SINKING AND RAISING
OF THE ORIENT LINE SHIP AUSTRAL
IN SYDNEY
HARBOUR IN 1882 -
her subsequent refitting to sail on
until 1903.Written from first-hand research and illustrated from published material and his personal photographic archive by George W. Randall, co-founder and former Vice Chairman Kinloch Castle Friends' Association, .
 |
While coaling in the early hours of 11 November 1882
High tide / Low tide difference five feet.
(Photograph 23 from George Bullough's Photograph Album VII. Australia.)
|
*
A QUICK SUMMARY OF THE
Maximum difference High Tide to Low Tide is about five feet allowing very little opportunity to take advantage of low water.
********
********
********* + *********
S. S. AUSTRAL
 |
 |
While coaling in the early hours of 11 November 1882
Austral heeled over and sank off Kirribilli Point, Neutral Bay, Sydney.
(Photograph 23 from George Bullough's Photograph Album VII. Australia.)
*      * 
*   | ||
    |
A corner of the Dining Saloon. (Illustrated London News)
Furnishings would be secured to the floor, dining chair seats would swivel on their legs.
*
 |
A gangway, four feet wide, ran right along Austral’s hull sides this permitted the staterooms to be constructed with windows instead of portholes and “the portholes to be opened even in rough weather without any fear of water entering the cabin.”
(Quote and illustration: London News - Marine Engineer) * |
RIGHT: Twin berth cabin.
(Illustrated London News)
Detail from George Bullough's Photograph from Album VII.
(Illustrated London News)
 |
 |
 |
 |
  |
(State Library of New South Wales)
 |
| Promenade Deck SS Austral looking aft. (The Illustrated Naval and Military Magazine.) |
Coaling continued.
(Illustrated Sydney News)
  > + < > + < * > + < > + < |
Austral sank with a 13° list to starboard on a rising seabed of mud. View looking forward.
Note the water-tight bulkhead as integral part of the cofferdam.
Note the water-tight bulkhead as integral part of the cofferdam.
(From: The Engineer, Volume 35, Page 368 - 20 April 1883)
*
The jury retired again and four hours later returned naming
the captain, chief officer, chief engineer and carpenter as “committing a gross error of judgement.”
The wording, substituting “judgement” for “negligence”
ensured all those named were not guilty of manslaughter.
Captain Murdoch had his Master’s Certificate suspended.
Bow section during salvage work.
 |
| There were no fatalities during the raising of Austral although diver George Murray was very lucky to be resuscitated after a screw in the pump to his airline became disconnected. |
> + <> + < * > + <> + <
Another boatload of sightseers circle the stricken liner.
The white funneled vessel moored in the background is most likely the steamer
The white funneled vessel moored in the background is most likely the steamer
Alathea to which passengers could be transferred for a longer look
at the recovery work and be picked up later.
*
*  >+< >+< >+<  
|
The ship sank in 52 feet of water. The cofferdam was constructed to
withstand the lateral pressure of 9-lbs. per square inch (almost 1,300-lbs. per square foot) the water outside as the water in the vessel was pumped out.
* 
pressure on the hull as the water was pumped out of the ship.
*
>< * ><>< * ><><>< * ><>< * ><
Slowly Austral rises from the seabed as water is pumped out.
The extent of the cofferdam as it rises well above main deck level is clearly visible.
(Illustrated Australian News - 21 March 1883)
The extent of the cofferdam as it rises well above main deck level is clearly visible.
(Illustrated Australian News - 21 March 1883)
* |
>< >< >< + >< >< ><
 |
The Maitland Mercury - 2 June 1883. 
Incident Report from: Transactions of the Institution of Naval Architects Volume XXVII:
*
 (Photograph 22 from George Bullough's Photograph Album VII. Australia.)   *    (La Trobe Picture Collection - State Library of Victoria.)
Fancy dress on board Austral.
*   *
The press reported “the voyage throughout was rendered most enjoyable, concerts and other entertainment, including a fancy dress being given. The latter proved a great success all the ladies taking part and the handsome sum of 120 pounds being realised for the different marine charities.”
Sadly during the voyage three passengers died ... ...
Because of her unfortunate record maritime superstition might have concluded Austral was an unlucky ship, this was not the case. Apart from a brief spell requisitioned as a troopship during the Boer War Austral continued in service as a passenger /cargo liner for a further twenty years becoming a familiar and popular sight in Sydney Harbour.
On 5 January 1903 the pride of the Orient Line arrived in Sydney on her fifty-second voyage.
Twelve days later she departed Circular Quay for the last time.
In May 1903 Austral left London for the Italian port of Genoa to be broken up.
“the vessel was sold by her owners for a sum amounting to between £13,000 and £14,000.”
The Sydney Illustrated News commented:
“The sinking of the magnificent Orient steamer Austral is an occurrence almost without precedence in the annals of Maritime history.”
PLAN OF AUSTRAL FROM ORIENT LINE GUIDE 1888. (Digitised by Google)  
*
Oil painting of Austral by Thomas Goldsworth Dutton (c.1818-1891) Dutton is recognised as the finest nineteenth century lithographer to record shipping and shipping scenes, he is also a noted water-colourist and oil painter.
 Watercolour of Austral by William Lionel Wyllie - 1882 NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM GREENWICH *
This article brings together in one place publicly available material and illustrations from dozens of sites by searching key words on Google. The text is the result of on-going research by the author stimulated by the single photograph of SS Austral in the library at Kinloch Castle, Scotland, collected by George Bullough,
(later Sir George, Baronet), during his world travels in the late 19th century.
The twenty volumes of over six hundred pictures record events, places and people
from almost every continent, and all have a story to tell.
The raising of the passenger / cargo liner SS Austral in March 1883 from the seabed of Sydney harbour, the ship returning half way round the world via Cape Horn under her own power to her builders in Scotland for complete restoration, her return to service for another twenty years represents an incredible piece of Victorian engineering doggedness and human ingenuity. >< + >< + >< +>< + >< + >< +>< + >< + >< +>< + >< + >< + >< >< + >< + >< +>< + ><
+ >< +>< + >< + >< +>< + >< + >< + >< 
Watercolour SS Austral by William Lionel Wyllie [1851-1931] * Transcript of the article in                       References: Scientific American Supplement - February 1883, June 1883 Money Market Review - April 1884 Illustrated Sydney News - 1883 Illustrated London News - 1882 The Illustrated Australian News - March 1883 The Marine Engineer – Jan. 1882, June 1882, Nov. 1882, Dec. 1882, May 1883, June 1903. The Sydney Morning Herald January, March and April 1883 The Engineer - April 1883 The Sydney Mail - November 1882 and February 1883 Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Raising the S.S. Austral 1883 United Kingdom Wreck Report for Austral Published 1883 The Melbourne Age November - 1882 Melbourne Argus - May 1883 The Mercury (Tasmania) - July 1882 The Daily Telegraph - March 1883 Remembering the Classic Liners of Yesteryear – www.ssmaritime.com Grey River Argus - 1883 Timaru Herald(New Zealand) - November 1882 Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute - Volume IX 1883 The Bendigo Advertiser - November 1882 The Granville Guardian - August 2010 Electrical Times Volume 1 - 1891 Orient Line Guide 1888 (Google) The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River Advertiser June - 1883 New Zealand Press (Issue 5353) - 1882 Taranaki Herald (New Zealand) - November 1882 The Inangahua Times - issue 1202, 1203 - December 1882 New Zealand Herald - November 1882, February 1883 Australian Government Archives The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser April 1883 The Bendigo Advertiser State Library of New South Wales George W. Randall Research Archive 1992-2017 The Wreck Report for SS Austral, 1883 - Port Cities Southampton The Press (New Zealand) - November 1882 Timaru Herald (New Zealand) November 1882 National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. (Watercolour) The Illustrated Naval and Military Magazine - Volume III 1885 Transactions of the Institution of Naval Architects - Volume XXVI 1885 Transactions of the Institution of Naval Architects - Volume XXVII 1886 The British Merchant Service Journal Volume IV - 1882 Photo SS Austral Allan C. Green - State Library of Victoria Ship of the Age - Austral - pages 46 - 59 Chris Frame Official - SS Austral Sinking Modern Shipbuilding and the Men Engaged In It (David Pollock) - Published 1884 La Trobe Picture Collection - State Library of Victoria Raising the SS Austral - Paper 1939 by John Standfield, M. Inst. C.E. All sources, without which this article would not have been possible, are hereby gratefully acknowledged. *   << >> << >> << >> * << >> << >> << >>   GEORGE W. RANDALL RESEARCH AND PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE REVIEWED WITH ADDITIONAL MATERIAL ADDED BY AUTHOR 16 FEBRUARY 2024 |
No comments:
Post a Comment