 Koombana in port, about 1910 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia | |
| Name | Koombana |
| Namesake | Koombana, nearBunbury, WA |
| Owner |  Adelaide Steamship Company |
| Port of registry | Port Adelaide |
| Builder | A Stephen & Sons,Linthouse |
| Yard number | 429 |
| Launched | 27 October 1908 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Lost with all hands, 20 March 1912 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | passenger ship |
| Tonnage | 3,668 GRT, 2,182 NRT |
| Length | 340.1 ft (103.7 m) |
| Beam | 48.2 ft (14.7 m) |
| Depth | 20.8 ft (6.3 m) |
| Decks | 3 |
| Installed power | 423NHP, 3,000 hp |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h) |
| Crew | 74 |
SSKoombana was apassengersteamship that was built inScotland in 1908 for theAdelaide Steamship Company, for coastal liner services betweenFremantle and the northwest coast ofWestern Australia. She sank in atropical cyclone somewhere offPort Hedland in 1912,[1] with the loss of all 150 people aboard.[2] Her loss was one of Australia's worst weather-related maritime disasters in the twentieth century.[1]
In April and May 1909,Koombana took thePremier of Western Australia,Newton Moore, on a tour of the northwest, which included the official opening of the jetty at Port Hedland,[3][4] now the highest tonnage port in Australia.[5]Koombana was also the first ship to berth at that jetty.[4]
In November 1910,Koombana was part of a welcoming flotilla of vessels atBroome, Western Australia for the arrival in Australia of theRoyal Australian Navy's first two destroyers,HMAS Parramatta andYarra. In November 1911,Koombana was the subject of an industrial dispute that had consequences throughout Australia.[6]
Koombana's loss in 1912 led to the Adelaide Steamship Co's withdrawal from serving the northwest coast.[7] This led theGovernment of Western Australia to create theState Shipping Service of Western Australia, which dominated that trade for the rest of the twentieth century.[8]
Koombana was the first passenger and cargo ship to be designed and built exclusively for the Western Australian coastal service. Her purpose was to develop trade with the northwest of the State.[9] She was built under the British Corporation shelter deck rules, to carry first and second class passengers, many head of cattle, general cargo,[10][11] and refrigerated cargo.[12]
The Adelaide Steamship Co was the main operator of coastal shipping between Fremantle and the northwest coast when it orderedKoombana. Since 1900 the 1,725 GRTBullarra had worked the route.Koombana was to be her far larger replacement.[8] She was specially designed for the semi-tropical climate of the northwest coast.[8][9]
Alexander Stephen and Sons builtKoombana at theirLinthouse shipyard inGlasgow as yard number 429.[13] She was launched on 27 October 1908 by Mrs S Elgar, wife of one of the Adelaide Steamship Company's superintendents in Britain.[11] Company policy was to give each of its ships a name from a localaboriginal language.[14] At the suggestion of the Premier, Newton Moore,[15] the ship was namedKoombana, after Mr Robert Forrest's Koombana Mill, nearBunbury, Western Australia.[9][16] "Koombana", first recorded byJohn Arrowsmith in 1838 as "Koombanah", is theNoongar name of a bay near Bunbury, now called Koombana Bay.[17] "Koombana" may mean bay ("ana") of spouting whales ("koomba"),[17] and also "calm and peaceful".[18]
Koombana's registered length was 340.1 ft (103.7 m), her beam was 48.2 ft (14.7 m) and her depth was 20.8 ft (6.3 m). Hertonnages were 3,668 GRT and 2,182 NRT.Babcock & Wilcox supplied her water-tube boilers.[11] She had a singlescrew, driven by a three-cylindertriple expansion engine, which was rated at 423NHP[19] or 3,000 hp.[20] She could achieve 14 knots (26 km/h), and her average speed, fully laden, was 13 knots (24 km/h).[21]
The Adelaide Steamship CoregisteredKoombana atPort Adelaide. Her UKofficial number was 122725 and hercode letters were TQSF.[19][22]
Koombana was described as "... as luxurious as theTitanic ..." and as "... the last word in seagoing opulence".[23] After her arrival in Fremantle on her delivery voyage, she was praised as "... the acme of perfection as regards the comfort of passengers, facilities for handling cargo, and appliances for skilful navigation ...".[9] However, she was also criticised as "... too good for the trade".[24]
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Koombana had several decks with passenger facilities. Immediately above the lower hold was theorlop deck, and above that, themain deck. Above that was thespar deck, which had most of thepassenger cabins and both dining saloons. Over the spar deck was apromenade deck, above which was thebridge andboat deck, with thenavigating bridge on top.[9]
Thedrawing andsmoke rooms were both on the promenade deck. In the drawing room, there were portable lounges andWaring & Co furnishings,[9] all upholstered in purple plush.[10] The drawing room had satinwood panelled walls, a bookcase with up-to-date library, and other furniture, including a Broadway piano and a pair ofChippendale-style writing desks. Its ceilings were white painted canvas with a gilt-edged floral design; its main entrance and the stairway leading to the promenade deck were both panelled in mahogany. The smoke room was upholstered in scarlet.[9]
Koombana'sdining room in the first saloon was roomy, well ventilated, and had green-upholstered seating for 75 people. Its walls were panelled in oak. Thegalley andpantries had modern appliances, including a patent electric egg boiler in the kitchen, and an electrically driven dough mixer in thebakehouse.[9]
There were berths for 300 first and second saloon passengers.[25] Most cabins had only two berths, and all hadelectric fans. The first class cabins were built according to the island system, with each division having a separate entrance from the deck, and easy access to and from the saloon.[9]
Koombana's bridge had various instruments and machines, including the latest navigation aids. There was an Alfred Graham patent telephone switch,[9] which linked the bridge with the captain's cabin, the poop, and the engine-room. The telephone was used in emergencies, or when the officers on the bridge wanted to be more explicit in their instructions to the engine-room. It was supplemented by a telegraph, for communications between the bridge and the aft end of the ship.[25] Also on the bridge were several automatic indicators, a telemotor to control thesteering gear,[9] and a portable chart table in a glass.[25]
Koombana had electricnavigation lights with auxiliary oil lamps, and indicators to warn of failure of any of the navigational lights.[9] The indicators were in the form of discs in the wheel house. Were anything to go wrong with a light, a coloured flame would flare up in the respective disc. If the indication were disregarded, an electric bell would ring.[25]
Koombana carried a motor launch. It was for use when she missed the tide at northwestern ports, and could be sent ashore as necessary.[25]
Koombana was designed and built to carry livestock. Her main deck had pens for transporting about 220 head of cattle or 1,500 sheep.[8] However, as early as her second northwest coastal run embarked 2,500 sheep at Carnarvon for Fremantle.[26]
Koombana had a refrigerating plant supplied by J&E Hall of London,[11] and two large freezing chambers, with a total capacity of 1,800 tons of cubic space,[clarification needed] perishable cargo.[9][27] These chambers had capacity for about 800 tons of cargo, and were supplemented by an icemaking machine.[25]
Koombana's seven sets ofWelin quadrant davits[11] were all worked by hydraulic power, apart from one steam crane at the No 1 hatch forward.[9]
At the end of December 1908,Koombana left the UK on her delivery voyage toMelbourne, Australia, viaCape Town andDurban in South Africa, and Fremantle and Adelaide in Australia.[11][28][29] HerMaster for the voyage wasCaptain John Rees,[30][31] who had been Master ofBullara.[9]
Koombana left Glasgow on 29 December 1908 in a severe snowstorm. After 36 hours' delay atGreenock awaiting snowbound passengers, she sailed at 7am on 31 December. She passedLas Palmas on 6 January 1909,Cape Verde three days later, and crossed the Equator on 13 January. She reached Cape Town on 23 January, embarked passengers, and left the next day.[32]
On arrival at Durban on 27 January 1909,Koombana embarked many passengers bound for Australian ports, among them one JH Taylor. Two days after the ship left Durban, on 30 January 1909, Mr Taylor vanished without trace. He had been observed to be behaving "in a peculiar and eccentric manner". He had told other passengers that he had been in South Africa for some years, and had lost a lot of money. It was therefore assumed that "his losses had preyed upon his mind", and that "in a fit of melancholia", he had "jumped overboard in the night".[33]
Koombana passedAmsterdam Island on 5 February[32] and reached Fremantle on 11 February.[9][30] There she unloaded cargo including valuablethoroughbred andSuffolk Punch horses, aDorset horn ram and five Dorset horn ewes in lamb.[34] A well known former Australian trainer, Edwin Couch, had been engaged to accompany the horses from Glasgow to Fremantle. But after apparently displaying great interest in the matter, he had failed to appear to carry out his engagement, which had therefore had to be carried out by "another good man". Couch had later been discovered to have died by suicide using a revolver in anExeter hotel.[35]
On 12 February 1909,Koombana left Fremantle for Melbourne.[9][30] At a reception held on board her in Melbourne on 5 March, the federalAttorney-General,WM Hughes, responded to a toast to theCommonwealth Parliament by acknowledging the immense proportions that the Australian shipping industry had recently assumed. His Western Australian colleague SenatorGeorge Pearce,Minister for Defence, also gave a speech, in which he attributed the moves to establish aRoyal Australian Navy to the need to keep the way open for coastal trade. In another speech, theMinister for Home Affairs,Hugh Mahon, who was also the federalMember for Coolgardie in Western Australia, asserted not only that the coastal trade was one of Australia's most precious possessions, but also, somewhat presciently, that no sacrifice should be too great to preserve it.[36]
Soon afterwards,Koombana returned to Fremantle to replaceBullarra on the northwest trade.[28] Shortly before dawn on 8 March 1909, she berthed atVictoria Quay, Fremantle, to complete her delivery.[37] During the delivery voyage, her seagoing qualities had proved to be exceptionally fine.[32]
Koombana left Fremantle on her first northwest trip toDerby on 12 March 1909, and fromGeraldton the next night. She was expected to reachCarnarvon on the evening of 15 March 1909, but that morning she ran aground on a sand bank known as Bar Flats, 14 mi (23 km) fromDenham inShark Bay.[38]
A subsequent inquiry by the Chief Harbourmaster, Captain CJ Irvine, established that the master, Captain Rees, had mistaken the mark buoy in the north side of the channel leading to Denham for the outer or westerly buoy. In the hazy prevailing weather, Captain Rees had been unable to verify his position by bearings from the headlands, and there was little warning of the approach of shoal waters. The Chief Harbourmaster therefore concluded that more care should have been exercised when approaching Bar Flats, and the speed of the ship reduced to "slow" until the vessel's position had been definitely ascertained. However, in light of Captain Rees's past good record, and in the absence of any damage to the ship, he recommended that no further action be taken.[39]
Initially, Captain Rees expected to be able to floatKoombana off the sand bank the next day.[40] With the haze having lifted by the following morning, the ship became visible from Denham by the aid of glasses. Efforts to refloat her by emptying her ballast tanks were unsuccessful.[38] Crew members then sent the motor launch towards Denham, but in a heavy sea its motor was swamped, and it returned toKoombana using its sail. Denham was reached only on a second attempt.[41]
On 18 March 1909 at 02:30, SSWinfield left Geraldton to lighten her.[38] The task of refloatingKoombana took several more days, with the officers and crews of both ships working day and night. On 24 March 1909,Winfield herself ran aground for half an hour, while turning to come alongside. An attempted tow that day was unsuccessful, but at 14:30 the next day, after cargo had been taken out ofKoombana's forehatch, she was finally refloated.[42]
Meanwhile, there was disquiet in Carnarvon about the non-arrival of the mail being carried byKoombana. In a telegram to the Postmaster-General in Melbourne, Carnarvon's town clerk complained that the monthly delivery of mail had been delayed by eight days. He pointed out that plenty of boats were available at the scene of the stranding to convey them the 70 mi (110 km) to Carnarvon. Further north, the Port HedlandAdvocate called for Shark Bay to be cut off the list of northwest trade calling places, due to its ever-shifting sand banks.[43] However,Koombana was largely forgiven when she arrived in Carnarvon a few days later, even though a quantity of Carnarvon cargo had to be overcarried. Residents and local newspapers marvelled at the comfort of her cabins, while passengers spoke highly of the efforts of the officers and crew to refloat the ship.Koombana then covered the 280 mi (450 km) from Carnarvon toOnslow in the record time of 20½ hours.[44]
Koombana's second northwest trip left Fremantle on 17 April 1909. In Geraldton on 21 April 1909, the vessel embarked a party comprising thePremier,Newton Moore, theMinister for Works,James Price, and four other State MPs.[3] The party had come from Perth to Geraldton by train, and then continued byKoombana to Derby, before returning byKoombana to Fremantle.[3] Their aim was to visit the northwest ports,[3] inspect recent public works projects, and "... meet the residents of the various ports and ascertain their wants ...".[45] A highlight of the party's tour was the opening on 27 April 1909 of the new Port Hedland jetty, at whichKoombana was the first ship to berth. Building the jetty had been expedited to enable the landing of the rails to build theMarble Bar Railway.[4]
Shortly after leaving Broome for Derby on the evening of 28 April 1909, with the ministerial party aboard,Koombana struck an uncharted submerged obstruction about 1 mi (1.6 km) from the Gantheaume light, damaging her bottom on the port side forward. It seems that this incident was not immediately publicised, and that on arrival at Derby the vessel was examined and no damage was found.[31] However, a Court of Marine Inquiry was held. After hearing evidence on 7 August 1909, the Court, consisting of Mr EP Dowley, RM, and Captains Cutler and Foxworthy, observed that an uncharted rock had since been found in the area, and that the course set by Captain Rees, under the guidance of the then available Admiralty chart, was perfectly safe through Roebuck Deep. The Court therefore dismissed a charge of laxity brought against the Captain, exonerated him, and returned his certificate.[46]
Meanwhile, on 12 May 1909,Koombana had left Fremantle on her third northwest trip. By that stage the Broome incident had been made public, butThe West Australian announced her impending departure with considerable enthusiasm:
On her recent trip she put up a tremendous performance for consistent fast steaming, and fully justified her claim to be ranked as one of the most speedy vessels on the Australian coastal trade. The demand for berths is still very keen, and on this trip she will take away a full complement of passengers.[47]
However, during the voyageKoombana was found to be making water in one of her tanks. On arrival at Broome, an examination revealed that some of the cement on the bottom of the tank had broken away, and that one of the rivets had broken off,[48][49] requiring repair.
Fremantle lacked adry dock, so the Adelaide Steamship Co decided sentKoombana to Sydney to be examined and repaired.[48][49] She steamed there from Fremantle after completing her third northwest trip, stopping only inAlbany to land 100 tons of cargo on the way.[48] TheHuddart, Parker & Co's linerBurrumbeet stood in for her on the northwest route.[49][50]
Koombana reached Sydney on the night of 13 June 1909, and enteredMort's Dock the next morning.[49] According to one newspaper report, the Sydney docking revealed that – contrary to earlier reports in Western Australia – the grounding in Shark Bay had broken 13 plates of her hull. "She was evidently kept afloat only by the top skin of her ballast tanks", the report commented.[51] After undergoing repairs,Koombana returned to Fremantle in August 1909, taking up the westward run ofKyarra while she was being overhauled.Burrumbeet then left Fremantle to take upKyarra's eastward run.[50]
AfterKoombana's return from Sydney, she maintained regular monthly trips from Fremantle up the coast, with annual diversions to the eastern states for an overhaul. However, her routine continued to be punctuated by unusual events.
In June 1910,Koombana took another ministerial party on part of a tour of the northwest, when theColonial Secretary,Mr J D Connolly, travelled aboard her between Fremantle and Port Hedland. On the tour, the Minister inaugurated steam traction on the Cossack – Roebourne tramway, using a steam engine thatKoombana had brought there. After leavingKoombana at Port Hedland, the Minister continued his trip to Derby and back to Fremantle aboard the steamshipPenguin.[52]
On 26 August 1910 the Adelaide Steamship Co's General Manager in Western Australia, Mr WE Moxon, hosted a luncheon on boardKoombana at Fremantle, for members of the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce and the Australasian Steamship Owners' Federation. The luncheon also marked the return from London of the Premier, Sir Newton Moore, and the Collector of Customs. Sir Newton himself was unable to be present, but two other Ministers deputised for him. Toasts proposed included one to KingGeorge V, who had recently succeeded to the throne, and another toKoombana. After the luncheon, guests inspected theMcIlwraith, McEacharn & Co interstate linerKaroola.[53]
In the early hours of 20 October 1910, on a voyage from Port Hedland to Broome, fire broke out inKoombana's No 1 cargo hold. The hatch was sealed down, and the ship's Clayton Patentfire extinguisher used to put out the fire. Passengers awoke later in the morning to find their cabins full of smoke, andKoombana making full speed for Port Hedland. After her arrival there at noon, parts of the ship remained very hot, and the No 2 hold was also sealed down. The cause of the fire was attributed to a cargo of wet wool that had been loaded at Shark Bay earlier in the trip.[54][55]
WhenKoombana reached Fremantle on the afternoon of 27 October 1910, the fire was still smouldering. Water was then pumped into the hold, and by the time hatches were removed, the fire was completely out. The cargo was damaged by fire and water, but no damage was found to the ship.[55]
On her next trip, on 15 November 1910, a visit byKoombana to Broome coincided with the arrival in Australia from the United Kingdom via Singapore of theRoyal Australian Navy's first two destroyers,HMAS Parramatta andYarra, accompanied by thecruiserHMS Gibraltar, and a Dutch steamship withheavy fuel oil tobunker the destroyers.Koombana formed the centrepiece of a welcoming flotilla of vessels, which also included the surveysloopHMS Fantome, and numerousschooners andluggers. Two further days of celebrations then followed.[56][57]
Koombana grounded in Shark Bay for a second time on the morning of 20 December 1910, as she steamed from Carnarvon to Denham. She struck a sandbank, and was held fast for 12 hours.[58] Dense blue smoke rising from the ship while her crew strove to free her caused alarm in Denham, where observers feared a volcano might be erupting nearDirk Hartog Island.[59] A motor launch was sent to Denham to report the grounding, butKoombana was able to slide off the bank, and catch up with the launch, before it reached its destination.[58]
Late in the evening of 21 January 1911, a second fire broke out aboardKoombana, this time while she was berthed at Victoria Quay, Fremantle. About four or five tons of fodder stored in the Nos 2 and 3 cargo holds were found to be ablaze, apparently by spontaneous combustion. Fremantle Fire Station quickly sent a fire engine, and soon afterwards the Harbour Trust fire plant was requisitioned. Once again the holds were flooded. By 4 am on 22 January 1911, the fire was extinguished, and again the ship seemed undamaged. A smoke helmet sent over by the captain of the German-Australian linerAugsburg did not need to be used, but greatly impressed the fire brigade staff.[60][61]
On 19 April 1911,Koombana sustained a collision while tied up at Victoria Quay. The Master of another steamship,Pilbarra, became confused by the hoisting of berthing flags. He went astern, to prevent his ship from striking the wharf.Pilbarra then swung around, and struckKoombana's starboard quarter. A Court of Marine Inquiry later found thatPilbarra's Master had made an error of judgment.[62]
On 6 September 1911,Koombana reached Fremantle after her annual overhaul in Sydney. Captain Rees had been transferred toWinfield, and Captain Thomas M Allen becameKoombana's Master.[63]
Early in November 1911, asKoombana steamed south from Shark Bay to Geraldton, her chief steward, Frank Johnson, entered the bakehouse. He allegedly abused, and broke a loaf of bread over the head of, the young baker, a German named Edwin Albrecht. AfterKoombana arrived in Fremantle, Albrecht summoned Johnson to the Fremantle Police Court for using insulting and abusive language towards him, but at the hearing on 10 November 1911, Resident Magistrate Dowley dismissed the summons, and ordered that neither party pay the other's costs.[64]
By that time, Albrecht had gained the sympathy ofKoombana's crew. At a meeting of theSeamen's Union of Australia held in Fremantle the same evening, a large majority of the 60 members present, including representatives from other ships, decided thatKoombana's crew should not resume work until the chief steward was removed from the ship. The decision was immediately conveyed to Captain Allen and the acting manager of the Adelaide Steamship Company, Mr AE Lewis.[64]
Koombana's agents responded by deciding on 11 November 1911 to delay her next departure indefinitely. That day, the postal authorities were told that the mail contract would have to be suspended for the time being, and 16 firemen were paid off. Subsequently, the general secretary of the Firemen and Seamen's Union, Mr Cooper, telegrammed the crew from Sydney advising them to resume work, to avoid seriously jeopardising a case before the Arbitration Court in the eastern states.[64]
On 17 November 1911, the recently elected new Premier,John Scaddan, intervened in the dispute, at the request of Labor Senators. He sent a delegation of two State MPs to a mass meeting of the union in Fremantle. The two MPs urged the crew to return to work, on the understanding that an investigation of their complaints would be made. The delegation, together with two union representatives, then met Captain Allen and the acting manager at the company's office. The company promised a thorough investigation into the grievances. Captain Allen guaranteed that food supplies would be of good quality and quantity, and that the chief steward should treat the firemen with respect. But after the delegation had reported back to the mass meeting, the members present voted overwhelmingly not to go back aboard, unless the chief steward was transferred to another ship.[65]
Further negotiations followed between Mr Moxon, the WA general manager of the company, and the protesting firemen. Mr Moxon claimed that it would be an act of persecution to dismiss the chief steward without an inquiry being held into the allegations against him. However, the firemen were unmoved. At the request of Senator Guthrie, the general secretary of the Firemen and Seamen's Union in Melbourne, Mr Moxon then broke off the negotiations. Meanwhile, Senator Guthrie arranged for a fresh crew of 16 men, accompanied by two executive officers, to travel from Melbourne to Adelaide by express train, and from Adelaide to Fremantle by steamship.[66]
On 24 November 1911, the chief steward "fell down in a fit" and was taken to a private hospital.[67] The same day, the President of the Commonwealth Arbitration Court, Mr JusticeH. B. Higgins, sitting in Melbourne, delivered his proposed award in the claim by the Federated Seamen's Union against the Commonwealth Steamship Owners. Although Mr Justice Higgins indicated that he proposed to grant the union's main demands, he then observed thatKoombana's crew, in defiance of the union's executive, was breaching the existing agreement. He therefore deferred for a week the making of an award, and indicated that he would not do so at all if the position ofKoombana did not change.[6]
Five days later, on the evening of 29 November 1911, the fresh crew forKoombana reached Fremantle from the eastern states aboard SSRiverina. They were immediately signed on.Koombana sailed the next day, 30 November 1911, with her crew including chief steward Johnson, who had recovered.[68] News of the resolution of the dispute was then telegramned to Melbourne, where it was welcomed by Mr Justice Higgins.[69]
Koombana left Port Hedland for Broome on the morning of Wednesday, 20 March 1912 with a fresh north easterly blowing, followed byBullarra,[1] which had recently returned to the northwest passenger and cargo trade.[70] Before leaving, her Master, Captain Allen, had reported a fallingbarometer and suggested that the voyage may take longer than normal.[1] However, he and Captain Upjohn, Master ofBullarra, had decided in conversation prior to departure that there was nothing in it, and neither man expected to encounter such a storm as was later recorded inBullarra's log book as "A Howling Hurricane".[2]
Several hours after leaving, the two ships changed course as a heavy northeasterly gale set in, and they became separated. The storm increased andBullarra suffered damage but was able to reachCossack. She later returned to Port Hedland missing her funnel, reporting that the eye of the cyclone had passed directly over. ButKoombana was not seen again.
A sailing ship,Crown of England, was wrecked onDepuch Island. Another ship,Concordia, was beached nearby. Several lighter vessels and pearling luggers were also sunk or wrecked.[1]
The cyclone crossed the coast two days later on 22 March just west ofBalla Balla, a minor port for theWhim Creek copper mines. Damage was reported for more than 200 kilometres (120 mi) along the coast.[1]
AfterKoombana became overdue in Broome several days later, public concern was raised and a search organised. On 2 April one of the search ships steamed through a quantity of wreckage about 25 nautical miles (46 km) north ofBedout Island and 100 kilometres (62 mi) offshore.[1] But the only wreckage recovered fromKoombana was part of a starboard bow planking of a motor launch, a state-room door, and panel from the promenade deck, two planks for covering tanks of lifeboats, and some air tanks. The air tanks were found on the mainland. The other wreckage was found at sea.[2]
AboardKoombana when she sank were several passengers prominent in the north of Western Australia. They included:
Captain Thomas M Allen, master ofKoombana on her last voyage, was a 52-year-old bachelor.[86] Born in South Australia, he had been educated atPort Adelaide Grammar School.[87] His father,Thomas Allen was a Cork Irishman who had been a shipmaster and owner between the 1850s and 1880s, and had frequently visited Albany and Fremantle.[86] As a child, Tom Allen had sailed with his parents around Australia, and later toNew Caledonia. In 1873, he had sailed from Port Darwin aboard thebarqueConstant, commanded by his father, forRockingham, Western Australia, to loadjarrah, butConstant was wrecked at Rockingham, after blowing from her anchors during a north-westerly gale.[86]
Early in his seafaring career, Captain Allen worked on sailing ships, as master of a tug, and on several occasions for the Adelaide Steamship Co. As quartermaster of the Orient Steam Navigation Company'sCuzco, he was one of a couple of hands who, in heavy seas, volunteered to go over her stern and secure her propeller, after she had broken herscrew shaft. He also commanded several ships, beginning with the barqueVerulam. In 1897, as commander of the coastal shipMarloo, he was convicted by a jury of manslaughter because a man had fallen down a hold, but the Attorney-General ignored the verdict.[86]
Later that year, Captain Allen was appointed to the pilot service on the Port Adelaide River. In 1901 he was chosen to take the royal yacht HMSOphir up the river, when the then Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later KingGeorge V andQueen Mary) visited Australia. One of the most skilful navigators in Australia, he was the first South Australian born seafarer to be awarded an extra master's certificate.[87]
He left the pilot service in 1906 and rejoined the Adelaide Steamship Company, which sent him to England to bring outJunee in 1907 andEchunga in early 1908. After a voyage toValparaíso inEchunga, he commanded many of the company's coastal steamships, includingGrantala,Bullarra andWinfield. In his career as master and pilot, he had had no mishaps beforeKoombana's disappearance.[86]
Norman Jamieson,Chief Officer ofKoombana when she sank, had formerly been Chief Officer ofYongala. He had changed ships toGrantala immediately beforeYongala's final voyage, and later was transferred toKoombana.[88]
Koombana's chief steward when she sank was FW Johnson, who had been at the centre of the labor dispute four months earlier. He was from South Australia. His brother-in-law and niece were also aboardKoombana's final voyage.[89]
On 21 April 1912, a memorial concert in memory ofKoombana's victims was held atHis Majesty's Theatre, Perth. Many dignitaries, and hundreds of other people attended. In an address to the audience, the newly elected Dean of Perth, the Very Reverend HF Mercer, appealed for support to aKoombana relief fund, which had been established by theLord Mayor of Perth and owner of the theatre,TG Molloy.[90]
AfterKoombana's loss, the Adelaide Steamship Co sent another of its ships,Allinga, to take over the northwest run.[91] Soon after, the company withdrewAllinga from the route, after it lost the contract to the State Shipping Service of Western Australia,[92] that the Scaddan government had recently established. The company's withdrawal was a major impetus for the early development of the State Shipping Service, which was to dominate the northwest trade for the rest of the twentieth century.[8]
At request of the Colonial Secretary, a Court of Marine Inquiry was held at Fremantle, just over a month afterKoombana's loss. The Court comprised Mr EP Dowley as President, and Captains FL Parkes and JWW Yates as assessors.[2] Evidence was led on 25, 26 and 29 April 1912 by the Crown Prosecutor, Frank Parker, on behalf of the Chief Harbourmaster. A closing address was made on 3 May 1912 by ML Moss KC, on behalf of Adelaide Steamship Co.[93]
The Court gave its verdict on 10 May 1912. It found thatKoombana had sailed from Port Hedland at about 10:20 am on 20 March 1912, drawing 19 ft (5.8 m) aft and about 12 ft (3.7 m) forward. She had been in excellent trim, and with her propeller well submerged. She had set course to round Bedout Island en route to Broome, on a voyage that was usually accomplished in about 24 hours. The southward boundBullarra, which had left about a half hour later, hadKoombana in sight until about noon. At about 6:30 pm that day, the wind had risen until it became a violent hurricane lasting for several hours,Koombana had not been seen or heard of since.[2]
The Court could not say what became ofKoombana, but it seemed reasonably clear that the hurricane had caused her total loss at sea. When leaving Port Hedland, she had been carrying 260 tons of cargo, properly stowed, 460 tons of coal, 871 tons of water in her tanks, 60 tons of stores, 76 passengers and 74 crew. Her stability with her known load had been tested with Ralston's stability indicator, and seven other tests had been made with the indicator under varying conditions of load. In each test,Koombana's stability had been shown to be entirely satisfactory.[2]
Further confirmation of the ship's stability and seaworthiness was found in her career. All witnesses with experience in her had deposed to her very excellent seagoing qualities. Both Captain Allen and his Chief Officer had held extra masters' certificates, and were men of great experience on the Australian coast. The Court was satisfied thatKoombana, in construction, stability and seaworthiness, was equal to any ship in her class in the Australian coastal trade. It concluded that her stability and seaworthiness were unassailable, the competency and carefulness of her Master beyond question, and that after being lost sight of at sea on 20 March 1912, "... her fate passes beyond human knowledge and remains a mystery of the sea."[2]
The Court's findings were not universally accepted. A number of commentators asserted thatKoombana was "top heavy".[7][94][95] She was said to have been "... built to scrape into the most horrible little bays and estuaries", and "... slightly unstable because [she] had to be shallow enough to get over the sandbar at Port Hedland".[23]Koombana has also been described as narrow-bottomed, wide-topped and built for speed more than anything else.[94] In 1946,Edward Angelo, a former long timeMLA for northwest electorates, who had travelled on over 100 ship voyages, wrote that "Although I greatly admired [Koombana's] appointments, I never liked her, considering her too top heavy. She always had a list, even when tied up at jetties."[7] However, the assertions made soon after the disappearance ofKoombana that she was top heavy were disputed by her inaugural chief engineer.[21]
It was also asserted thatKoombana left Port Hedland unballasted, so that she could clear the sand bar at the harbour mouth.[94][95]
In light of all of these claims, there has been speculation thatKoombana may have capsized in the heavy sea, due to a combination of structural top heaviness and empty ballast tanks.[96]
In an article published on 19 May 1912,The Sunday Times (Perth, WA) observed thatKoombana had not survived the first big storm she had encountered. In response to the Court of Marine Inquiry's report, the article commented that "[n]o attempt whatever was made to produce independent expert evidence as to the stability of the steamer, and by that we mean her ability to live in a cyclone, and not her constructional strength." The article went on to report a number of comments by a Port Hedland journalist, Mr Barker, on the Court's findings. According to Barker, who had interviewed Captain Allen in Port Hedland, many pearling luggers had run into the creek for shelter beforeKoombana left Port Hedland, and Captain Allen himself had been reluctant to leave until after speaking with Captain Upjohn. Barker also claimed that upon leaving,Koombana had had "an ugly list to port", and "was rolling heavily, her propeller at times being out of the water".[97]
The Sunday Times therefore called for a second inquiry, by the Commonwealth government,[97] but no such inquiry was held.
In 1973, what seemed to be the remains of a large ship were found in deep water about 20 nautical miles (37 km) offEighty Mile Beach, about midway between Port Hedland and Broome. In 1985, crew members testing magnetic detection equipment on aRoyal Australian Air ForceLockheed P-3 Orion reported a significant magnetic anomaly on the seabed 75 kilometres (40 nmi) off Bedout Island.
In August 1987, a specially equippedUnited States Navy research aircraft was sent to Port Hedland to search for the wreck in conjunction with theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and an Australian research group. A US Navy crew flew the aircraft, another Lockheed Orion (RP-3D BuNo. 158227, operated in support of NOAA's Project Magnet), equipped with a vector magnetometer, and carrying scientists from NOAA. The Navy crew comprised aviators Deborah Anderson, Brad Huotari and Glenn Gosnell with navigators John Sheppard and Ruth Perron. The unique aircraft was painted international orange and white and had the "Road Runner" cartoon as nose art. It made several flights over the suspected area of the ship, seeking magnetic anomalies. Several promising indications were to be investigated by the Australian group.
In the years leading up to the centenary ofKoombana's loss, there have been numerous deep-water expeditions to seek her wreck, but by the time of the centenary, she had still not been found.[23]
AboardKoombana when she sank was a Broome resident and pearl dealer, Abraham de Vahl Davis, the secretary of Mark Rubin, who had bought the "Roseate Pearl" for 12,000 Australian pounds. The loss led to Mark Rubin buying De Grey in 1912 with 63,000 sheep for a 100,000 pounds, and Mulyie and Warrawagine Stations in 1916 providing the wool for theBritish Army in both World Wars. Davis boardedKoombana there for the voyage to Broome, supposedly taking the Roseate Pearl with him.[8] Mark travelled to Europe after the loss ofKoombana to try to recover the loss, realised the World was going to war, and sold Broome Pearls and bought the stations. Jenny Hardie's bookNor'Westers of the Pilbara breed andIon Idriess's bookForty Fathoms deep verify the ownership of the pearl. Legend had seven of the previous owners die after acquiring the pearl.[8][98][99] AfterKoombana's loss, a further legend grew, blaming her loss on this allegedly cursed stone.[8]
Early in 2012, to commemorate the centenary ofKoombana's loss, the Port Hedland Historical Society organised a program of activities for the weekend of 17–18 March 2012. It included a Captain's Table dinner, a ceremonial laying of floral tributes at Port Hedland's Koombana lookout and an exhibition of artefacts at Dalgety House Cottage. At least 13 descendants of those lost onKoombana planned to make the trip to Port Hedland for the weekend.[100] However, on 15 March 2012 the Society was forced to postpone the event, due to the impending approach ofTropical Cyclone Lua.[23][101]
On 24 March 2012, aKoombana centenary exhibition opened at theWestern Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle. The exhibition, which was replicated in Port Hedland, was developed by theWestern Australian Museum in consultation with the Port Hedland Historical Society, with financial support from the Port Hedland Port Authority. According to WA Museum chief executive Alec Coles, "The exhibition relates what is known ofKoombana’s final hours, and describes the far-reaching search which took place following her disappearance."[102]
The Port Hedland Historical Society's postponed commemorative activities were rescheduled to the weekend of 27–28 April 2012. They culminated in the laying of a wreath for those lost aboard the ship.[23]
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