| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia | |
| Name | Kate |
| Owner | Richard Manning (1884 - 1887)Government of New South Wales (1887 - 1914) |
| Operator | Mercantile Explosives Department (1887 - 1914) |
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Allen & WardLongnose Point,Balmain, New South Wales, Australia |
| Launched | 6 December 1883 |
| Identification | Sydney registration number: 21/1884Ship official number: 89238 |
| Fate | Sunk in collision 2 April 1914 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Wood carvelscrew steamer |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 70.3 ft (21.43 m) |
| Beam | 15.8 ft (4.82 m) |
| Draught | 6.5 ft (1.98 m) |
| Installed power | Surface Condensing Compound Engine Cylinder diameters 9 in (22.9 cm) 17 in (43.2 cm), Stroke 14 in (35.6 cm) 20 hp |
| Propulsion | Screw |
SSKate was a woodencarvelscrew steamer built in 1883 atBalmain that was twice struck and sunk byPort Jackson & Manly Steamship Company ferries.
Kate was a wooden framed, wooden carvel planked vessel, and was built atLong Nose Point, Balmain In 1883.[1] The vessel was built at the Allen & Ward shipyard and launched on 6 December 1883 and registered inSydney to Richard Manning on 15 February 1884.[1]
The vessel was a wooden single deck and the bridge ship with 2 masts fitted as afore and aftSchooner and an elliptical stern it dimensions were:
The vessel had a 35.87 gross register tons (GRT) and a 24.39 net register tons (NRT) when first manufactured[1] and was fitted with a Robertson of London surface condensingcompound steam engine, with cylinder diameters of 9 in (22.9 cm) and 17 in (43.2 cm)and had a stroke length of 14 in (35.6 cm) producing 20 hp (14.9 kW)
The early years of theKate was mainly spent as a tug bringing in vessels such as the South Sea's Island traderAvoca,[2] thebarqueFreetrader,[3] the 3 masts shipDunfillan,[4] the schoonerPioneer[5] and the American barqueNona Lutum[6] into Sydney Harbour and to their anchorage.
In May 1884 just 3 months after its registration theKate was put forward to the Colonial Treasurer in a tender for the"supplying and maintaining an efficient steam tug for use at theCape Hawke River". Mr. F. Buckle submitted the tender describing theKate as a steam tug of 25 hp and asked for a subsidy of £600 per annum a £250 per annum greater than the steam tugForster[7] which also entered the tender and hence theKate stayed in Sydney Harbour
Over the summer months the vessel was also used for Harbour cruises in February 1885 following the Kirby-Moore Trophy sculling race[8] whilst in October 1886
Capt. Mat. Byrne's Sunday excursions toWatsons Bay andMiddle Harbour are now in full swing, the favourite steamerKate being employed on the service.[9]
and during January 1887 theKate was used by
a number of gentlemen gave Captain Crombie, of the four-masted shipPort Jackson, and Captain Young, of the shipGretna, a complimentary picnic down tho harbour. The steamerKate was engaged for the occasion, and a most enjoyable day was spent, the vessel travelling round to many of the most attractive spots about the harbour. During the afternoon both guests were the recipients of diamond lockets, and their health's wore drunk in bumpers of champagne[10]
On 16 July 1886, the 60-ton steam tugPrince of Wales, while going alongside thePeterborough 12 miles offBotany Bay, the tug's wheel chains jammed, and was unable to avoid thePeterborough which struck her sinking the tug. Two of thePrince of Wales crew found themselves able to climb on board thePeterborough at the moment of the catastrophe, whilst the steamerKate, which had by this time come up and searched for the two others, who were missing with the assistance of theKate's lifeboat. ThePeterborough was later taken in tow by the tugKate and brought into Sydney Harbour[11]
On 4 February 1887 at 3:15pm Richard Manning sold his 64/64 shares in the vessel to the colonial government of NSW[1] and the vessel was placed into service with the NSW Mercantile Explosives Department
The Mercantile Explosives Department was formed within the Treasury Department to manage the mercantile explosives formerly the responsibility of the Ordnance Storekeeper. This was eventually to evolve, in 1902, into the Explosives Department. In 1922 this department transferred to the Department of Mines. It managed the explosives hulks in Middle Harbour, and later theBantry Bay magazines.[12]
Captain Henry Denham Bellett was a veteran pioneer of Sydney Harbour Ferry Service and was then appointed to the Mercantile Explosives Department, firstly as the master of the steamerSea Breeze, and then to theKate. He remained master of theKate for 17 years until he entered upon his retirement in October 1901[13]
In October 1888 Captain Bellett saw the body of Henry Meyer floating in the water nearMilsons Point who was a 50 years of age a native of Germany, and a butcher by occupation who had been drinking to excess lately, and appeared to be depressed in spirits whose dead body was found floating face downward[14]
From early 1891 to late 1895 theKate made monthly trips toBarrenjoey towing powder barges[15][16][17]
In early January 1891 the officers of the Colonial Secretary's Department held their annual picnic on board the steamerKate they steamed to various noted spots in the harbour, and eventually lunched atFig Tree Point.[18]
In August 1891 Thomas Crawley (Jr.) was appointed to be engine driver of the steam launchKate on the death of his father Thomas Crawley (Snr.)[19]
In April 1895 the launchMarvel left for Sydney from Barrenjoey and sank. The Government steamerKate's crew witnessed the foundering, but seeing that the crew were rescued by the ketchTheresa, the steamer kept on her course.[20]
_Raised_after_Narrabeen_Collision.jpg)
On 22 August 1898, the ferryNarrabeen left Manly at 07:15 and ran into a dense bank of foe shortly after leaving, and had to slow down and proceed cautiously up the harbour.[21] After leaving the lightship nothing was seen till the lookout called 'full speed- astern,' and then was seen the stone wall of Garden Island a few yards ahead.[21] Speed had just been got on the boat again after backing out, when the cry again came to go astern. This time it was too late, as there was seen coming around the corner of the island the Government steamerKate towing a powder lighter bound for Broken Bay.[21] The Narrabeen struck theKate just forward of amidships, tearing a large hole in the woodwork.[21] The engines of both steamers were going astern. The captain and crew, of theKate scrambled aboard the Narrabeen with theKate soon disappearing stern first.[21]
The Powder Lighter Me Mel was being towed, with four men on board, after the collision, let go the tow rope, and was within an ace of going ashore on the island.[21]
TheKate sank in about 8 fathoms (14.63 m), of water, and is not in the main fairway betweenGarden Island, andFort Denison or Pinchgut about 100 ft (30.48 m) to the east ward of the No. 6. naval buoy, which is just inside the point of Garden Island.[21]
TheKate was then raised later that week by Messrs. Sheehy and Sons and towed it to nearFarm Cove to be patched before being put on a slip[22] At the time of the collision, theKate was estimated to be worth about £1500.[23]
The subsequent Marine Board inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the collision found that the collision was due to the dense fog, which prevailed at the time, and to the fault of James Drewette, the master of the Narrabeen[24]
_AWM_300012.jpeg)
In April 1889 theKate assisted with theNew South Wales Naval Brigade in training exercises (as a powder boat) forHMS Wolverine, which had been formed in 1863 and consisted of five companies, four of which were in Sydney and with an overall strength of 200 men.[25]
A year later in August 1899 theKate was again assisting the four Sydney based Companies of the Naval Brigade Naval Artillery Volunteers, when they rowed a race in whalers over the harbour for £10 in prizes subscribed by the officers of the corps. A Company was allowed 45 seconds start, and rowing well were never caught, winning by over a length from B Company, which had 10 seconds start C Company was scratch, and D Company had 30 seconds allowance the steamerKate and launchGladys followed the race, which caused considerable intend A very fine crew was out for practice from the IS Naval Brigade It is reported this crew will shortly tackle the men-of warsmen in a whalers race for a fairly large stakes[26]
On 14 August 1901, acting master of theKate, William John Weldon, went alongside the shipWray Castle in Watson's Bay and asked the master of the ship, Thomas Doran, if he had any explosives aboard. Doran said, 'Only safety cartridges and fuses'. The acting master of theKate asked again, 'Are not the fuses electric detonators?' and Doran replied, 'They are only fuses'. Weldon again hailed the captain, and told him to get cases up for examination and ten cases were taken out. They contained electric detonators, and were passed into the powder boat. Captain Doran was informed of a bench for having ten cases containing detonators on the ship while it was in Port Jackson, and to the westward of Garden Island, contrary to the provisions of the Gunpowder and Explosives Consolidation Act of 1876. Doran was given a fine of £2 and 6s 6d costs ofcourt was imposed[27]
On 12 March 1906 the brothers, William Edward and Peter Henry Dessaix were anchored off Pine Point in Middle Harbour, at about 7.15 a.m. in the skiffToreador they saw the steam launchKate, with a powder barge in tow, coming from the powder hulks in the direction of the open harbour. The launch got within two or three lengths of the skiff, and as the brothers Dessaix saw that she was not altering her course, Peter Dessaix called out, 'Look out! Alter your course, or we will be run down.' At this time, so the brothers say, there was no one at the wheel of theKate. Again and again Peter yelled out, and then someone rushed to the wheel, and attempted to alter the course[28]
TheKate, almost immediately struck the skiff on the bow, and the powder barge coming along also hit the boat. The brother went overboard, and the collision bloke the bow of the boat, which half-filled[28]
During the marine court of inquiry into the collision with the skiffToreador shortly after the evidence had been opened a point arose as to whether the Court had jurisdiction to hold tho inquiry as "nothing in this Act shall apply to any ship belonging to or in the service of the crown" and theKate was a ship within the meaning of that section and additionally as the Toreador was a skiff and was propelled by oars it was not a ship within the meaning of the Act causing the inquiry to close[29]
The Explosives Department budget for 1 July 1910, to 30 June 1911 also show that Captain Collins wage increased from £168 to £174 per annum[30]
On 25 May 1911 there were a hundred or so of passengers on board the tourist steamerKookaburra owned by Sydney ferries late in the afternoon when the vessel was between the Bluff and Green Point Middle Harbour in close proximity to the powder hulks. The passengers became aware that something was wrong, it became known that a fire had broken out just over the boiler. In a short space of time many small boats were around theKookaburra the steam launchKate moored close by was the first to make fast alongside and the crew of theKate to assist in extinguishing the flames.[31]
On 2 April 1914, theKate after having left middle harbour and had then taken a lighter to Manly earlier in the morning, and had landed at theManly cargo wharf. The tug then left and was towing thelighter up the harbour toWoolloomooloo Bay, when just pastDobroyd Head the master of theKate saw a half-sunken boat out to seaward of him, some 200 yards (182.88 m) away. Thinking there might be someone in her, he "starboarded" the helm to go over, and after swinging about four points to port, straightened up, and then saw the ferryBellubera forward of his port beam, 150 yards (137.16 m) or 200 yards (182.88 m) yards away, and coming straight for him.[32][33]
The ferry had leftManly at 07:45, and when off Dobroyd she approached theKate, which was towing a small lighter from the hulks in Middle Harbour. TheBellubera was overtaking theKate, and when just about up to Dobroyd, heading south by west, a little out of its usual course, theKate was on his starboard bow, some 200 feet (60.96 m) ahead, and 400 feet (121.92 m) to the eastward. Suddenly theKate "starboarded" across the bow of theBellubera, which was going at about 12 knots. In a few moments theKate was almost under the ferry boat's bow. TheBellubera's engines were put full astern, and 20 seconds later the collision occurred. TheKate was heading about due east, and theBelluberain the same direction as when she left.[32][33]
TheBellubera struck the tug almost amidships, and cut right into her. The captainBellubera saw that the tug was sinking, and immediately ordered theBellubera's lifeboat to be launched to pick up the occupants of the tug. Lifebuoys were also thrown to the men, two of whom had scrambled onto the bottom of the lighter, which had been capsized by the collision. the members of theKate's crew, consisted of Captain J. Collins, Thomas Crawley Jnr.(engineer), A. Webb (deckhand), and H. Arnemann (steersman on the lighter).[32][33]
TheBellubera was very little the worse for the bump, and, apart from having some paint scratched off, did not suffer any serious damage. On her arrival at the Quay, however, she still bore traces of the collision, as pieces of wreckage from the sunken tug were hanging from her belting for a distance of about 20 feet (6.10 m). A piece of copper piping, apparently from some part of tho tug's boilers, was found twisted and jammed In between the rudder and the vessel. This was removed, and theBellubera again took up her running after having missed only one trip.[32][33]
At the marine court it was found that the collision was caused by the master of theKate in altering his course to investigate the sunken boat. It was held, however, that the Court had no jurisdiction to deal with a Government vessel; but it was added that it was questionable whether, under the circumstances, even if it had the power, it would penalise tho master In any way, as he was obviously acting with the very best intentions[34]
Only image of theKate that can be found very poor qualityhttp://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article114332711
Manly Council also has a document on the Powder Hulks at Bantry Bay whichKate was used in conjunction withhttp://www.manly.nsw.gov.au/DownloadDocument.ashx?DocumentID=1546
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1898 | |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1906 | |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents from January to July 1914 | |
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