33 metres in length and 6.9 metres wide and was made from timber and iron. It's design was unique as it was half-timber, and half-iron- the iron featured above the water line to prevent the wool bales from getting wet. The 'Ada' was used to carry wool from sheep stations on the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers down to Echuca Wharf for distribution around the world. The Permewan Wright, Murray Shipping Company, owned the 'Ada' and in the1930s the barge was sold to the Evans family who used it to transport timber to it's Echuca sawmill. The 'Ada' was purchased by the Port of Echuca in 1974 and is seen here on the Moama slipway undergoing restoration for Port of Echuca in 1979 to 1980. The remains of the 'Ada' still lie on the banks of the Moama slipway but it has fallen into near complete disrepair.The barge 'Ada' is very significant due to the uniqueness of her design. The hull is timber, up to the water line, then iron from the water line up to protect the bales of wool bales that it transports from water damage. The P.S Pevensey, within the Port of Echuca collection, has the same design feature.The barge 'Ada' in dry dock, on a slipway with a 4 knot marine sign is next to it. The barge is surrounded by trees and has since fallen into disrepair. Verso: 'Ada Barge'murrumbidgee river, wool, ada, murray river, barges, evans saw mills, timber industry, port of echuca, echuca wharf, permewan wright co. -
Port of Echuca
Coloured Postcard, W.T.P Post card, Original photograph probably taken late 1890's Postcard c. 1908 (postcard appears to be dated 08)
P. S. Adelaide was a logging steamer operating between Echuca and Barmah forest. It was built in 1866 by G. Linklater, Echuca. Original owner J. G. Grassie, Poon Boon Station & S. H. Officer, Murray Downs Station. In June 1891 she was purchased by Murray River Sawmills and spent most of her working life on the Barmah Forest run. In 1960 she was purchased by Echuca Apex Club and steamed to Echuca. Installed on a bed of cement in Hopwood Gardens, Echuca before being restored to be refloated as a significant addition to the Port of Echuca maritime fleet (Parsons, R. Ships of the Inland Rivers. 2005. p.46)The P.S Adelaide is extremely significant as it it the oldest known wooden hulled paddle steamer in the world. She was built in Echuca in 1866 and still operates on the Murray River today. She has worked in the Wool Industry, the Timber Industry and the Tourist Industry.Colour (hand painted?) postcard and colour negative f P. S. Adelaide towing an outrigger barge. Three men can be seen on the lower deck and one on the top deck.on the front of the postcard:". Log barge & steamer Echuca" On the bow of the steamer: "Adelaide". On reverse of postcard, in blue pen:" PORT 16.3.82 COL NEG 13x18x1." In black pen encased in a square:"396.1" In blue fountain pen. Letter addressed to "Mrs. J. Robertson 37 Roxburgh St. Ascot Vale." " Your letter to hand(?) Sat. I am much better since my trip away. Was sorry to hear Jess(?) was not well. Hope she is better again. Hoping all are well. Love to all H." Postcard stamped: "Echuca Victoria Ap 6 08" Printed in green "Post W.T.P. Card". In has a red one penny postage stamp in top right hand corner.p. s. adelaide, echuca, port of (riverboats), echuca - history, post cards, echuca, paddle steamers, timber barges -
Port of Echuca
Functional object - Paddlesteamer, P.S. Adelaide, 1866
Built in 1866 in Echuca, the PS Adelaide is the oldest wooden hulled paddle steamer still operating as a passenger vessel in the world. Engines made in Melbourne by Fulton and Shaw. JG Grassie was the original owner who was looking for a wool carrying boat as a commercial venture with the arrival of the rail at the Port of Echuca making the future look bright. Seutonius and Charles Officer of Murray Downs Station joined Grassie in financing the venture and they used the boat for 6 years before David Blair and partners (Echuca sawmillers) bought the Adelaide in July of 1872 and she began her long working life as a logging boat providing a shuttle service between the forests around Barmah and the mill, usually towing up to 3 or 4 barges. The paddle boxes were rebuilt from round to a square configuration in approximately 1924 by Charles Felshaw, local Echuca shipwright. The Adelaide had unusual strength for her size. Her career ended in the mid 1950s where she lay idle tied up near the mill at Echuca wharf. For a short time she was sold to Mildura but fortunately the Apex Club raised funds to buy her back to be a reminder of the riverboat days at the Port. She was lifted out for safekeeping into Hopwood Gardens where she remained on show for nearly 25 years. After restoration by Port shipwright Keven Hutchinson OAM, she returned to the waters of the Murray River on Sunday March 4th 1984 at 5.20pm. After further restoration, in 1985 the Prince and Princess of Wales re-commissioned PS ADELAIDE in a ceremony on their tour of the region. The world's oldest wooden hulled paddle steamer still operating as a passenger vessel today built in Echuca in 1866. It is often considered the flagship of the operational fleet of the Port of Echuca given its age and known provenance to Echuca. The Adelaide is an iconic symbol of the riverboat timber and cargo trade that worked on the Murray River from the mid 1800s. Remarkably, PS ADELAIDE still operates with its original Fulton and Shaw engines.Composite hull, side wheeler with two single cylinder steam engines, producing a total of 36hp. Currently cream and burgundy moored at the Echuca Wharf. 49 passenger capacity.P.S. Adelaide signage on wheelhouse and port and starboard bow.p.s. adelaide, paddle steamers, echuca boat builders, charles felshaw -
Port of Echuca
Functional object - Insider Barge - Murray River, Ada, 1899
... A barge with a composite hull of steel and timber which... with a composite hull of steel and timber which was built in 1898 Ada ...The Ada is a barge made of a composite of wood and iron. it was built at Echuca in 1899 to carry wool and cargo from station properties on the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers to the Port of Echuca . It was towed along the river by paddle steamers, mainly The PS Pevensey. The Ada could carry 350 tons of cargo and was originally owned by The Permewan and Wright, Murray Shipping Co. In the late 1930s she was bought by the Evans Brothers' Red Gum Sawmill. Two bulkheads were removed to enable the logs, to be placed inside and transported to the mills. Road transport overtook the use of the river barges, and The Ada was left abandoned on the banks of the Murray River opposite the sawmill until it was purchased by the Port of Echuca in 1974 and refloated in 1979.A barge with a composite hull of steel and timber which was built in 1898ADA signage on port and starboard bow -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph - Vessels - Sail and Steam, c. 1972-1975
Andy Clapham owned and operated a boat yard on the Maribyrnong River in Footscray, Victoria. The river runs into Port Phillip Bay (sometimes known as Hobson’s bay) at Williamstown, an area with a history of trades associated with the shipping and construction industry. Andy Clapham’s photographs include those of the Reginald M and one of Polly Woodside, another vessel restored and used as a maritime exhibition. Andy Clapham’s letter of 1972 was posted in a and envelope with an early Australian decimal currency stamp showing the profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, and valued at 7 cent. Andy offered invaluable advice to the Flagstaff Hill Historic Park Planning Board regarding the purchase a vessel suitable for use as an exhibit once Flagstaff Hill was opened. The Planning Board was set up by the Warrnambool Chamber of Commerce and approved by the City Council and State Government. Flagstaff Hill was investigating vessels in Adelaide and Tasmania as well as Melbourne. Andy looked at several vessels in 1972-1973. He also serviced the Reginald M among other vessels belonging to Captain Julian Dyson of Yarra Ferries, who had casually offered the vessel to Flagstaff Hill as a price that was unattainable at the time. Flagstaff Hill later requested photographs of the hull to discern the dimensions and also the condition of the timbers as well as wanting advice on its seafaring capability. In 1972 the Flagstaff Hill Historic Park Planning Board – Chairman J. (John) S. Lindsay (1972-1980), Secretary J. (James) Mark – wrote a letter of appreciation to Mr A. (Andy) Clapham of 3 Charles Street Footscray ... “Dear Mr. Clapham, The Board has asked me to write to you to express our appreciation for the assistance you have offered us through our Chairman John Lindsay. The information you have already given us has been invaluable, in that is shows us that we have not been setting out to do something that is impossible. We look forward to receiving further information from you as it becomes available and we appreciate that you must be busy enough without our problems. Members of our Board hope to call and see you on a trip to Melbourne in the near future. The Board is optimistic about the future of Flagstaff Hill as a Maritime Museum and look forward to you visiting Warrnambool to examine what we believe will be an ideal site. Yours faithfully, James Mark.” ABOUT the vessel “Reginald M” The vessel “Reginald M” was a two-masted, timber coastal vessel built by John Henry Murch in Birkenhead, Port of Adelaide, South Australia. It was named after Reginald Murch. (It was occasionally referred to as the Reginald “Emm”). Its construction took approximately 6 months using many materials and fittings from salvage yards. It is believed that the keep was hewn from two telegraph poles! Reginald M was launched at Largs Bay in 1922. Reginald M was approximately 30 metres long and was fore-to-aft ketch rigged with an ‘auxiliary’ motor to support any loss of sail power. The Reginald M was built to service the coastal ports of South Australia to Port Victoria on the York Peninsular, Spencer Gulf. It freighted cargo from port to port cheaply and efficiently. It had a very shallow draft and a flat bottom, enabling it to come close to shore and sit high and dry at low tide, or to be beached on the sand. It could easily skim over reefs due to its flat bottom. Wagons could be loaded and unloaded directly from the side of the vessel. Over the years her cargo included guano, barley, wool, horses, cattle, timber, explosives, potatoes, shell grit and gypsum. The Murch brothers from Port Adelaide were owners of the Reginald M and Richard Murch as the Captain. On April 9, 1931, Reginald M weathered a large storm in St. Vincents Gulf, SA, suffering much damage; the mast snapped and the crew laboured for four hours to free it up by severing the mast and rigging. The crew patched it up and slowly returned to Port Adelaide with only a portion of the insured cargo being damaged. The crew members at that time were owner Mr John Henry Murch of Wells Street Largs Bay, Skipper Mr R Murch – John’s brother, Murray – son of Captain Murch and Seaman John Smith. At some stage it seems that the Reginald M was used as a Customs vessel “H.M.C. No. 3, Pt Adelaide” as shown in a photograph in Flagstaff Hill’s collection. In 1969 Reginald M’s last freight trip left Marion Bay, carrying grain, wool and explosives. In late 1970 it was sold to the Mount Lyall Mining and Railway Clompany and used as a barge to carry explosives. In 1972 The Navy League of Strahan, Tasmania, purchased the vessel for use by the Strahan Sea Cadet Unit at Macquarie Harbour; it was renamed “T.S. Macquarie”. (This plan did not come to pass.) In 1974 Mr Andrew Rennie of East Brighton, Melbourne, brought Reginald M for shipping purposes, He sailed it from Strahan to Melbourne, planning to use it for pleasure sailing. The Reginald M was later sold at auction to Captain Julian Dyson, owner of Yarra Passenger Ferries in Melbourne. Later in 1975 funds became available to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village to purchase the Reginald M. It was then restored and used as an exhibit here for many hears. Flagstaff Hill’s collection also includes various objects related to the Reginald M: - Photographs of Reginald M over the years in various aspects of its use - a life buoy with the inscription of “Pt. Adelaide” - helm section that was removed and replaced during restoration - a bullet found in pieces of timber during the 1979 restoration ABOUT THE POLLY WOODSIDE On the bow in the Polly Woodside's photograph is the word "RONA". the Polly Woodside was built at Belfast in 1885. In 1904 the vessel was sold to A.H. Turnbull of New Zealand and renamed "RONA". The letter and photographs are significant for their association with the Reginald M, an Australian built coastal trader now on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels (number HV000562). The letter and photographs are also significant as part of both the history of Flagstaff Hill and the history of the vessel “Reginald M” that has been on display in the lake for many years. Objects retained from this boat are included in Flagstaff Hill’s collection of maritime history.Packet with photographs and negatives in a KODAK envelope. The photographs are of two sail and steam vessels; twelve (12) black and white photographs of the 'Reginald M', and one (1) colour photograph of the Polly Woodside, plus six (6) negative strips. Included int he packet is a letter in stamped and postmarked envelope addressed to Mr A Clapham of Footscray. The envelope postmarked 9 Dec 1972, with the Warrnambool postcode 3280, A 7c Australian postage stamp in attached to the envelope. They are associated with Flagstaff Hill’s acquisition of the vessel “Reginald M”. Envelope "9 DEC 1972 / 3280" Postage stamp "7c" "Australia" Inscriptions on one Reginald M;; "REGINALD M" and "Pt ADELAIDE H.M.C. No. 3" Inscriptions of the Polly Woodside; "RONA / MSC" "MHI / NO. 1" Ball point ink, reverse of photograph "POLLY WOODSIDE"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, vessel reginald m, reginald emm, t. s. macquarie, h.m.c. no. 3, pt adelaide, australian register of historic vessels (number hv000562), boat building trade, jack murch, john henry murch, birkenhead, port adelaide sa, largs bay sa, coastal trader south australia, 1920 ketch reginald m, marion bay produce, mount lyall mining and railway company, navy league of strahan, tasmania, melbourne ferry company, flagstaff hill historic park planning board, john lindsay, james mark, andy clapham of footscray, andy clapham boat builder, kodak photograph packet envelope, kodak super-size prints, kodak australia pty ltd, australian postage stamp 1972 - 7c -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Rowlock, early 20th century
This row lock was fitted onto the Warrnambool Lifeboat, which is also on-site at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The construction of the lifeboat 'Warrnambool' began 15th September 1909 and was completed almost 12 months later 1st September 1910. It was built at the Government Dockyard in Williamstown, Victoria, along the lines designed by Great Britain's Royal Lifeboat Institution, and included whale back decks fore and aft, mast and centre board, and rudder and tiller hung from the stern post. It could be propelled by both sail and oar. At that time Captain Ferguson was Chief Harbour Master and Mr Beagley was a foreman boat builder. Mr Beagley built the lifeboat with his fellow workmen. It had all the latest improvements in shape, disposition of weight with watertight compartments, and it had space for a large number of people in addition to the crew. It appears that 'H Meiers' whose signature was on the plaque that was found concealed in the hull, was involved with the building of the lifeboat. His signature and the dates of the start and finish of the boat's construction are penciled on the raw timber 'plaque' found in the hull in the early 1990s when the lifeboat was being restored. It is interesting that the 'Melbourne Directory' of 1911, published by Sands and MacDougal, lists McAuley and Meiers, boat builders, Nelson Place foreshore, between Pasco and Parker Streets, Williamstown, It is quite possibly the business of the person whose name is inscribed on the lifeboat plaque. Flagstaff Hill's documentation also mentions that the keel was laid at 'Harry Myers, boat builders, Williamstown, Melbourne the name 'Myers' can also be spelled 'Meiers', which could be the same person as the Meiers in "McAuley and Meiers" (as mentioned in genealogy lines of Myers). The new lifeboat, to be named 'Warrnambool' was brought to town by train and launched at the breakwater on 1st March 1911 using the Titan crane (the old lifeboat built-in 1858, was then returned to Melbourne in 1911). This new lifeboat was stationed at Warrnambool in a shed located at the base of the Breakwater, adjacent to the slipway. The lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ was similar in size to the old lifeboat but far superior in design, with new sea-going qualities such as greater maneuverability. The ‘self-righting, self-draining’ design was made the vessel difficult to capsize and even if the boat overturned it would right itself to an even keel and the water would drain away. The hull was built of New Zealand Kauri, using double diagonal planking, laid in two layers at right angles, with a layer of canvas and red lead paint between the timbers to help seal the planking. It has plenty of free board. The backbone timbers were made of Jarrah. The Warrnambool lifeboat was one of several rescue boats used at Port Fairy and Warrnambool in the early 1900s. In late 1914 the Warrnambool lifeboat and crew were used to help find what was left of the tragic wreckage of the Antares and were able to discover the body of one of the crewmen. Between 1951 and 1954 the lifeboat was manned under the guidance of Captain Carrington. He held lifeboat practice each month on a Sunday morning, to comply with the Ports and Harbour’s request that lifeboats be ready for action in case of an emergency. In the early 1960’s it ended its service as a lifeboat and was used in Port Fairy as a barge to help dredge the Moyne River. Flagstaff Hill obtained the Warrnambool lifeboat in 1975. In 1984 it was on display at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool. On 23rd May 1990, she was lifted from the water and placed in a cradle for restoration. The name 'WARRNAMBOOL could be seen faintly on the lifeboat before it was restored. It was during the restoration that Flagstaff Hill's boat builder discovered the 'plaque' inside the hull. A copy of the blueprint plans has the name “V.E.E. Gotch” printed on it. His advertisement in Footscray’s ‘Independent’ newspaper of Saturday 11th May 1901 states he is “Principal and Skilled member (Naval Architect) to the Court of Marine Inquiry of Victoria and holds classes for naval architectural drawing and arithmetic.” The subject row lock is significant due to its association the Warrnambool Lifeboat which was an integral part of an important service to the local community as a lifesaving vessel for a half-century. One of the lifeboats many achievements was when it was used to help retrieve the body of a shipwrecked crew member of the ship Antares. Rowlock from the Warrnambool Lifeboat.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, lifeboat warrnambool, life boat, life saving vessel, 1910 vessel, port fairy, boat builder plaque, rescue boat, beagley, government dockyard, williamstown, v.e.e. gotch, royal lifeboat institution, captain ferguson, non-capsizeable lifeboat, self-righting lifeboat, antares shipwreck, double diagonal planking, captain carrington, rowlock, lifeboat rowlock -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Rowlock, early 20th century
This row lock was fitted onto the Warrnambool Lifeboat, which is also on-site at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The construction of the lifeboat 'Warrnambool' began 15th September 1909 and was completed almost 12 months later 1st September 1910. It was built at the Government Dockyard in Williamstown, Victoria, along the lines designed by Great Britain's Royal Lifeboat Institution, and included whale back decks fore and aft, mast and centre board, and rudder and tiller hung from the stern post. It could be propelled by both sail and oar. At that time Captain Ferguson was Chief Harbour Master and Mr Beagley was a foreman boat builder. Mr Beagley built the lifeboat with his fellow workmen. It had all the latest improvements in shape, disposition of weight with watertight compartments, and it had space for a large number of people in addition to the crew. It appears that 'H Meiers' whose signature was on the plaque that was found concealed in the hull, was involved with the building of the lifeboat. His signature and the dates of the start and finish of the boat's construction are penciled on the raw timber 'plaque' found in the hull in the early 1990s when the lifeboat was being restored. It is interesting that the 'Melbourne Directory' of 1911, published by Sands and MacDougal, lists McAuley and Meiers, boat builders, Nelson Place foreshore, between Pasco and Parker Streets, Williamstown, It is quite possibly the business of the person whose name is inscribed on the lifeboat plaque. Flagstaff Hill's documentation also mentions that the keel was laid at 'Harry Myers, boat builders, Williamstown, Melbourne the name 'Myers' can also be spelled 'Meiers', which could be the same person as the Meiers in "McAuley and Meiers" (as mentioned in genealogy lines of Myers). The new lifeboat, to be named 'Warrnambool' was brought to town by train and launched at the breakwater on 1st March 1911 using the Titan crane (the old lifeboat built-in 1858, was then returned to Melbourne in 1911). This new lifeboat was stationed at Warrnambool in a shed located at the base of the Breakwater, adjacent to the slipway. The lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ was similar in size to the old lifeboat but far superior in design, with new sea-going qualities such as greater maneuverability. The ‘self-righting, self-draining’ design was made the vessel difficult to capsize and even if the boat overturned it would right itself to an even keel and the water would drain away. The hull was built of New Zealand Kauri, using double diagonal planking, laid in two layers at right angles, with a layer of canvas and red lead paint between the timbers to help seal the planking. It has plenty of free board. The backbone timbers were made of Jarrah. The Warrnambool lifeboat was one of several rescue boats used at Port Fairy and Warrnambool in the early 1900s. In late 1914 the Warrnambool lifeboat and crew were used to help find what was left of the tragic wreckage of the Antares and were able to discover the body of one of the crewmen. Between 1951 and 1954 the lifeboat was manned under the guidance of Captain Carrington. He held lifeboat practice each month on a Sunday morning, to comply with the Ports and Harbour’s request that lifeboats be ready for action in case of an emergency. In the early 1960’s it ended its service as a lifeboat and was used in Port Fairy as a barge to help dredge the Moyne River. Flagstaff Hill obtained the Warrnambool lifeboat in 1975. In 1984 it was on display at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool. On 23rd May 1990, she was lifted from the water and placed in a cradle for restoration. The name 'WARRNAMBOOL could be seen faintly on the lifeboat before it was restored. It was during the restoration that Flagstaff Hill's boat builder discovered the 'plaque' inside the hull. A copy of the blueprint plans has the name “V.E.E. Gotch” printed on it. His advertisement in Footscray’s ‘Independent’ newspaper of Saturday 11th May 1901 states he is “Principal and Skilled member (Naval Architect) to the Court of Marine Inquiry of Victoria and holds classes for naval architectural drawing and arithmetic.” The subject row lock is significant due to its association the Warrnambool Lifeboat which was an integral part of an important service to the local community as a lifesaving vessel for a half-century. One of the lifeboats many achievements was when it was used to help retrieve the body of a shipwrecked crew member of the ship Antares. Rowlock from the Warrnambool Lifeboat.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, lifeboat warrnambool, life boat, life saving vessel, 1910 vessel, port fairy, boat builder plaque, rescue boat, beagley, government dockyard, williamstown, v.e.e. gotch, royal lifeboat institution, captain ferguson, non-capsizeable lifeboat, self-righting lifeboat, antares shipwreck, double diagonal planking, captain carrington, rowlock, lifeboat rowlock -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Compass, mid-19th Century
Captain Robilliard: James Arthur Robilliard was a sea captain and tentmaker, born on the 19th April 1843 at Saint Helier, Jersey. He trained there in his father's sail loft as a sailmaker. His first job as a sailor was in Liverpool, England and 1875 James Robilliard migrated to Australia as mate on the "E.M. Young". James Robilliard and his family were amongst the early settlers that arrived along the Curdies River in the Heytesbury district of Western Victoria. In 1877 he became a Captain and would have used his compass from ship to ship. On 28th May 1877 in that same district a small 3-masted, schooner the "Young Australian" was wrecked. This schooner had been built 1864 at Jervis Bay, NSW. She had been on her way from Maryborough Queensland to Adelaide, under the command of Captain Whitfield, when she lost her mainmast in a heavy gale. She was beached at Curdies Inlet in Peterborough, Victoria, Captain Robilliard was placed in charge of the salvaging operation and recovered a good portion of the cargo. Not long after this incident a Warrnambool shop owner David Evans found employment for James Robilliard with Evan Evans, who produced tents, sails, tarpaulins and similar goods; James already had the necessary skills for this work. Evan Evans was the same sailor rescued from the “Young Australian” soon after his rescue Evan recalled he had a relative in Australia in a town called Warrnambool and while walking in Timor Street, Warrnambool, he saw a sign over a shop that said “David Evans” and once the two men met, Evan was warmly welcomed. David then helped his relative to establish a tent and tarpaulin-making business there. Evan later transferred his successful business to a shop in Elizabeth St, Melbourne, under the name Evan Evans Pty. Ltd.) James Robilliard, a committed Christian, and accredited Lay Preacher with the Methodist Church. He travelled around the local district leading the settlers in worship. On 14th November 1879, Captain Robilliard married Helen Beckett. Alfred and Selina Beckett and their family all attended the church at Brucknell where Captain Robilliard preached. He was said to have been taken by their young daughter Helen. James and Helen had ten children; James Arthur (Jnr), Henry William, Nellie Jessie, Alfred Albert, Rubena Nellie, De Jersy Norman, Clifford Beckett, Olive Ida, Frances Ridley Havergal and Nellie Elvie, all born in Victoria. In the 1880s James Robilliard captained the cutter "Hannah Thompson" into Port Campbell, Victoria. This vessel was the first coastal trader to operate between Melbourne and Port Campbell. At one time Captain Robilliard had to beach the "Hannah Thompson" for repairs. In 1923 she was blown ashore in a gale and wrecked at Oberon Bay, at Wilson's Promontory. In 1889 the compass was saved by Captain James Arthur Robilliard from his sinking brigantine "Mary Campbell" in 1889. This vessel was used to carry equipment for the Sydney Sugar Refinery's Mill in Southgate, NSW. The ship had been built in 1869 and traded for the next 20 years between Australian ports and rivers along the east coast as well as regular ports in New Zealand. She was recognised by the Sydney Morning Herald as one of the best "carrying vessel in the timber trade". She had several owners over this time, the last one being Captain James A. Robilliard. On 29th April 1889 the "Mary Campbell", with Captain James A Robilliard as captain and owner, was on her way from Clarence River, NSW to Melbourne, Victoria with a cargo of railway girders for the Melbourne Harbour Trust. Captain Robilliard encountered a storm off Port Macquarie. He sailed the vessel south to about 40km east of Cape Hawke, near Tuncurry. At around 7 pm, he discovered that the cargo had shifted during the storm and the heavy girders had damaged the hull, causing a leak. The pumps were inadequate to stem the fast-flowing leak water soon filled the hull during the next two hours. Some of the crew began throwing the cargo overboard to lighten the vessel, hoping to keep it afloat until daylight. When the water reached over 2 meters in the hull they realised their efforts were in vain. On the 30th April 1889, the crew left the vessel the ship was sinking fast, so they made for the shore. While still miles off Cape Hawke all seven crew members, including the Captain, were rescued by the Government Tug "Rhea" and taken to Port Macquarie Hospital and later returned to Sydney in the vessel "Wellington". No cargo had been saved and the consignment had been under-insured, only covered for half its value. The name of the last ship Captain Robilliard sailed is currently unknown, however, he sailed that ship from the port of Marlborough, Queensland, carting steel railway girders for the Geelong-to-Camperdown railway line. On this trip the ship hit a storm, the cargo shifted and the ship was wrecked along the NSW coast. After this, Captain Robilliard retired from the sea and began farming in Peterborough. In about 1897, verging on retirement, Capt. Robilliard superintended the Melbourne Sailors’ Home in Spencer Street, Melbourne, before being asked to leave this position in 1902 for trying to shut down a local hotel. On 6th May 1917 Captain James Arthur Robilliard J.P. died at Blackwood Park, in the Cobden district of Brucknell, the first Robilliard family homestead in Australia. He was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery, Victoria. His wife Helen passed away in 1947. This compass, once belonging to Captain James Arthur Robilliard, is of local and state historical significance for its use by the Captain with his vessel the "Mary Campbell", a trading vessel that was bringing railway girders to the Melbourne Harbour Trust. He also used this compass on the "Hannah Thompson", listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and known as being the first coastal trader to operate between Melbourne and Port Campbell. The compass is also a very fine example of maritime navigational instruments manufactured and used in the mid-19th century. Marine compass, brass, in wooden box with separate, fitted lid. The compass card has sixteen points. The four principal points are marked; North with a star shaped, South with an “S”, East with and “E” and West with an “O” (French word OUEST). Each quadrant of the circle is numbered from 0 – 90 degrees. The card is floating in a liquid. The compass gimbal is attached to the sides of the box and to the front and back of the compass’ cylindrical brass frame. The mahogany coloured timber storage box is joined with brass nails. The centre of the lid has a folding decorative brass handle. The lid fits over base and closes with a brass screw and hook on both front and back. Maker; Dubas Watchmaker Optician, Nantes, France, c 1860-1870. Compass came from the ship “Mary Campbell”, which sank off the NSW coast in 1889, near Forster. The compass, as well as the ship, belonged to Captain James Arthur Robilliard and was donated by his family. “DUBAS MANTES” stamped into side of gimbal. “DUBAS HORLOGER OPTICIEN. NANTES.” printed around centre of card. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, marine compass, navigation instrument 19th century, marine instruments, dubas mantes, captain james arthur robilliard, j.a. robilliard, helen beckett, ship young australian, ship young australia(n), ship hannah thompson, ship mary campbell, melbourne sailors home, david evans, evan evans, curdies inlet, brucknell church, curdies railway, great lakes museum -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Copper Sheathing, late 19th - early 20th centuries
... . The hulls of early timber sailing ships had a problem of being eaten... over. The hulls of early timber sailing ships had a problem ...This sheet of copper sheathing or Muntz metal has been recovered from the sea. It has been damaged by the reaction of the metals to the sea. It also has encrustations from the sea such as sand. Other damage, such as movement of the sea or objects in the sea, has caused the edges to break away or fold over. The hulls of early timber sailing ships had a problem of being eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called ‘sea worms’ or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in seawater and the bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by applying coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch onto the timber. In the 18th and 19th centuries, ships were built with their hulls sheathed in sheets of copper or a combination of 60 per cent copper and 40 per cent zinc (called Muntz metal). The ships would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing remained effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating.This piece of Muntz sheathing is representative of building methods and materials used in late 19th and early 20th centuries for ship building.Muntz or copper sheathing. Irrectangular shape, with about a fifth of the piece missing from a corner. Another corner is bent upwards. Salvaged from a shipwreck. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, copper sheathing, muntz, copper sheating, muntz metal, teredo worms, sea worms, sea termites, ship building, late 19th century sailing ships -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph - Vessel, S.S. Rowitta, Early 20th century
The subject of this photograph is the S.S.Rowilla, a passenger steam ferry built in Hobart for use in Tasmania's rivers, the Derwent and the Tamar. The photograph shows her docked at the Charles Street Wharf in Launceston. The S.S. Rowitta was built by Purdon & Featherstone, at Battery Point, Hobart (Tasmania) in 1909 from Huon Pine and Kauri planking. Her final configuration included three masts and a ship rig. S.S. Rowitta took its first voyage from Hobart to Launceston in 1909 and operated for 30 years as a passenger ferry on the Tamar and Derwent Rivers. She also served as a freighter, an army supply ship, a luxury charter ferry and a floating restaurant as well as a prawn boat at Lakes Entrance. (She has also been named “Sorrento” and “Tarkarri”.). In the very early days of Flagstaff Hill ‘Rowitta’ was purchased from Lakes Entrance by Warrnambool City Council and the Victorian State Government for $20,000. The Rowitta had a hull configuration very similar to a local boat named the SPECULANT, which played a key role in the Port of Warrnambool in the early 1900s. The Speculant was the largest ship ever registered with Warrnambool as her home port. Local owner and trader P J McGennan & Co, (Peter McGennan) used her as a freight carrier to Melbourne and timber trader between New Zealand and Victoria. She sunk at Cape Otway in 1911 on a voyage to Melbourne. In 1974 Rowitta was delivered to Port Fairy and then later sailed to Warrnambool’s Breakwater where she was lifted out of Lady Bay and loaded onto the back of a long transport truck and slowly and carefully driven along Pertobe Road, through the Surfside Caravan Park and over the railway line, into Flagstaff Hill’s Maritime Village. Transfer arrangements were coordinated by Jack Morse, of Morse Engineering, a member of the Flagstaff Hill Planning Board, and Ken Goyen, a local crane operator. The ‘Rowitta’ was originally acquired to be rebuilt to match the original SPECULANT. When finances became tight in 1976 a review of all plans ended in the decision to restore the “Rowitta” to her original configuration. She was then restored, renamed the original name of “Rowitta” and installed in the Village’s Harbour Lake to become one of the popular vessels on display for visitors to enjoy. It was the decision of the Advisory Committee to Flagstaff Hill to have Rowitta demolished in April 2015 due to extensive deterioration. Items associated with the Rowitta continue to be held in Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s Collection.The photograph of the passenger ferry S.S. Rowitta.is significant for its association with Tasmanian history from the early to mid-1900s. It is also connected to the history of the Rowitta, which was a large exhibit on display at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village from the museum’s early beginnings until the vessel’s end of life 40 years later. The Rowitta represents the importance of coastal traders to transport, trade and communication along the coast of Victoria, between states, and in Australia before rail and motor vehicles. The vessel was an example of a ferry built in the early 20th century that served many different roles over its lifetime of over 100 years. Black and white photograph of the steamship S.S. Rowitta at Charles Street Wharf, Launceston. It shows the vessel docked at the Charles Street Wharf in Launceston. Smoke is coming from its funnel and there are people on board. There is a handwritten inscription on the top edge of the photograph. The vessel was built in 1909 by Purdon & Featherstone, Hobart. Blue-green handwriting on top left margin "ROWITTA AT LAUNCESTON"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, photograph, s.s. rowitta, charles street wharf,, launceston., purdon & featherstone, rowitta, tarkarri, speculant, purdon & featherstone of hobart, passenger ferry 1909, sorrento -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Artwork, other - Model Ship, MacKenzie and Co, Clan MacDougal Model Cargo Ship, n.d
Port of Portland CollectionModel of a ship. Hull is painted in black (above water line) and burgundy (below water line). Ship has three masts, a smoke stack (black with red stripes) and a white super structure with portholes. Supported on brass stands. Housed in a timber and glass case. Label in case.Front: T.S.M.V. Clan MacDougall Length BP 475', Breadth 64'-6", Depth 41½. Built by the Greenock Dockyard Co. Ltd. for Clanline Steamers Ltd., London.port of portland collection