karrakatta

I think we have a date 5/9/91 - 5th September 1891 - it was a Saturday. And thanks to Trove, it was the Arrival of the (first?) Australian Auxiliary Fleet. Seven ships - KATOOMBA, TAURANGA, and WALLAROO in one line, and RINGAROOMA, MILDURA, BOOMERANG, and KARRAKATTA in another line. Very full details SMH 7/9/1891 p.8 (other relevant articles also on same page) - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/13837805

Background history to "Australia's First Fleet", ship details and crew names, enough for any maritime historian - SMH 5/9/1891 - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/13837652

beachcomber australia Wow thanks Beachcomber! Didn't realise it was 'Australia's First Fleet' - what an important moment in our history :) Very happy to have identifited the occasion.

Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons It's a bit strange. This occasion was of great importance at the time (1891) to Australia and NSW, but seems to be forgotten now. Probably more related photos will turn up now that we are conscious of the event.

beachcomber australia Hopefully! Will see if we can find anymore possibilities in our collection...

GULF OF MARTABAN, GREENOCK - educated guess with Trove's help. Wrecked in 1897 - www.plimsoll.org/resources/SCCLibraries/WreckReports/17411. [Edited 18/12/2012]

beachcomber australia Great, thanks beachcomber! The notes in the database say that one of the vessels in the background is a torpedo boat. I found no evidence of the vessel being used as a flagship during an Anniversary Day regatta, BUT, I did find this article! On 17 Feb 1897, a select few of the best of the New South Wales Mounted Rifles boarded the steamer bound for the Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in London. And guess where they boarded with their horses? :-D See this great account as well. Another great find!!

Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons Terrific! That must be the occasion, even though all the GULF OF ... (Greenock Line) ships seemed to have used Cowper Wharf, Woolloomooloo. Full details of the departure from the SMH 18/2/1897 p.3 col.5 - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/14089265 - including this -

" ... Gay-coloured bunting floated in the breeze from the rigging of the Gulf of Martaban as she loomed up largely beside the wharf, ... ... ... ... ... and at a quarter past 5 o'clock the big steamer swung out into the stream and was towed [see note] down the harbour by the steam tug Commodore. .... ..... Government steam launch Nea ... ... steamer Leveret. ... ... Excellent photographs of the whole team appear in this week's Sydney Mail ... "

The Sydney Mail article 20/2/1897 p.399 - photos of all the men - news.google.com/newspapers?id=5gdQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gJUDA...

Don't know where that wrecked in 1887 link went ... How about this - www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/G-Ships/gulfofmartaban1889.html Name: GULF OF MARTABAN Type: Cargo Ship Launched: 04/12/1888 Completed: 1889 Builder: R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co Ltd Yard: Hebburn Yard Number: 286 Dimensions: 2793grt, 1591nrt, 320.0 x 40.3 x 22.6ft Engines: T3cyl (26, 42 & 69 x 48ins), 292nhp Engines by: Blair & Co Ltd, Stockton-on-Tees Propulsion: 1 x Screw Construction: Steel Reg Number: 93211 History: 1889 Greenock Steam Ship Co Ltd, Greenock 1900 Gulf Line Ltd (D MacDougall), Greenock 1901 AC de Freitas & Co, Hamburg; renamed LUSITANIA 1909 Broken up Comments: 02/04/1909: Stranded at Porer on a voyage from Trieste to Fiume, refloated 1909: Broken up at Monfalcone

beachcomber australia Wow thank you, that Sydney Mail article with the photographs is quite good. So the vessel was towed by COMMODORE. So great to solve the mystery behind these photographs. We can even now guess what time this photograph was taken! Around 5:15 pm :-)

Tentative identification shows this as a gunboat or torpedo gunboat of the 1890s. There is one gun on the foredeck and traces of a gun embrasure or casemate on the forward hull below the foc's'le. These points suggest this is either HMS Whiting or HMS Wizard. The names were changed in 1890 to Boomerang and Karakatta. Both vessels were launched in 1889 and survived until sold out of service in 1905. The Victorian livery again suggests pre 1902/1903. The deck gun would be a 4.7-inch, one of two carried by these ships plus there were 5 x 14-inch torpedo tubes and four x 3-pounders. A 3-pounder would be mounted in the foc's'l casemate or embrasure. Compare with: www.library.uq.edu.au/fryer/hume/hume774.jpg www.library.uq.edu.au/fryer/hume/hume494.jpg Please add to: Naval History

Same dock c.1900 -

I've often wondered what was that large building on the horizon, presumably on Victoria Road Drummoyne.