History of the steamship "S.S. Wyreema"

      
Dad's 16-foot Skiffs' "Wyreema" - 2 different boats in 2 different decades
1970, Pittwater and 1980, Manly (NSW)
(That's me in the yellow in the right pic!)

"Recalling parts of a conversation I had with dad many many years ago, I seem to recall that there was a connection with his father's family and the name Mangus kept cropping up. Upon doing a little investigating on the subject, I believe the connection was to our great, great grandfather Cornelius Kxxxx (1857 - 1925) ... one of his brother's, a Philip Magner Kxxxx (1855 - 1945). Little is known of this fellow, except that he resided in Newcastle for many years and was a seasoned traveler ... ? merchant navy. He may have been indentured into the service like another of our relatives on our mother's side, who was indentured into the merchant navy in the late 1880's. Dad didn't know if he had been married or not, but seemed to believe he might have been an officer. Knowing dad was quite a story teller, what should we believe ... he was probably a lowly stoker or whatever !!!"

Dad owned and sailed a "VJ" (Valcluse Junior) out of the boatshed at The Spit, Middle Harbour, Sydney.
This was taken of his VJ 'Wyreema' in the late 1940's in Middle Harbour.

Here's yet another of dad's 16-foot skiff sailing boats "Wyreema", from the mid-1980's,
taken near Manly Wharf in Sydney Harbour, NSW, Australia.
(I'm sitting forward - and mostly obscured - in this pic!)

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And the Wyreema story continues...

From August 2005 I'll be sailing a 'Solo'-class dinghy called... "Wyreema" - naturally!

And from Xmas 2006 I'll be trying to sail Laser #82666 called... "Wyreema II"! heh heh.

Photo Galleries - Wyreema I
Wyreema II (Laser)

        

Carcoar Dam Sailing Club
Sailability

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HISTORY OF THE
S.S. WYREEMA

(Source)

Following the introduction of "Wyandra" on the east coast service in 1902, the A.U.S.N. had operated a rather lopsided fleet, having several smaller vessels partnering their new ship. Over the next few years their main rivals on the route (Howard Smith Ltd) had introduced two new vessels on their route - the "Bombala" and "Cooma". The A.U.S.N. therefore ordered a larger ship for themselves. Named "Wyreema", the new ship left Glasgow (Scotland) on 22nd February 1908 for London, where she loaded cargo and left on the 24th February, passing through the Suez Canal and arriving in Brisbane on the 10th April.

For the next two weeks she was prepared for service, leaving on the 25th April, bound for Sydney and Melbourne, from where she sailed on her first voyage to Cooktown (QLD). The new ship accommodated 250 first-class and 200 second-class passengers, and was superior in size and appointments to any vessel previously on this route. Due to her draught, for her first few months of service she had problems entering Cairns Harbour, until a new channel was dredged.

In 1909 the A.U.S.N. tried an interesting experiment in tourism with the "Wyreema", with all accommodation being classified as one class, and the fare including excursions to various ports. However, the fares charged were the same as the regular first class passengers, and while the first class cabins were sold, people were not prepared to pay the higher tariff to travel in what was normally a second-class cabin. So, after only two voyages the new scheme was dropped. Then in January 1910 the northern terminus of the route was changed from Cooktown to Cairns.

(Source)

On the night of 9th March 1910, "Wyreema" was steaming out of Sydney Harbour (NSW) when she collided with the small collier "Currajong" off Bradley's Head. The bow of the liner cut into the smaller vessel amidships, and within four minutes the collier had sunk with the loss of one crewman. "Wyreema" returned to her berth for repairs, and the captain lost his ticket for 12 months at the subsequent inquiry.

"Wyreema" served almost the entire (First World) war on her regular route, but on the 23rd September 1918 she was taken over by the Navy for conversion into a troopship, with the work being done in Sydney. She sailed to Europe the next month, but upon reaching Capetown (South Africa) was advised the armistices had been signed, so returned to Australia. However, on reaching Adelaide (South Australia), the ship was once again ordered to sail to Britain, and she left there on the 27th December, passing through the Suez Canal to arrive in Liverpool in early February (1919). Here and epidemic of pneumonic influenza spread through the crew and fifteen died. Eventually the ship was able to leave on the 13th April, carrying troops and their families back to Australia, reaching Sydney on the 31st May (1919), at which time she was handed back to her owners.

After reconditioning she returned to the east coast route, which was now suffering a downturn in passengers and freight. The outbreak of bubonic plague in September 1921 resulted in the vessel being laid-up in Sydney until April 1922. Due to the rail link to Cairns being completed in 1924, the following year saw the A.U.S.N. deciding to withdraw their vessels from the east coast route altogether. "Wyreema" was laid-up in September 1925 in Sydney, and put up for sale, as were her running mates "Wyandra" and "Levuka". Although "Wyandra" was sold soon after to ship breakers, the others were not disposed of, so in the winter of 1926 "Wyreema" and "Levuka" returned (to) the east coast trade.

(Source)

In June 1926 both ships were purchased by Lloyd Brasiliero, who wished to take delivery almost immediately. "Wyreema" left Cairns on the 16th June arriving in Melbourne twelve days later. Her next voyage was cancelled at short notice, and instead the vessel left Melbourne on the 30th June, arriving in Sydney on 2nd July, where she was laid-up awaiting delivery, which took place on the 27th July. The very next day the ship was renamed the "Dom Pedro I". Under this name she left Sydney on the 6th August, calling at Newcastle the same day, then heading for Rio de Janeiro through the Panama Canal, arriving there on the 20th September (1926).

Incorporated into a Brazilian shipping company owned by Brasiliero, as part of their small fleet of passenger and cargo vessels, it is understood she plied the coast of South America for many years without mishap. Still plying her regular route, she survived the Second World War unscathed, seeing no active service as such, and was eventually sold for scrap and so broken up in Rio de Janeiro in 1958.

"Wyreema" resurfaced in a newspaper article in the "Manly Daily" (Sydney) in 1982. The story related to the purchase of a twelve-by-six foot painting of the "Wyreema", painted by the famous Australian artist C.E.S. Tindale in 1909, depicting "Wyreema" in Sydney Harbour at full steam. Now considered a  historically significant painting and so rather valuable, it was purchased by a Mr David Letts, a Narrabeen (NSW) restaurateur in 1982. It now takes pride of place in his restaurant "The Boat Shed", a nautically-themed establishment located on Sydney's northern waterfront suburb of Narrabeen lakes.

Apart from other items of interest, diners at the restaurant are able to browse through a booklet associated with the ship, printed in South Africa in 1918 at the time the "Wyreema" was commissioned to carry troops to Europe for the First World War. The booklet contains a complete list of all those aboard the ship at the time, and carries letters from crew members.

Mr Bill Weston (since deceased), a Mona Vale resident but formally crew of the "Wyreema" recalled it as "a good ship". He recalled ironically that when the "Wyreema" sunk the "Currajong" off Bradley's Head in 1910, the first boat on the scene was the Manly ferry "Narrabeen" - poetic justice?

"Few people travelling aboard a Manly ferry from Manly to Sydney will know that as they round Bradley’s Head the big ferry passes over the mangled remains of the steam collier SS Currajong. Most of the hull of the sunken ship is said to be still intact but little shows above the sea floor as the wreck has been levelled because of its dangerous position.

"The 603 gross ton Currajong was built in 1875 as The Clarence in the UK and was one of Australia's really old steamers when she was sunk. At the time of the tragedy she had been owned by the Bellambi Coal Co since about 1893. She was about 67m long (about 222ft) much the same length as the vintage ferry South Steyne.

"Currajong was heading into Port Jackson on the night of March 9, 1910 and was nearing the turn around Bradleys Head when the outgoing liner Wyreema cut her turn too fine.

"The much larger liner slashed open the heavily-laden collier which quickly sank, taking one of her crew with her. Several times in the 90-odd years since, port authorities have worked to reduce that part of the old ship that showed above the sea bottom but it seems Currajong’s hull is still largely intact - but well sunk in the mud.

"Twin screw passenger steamer Wyreema was built for the Australasian United Steam Navigation Co at Glasgow in 1908. She was typical of the passenger liners that serviced the Australian coastal cities in the first half of the 20th century.

"At 6,338 gross tons, she could carry 250 First class and 200 Second class passengers and was 122m, about 400ft, long and could carry cargo in addition to her passengers.

"After colliding with Currajong, Wyreema returned to her berth for a safety survey and initial investigation and then continued on her voyage. Her Master was later to have his Master’s Ticket withdrawn for 12 months, it being deemed that he bore the major proportion of the responsibility for the collision.

"Wyreema was not taken up for war service until near the end of the war and she was little involved, other than being sent to the UK. Upon return to Australia she re-entered service but the combination of the Plague, an economic down-turn and the extension of the railway to Cairns, decided the AUSN Co to retire from the passenger trade. The company gradually sold its liners and Wyreema went to Brazil in 1926.

"As Dom Pedro I, she lasted until 1958. "

S.S. WYREEMA
MATSEN C. H.

19 April 1908. Letter from Alexander Blackwood (Chief Engineer of Wyreema, Australasian United Steam Navigation Co.) to Alexander Stephen, re-Wyreema’s delivery voyage. Refers to "damage" received at Suez.

"All sanitary discharge pipes from sanitary pumps are thin and weak ... I don’t think any of them will last twelve months ... "

"We have to alter the steering gear on the Bridge. I told Mr. Dobbie when I joined the ship in Glasgow it would never do where it was in the Chart Room ... We are placing it forward of the Social Hall skylight so as the Man at the wheel can see the bow of the ship ... We have so many narrow channels to navigate at night while on the Queensland Coast ... also the Brisbane River for 18 miles ... "

" WYREEMA, a 6,338 ton liner capable of 17 knots was built in 1908 by Alexander Stephen & Sons, Glasgow for the Australasian United Steam Navigation Company (AUSN) and travelled to and from Melbourne to Cairns and all ports in between. On 23 September 1918 she was requisitioned as a troop ship and fitted out at Cockatoo Island to carry 926 troops, the fit out being completed on 14 October. After the fit out, loaded with troops, WYREEMA left in the 42nd AIF convoy for overseas and when she reached Cape Town the soldiers learnt that the war was over and the Armistice signed. On returning home the ship was sent back to Europe via the Mediterranean, while in Liverpool, England her crew were struck down with influenza, all but four of a total 140 were admitted to hospital where 15 died. When the ship returned to Australia she was reconditioned at Cockatoo Island and returned to the AUSN in September 1920."

" During 1918 a major pneumonic or Spanish form influenza epidemic began sweeping through the nations of Europe infecting all and sundry, including the Australian service men and women. The Australian Defense leaders and government hoping that Australia’s isolation would spare the population the epidemic feared that the returning servicemen would introduce the disease into the country. Those fears were soon founded when BOONAH, having been ordered back to Australia had spent several days in isolation at Durban. During her stop 15 men jumped ship and were not allowed to return for the risk of infection. South African natives used to coal the ship and load cargo brought the disease on board and it was found that the epidemic was becoming rife within the ship. The commanding officer of the troops and a contingent of nurses on board HMAT WYREEMA later wrote:

    Here's two articles about scuba-diving on the 1910 shipwreck of the 'Currajong' in Sydney Harbour.
    A reference to SS Wyreema's reporting of weather conditions at sea off North Queensland.

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Email: maljam at dodo [.] com [.] au

Page updated 31 January 2007