Kanimbla (ferry)

	Kanimbla leaving Circular Quay circa 1934
History
Name	Kanimbla (later Kurra-Ba)
Operator	Sydney Ferries Limited
Builder	Morrison & Sinclair (Kanimbla)
Cost	£12,489
Launched	1910
Out of service	1940s
Fate	Broken up 1950s
General characteristics
Tonnage	156
Length	34.1m
Speed	11 knots
Capacity	791

Last updated January 13, 2024

Kanimbla (later Kurra-Ba) was a "K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Launched in 1910, the timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Kanimbla was renamed "Kurra-Ba" in 1935. She was laid up in the 1940s and broken up in the 1950s.

Background

Kanimbla was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the early twentieth century boom in cross-Harbour travel prior to the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At the time, the company ran one of the largest ferry fleets in the world. The ferry was part of broader type of around 20 double-ended timber screw ferries the Sydney K-class ferries that the company commissioned between the 1890s and early 1920s to meet the booming demand.

Kanimbla followed the Sydney Ferries Limited tradition of naming their vessels after Australian Aboriginal words starting with "K". "Kanimbla" is thought to mean "big fight".

Design and construction

Kanimbla was built in 1910 by Morrison & Sinclair, of Johnsons Bay, Balmain for a cost of £12,489.^[2] Designed by Sydney Ferries Limited draftsman, T Barter, under the supervision of T Brown,^[3] she was described as an enlarged edition of the 1905 K-class ferry, Kareela .^[4]

Her machinery was designed by Sydney Ferries officers and supplied by Mort's Dock & Engineering Co. She was provided with 55 hp triple expansion steam engines of acting surface condensing type with three cranks. Her cyclinders are 12, 20 and 32 1/2 inches respectively with a stroke of 18-inch.^[5] Her two multitubular cylindrical boilers, 18 ft in length and 7 ft external diameter, were fitted with Deighton patent suspension furnaces with a working pressure of 180 lb. Electric lights were installed by Warbuton and Frankl.^[6]

The timber ferry was 156 tons, 35.4 m in length, and had a passenger capacity of 791. She could reach a speed of 11 knots.

Kosciusko , very similar in size and form to Kanimbla, was built the following year by David Drake, Balmain.^[7]

Service history

Smaller than the big Kirrule-type ferries planned for the Mosman run, and the Kulgoa and Koree on the Milsons Point route, Kanimbla was built for the narrow constrained bays of the Neutral Bay service.^[8]

Kanimbla was launched on 2 September 1909 where a crowd had gathered to watch in Johnsons Bay. A shipwright former suffered a head injury by a cable that had flown loose during the launch.^[9]

She (and Kosciusko) survived the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, after which demand for ferries dropped significantly and much of the fleet was laid up.

Kanimbla gave up her original name in 1935 to a new larger Royal Australian Navy ship, HMAS Kanimbla, and became Kurra-Ba (not to be confused with the "Kurraba" a Sydney ferry laid up in 1932). Kurra-Ba was pulled out of service and laid up around 1946, and was broken up in the 1950s along with a number of other larger K-class steamers as part of a fleet rationalisation following the NSW State Government's Sydney Harbour Transport Board takeover of the struggling Sydney Ferries Limited.

Kosciusko would go onto survive the 1950s state government rationalisation of the fleet and was converted to diesel in 1959. She was sent to Hobart in 1975 to assist with cross-Derwent travel following the collapse of the Tasman Bridge. She was then used as a floating restaurant in Hobart but was burnt out during renovations in 1982.

Incidents

11 August 1926 – With 230 passengers, Kanimbla collided with the Manly ferry, Binngarra near Kirribilli Point. The steel Binngarra was not significantly damaged, however, she cut deep into the timber Kanimbla which was rushed to Kirribilli to prevent her sinking.^[10]^[11] The Marine Court enquiry into the collision found the master of Kanimbla to be at fault.^[12]
15 June 1927 - Arguably Kanimbla's most serious incident was her collision with Manly ferry Balgowlah at Circular Quay. She was leaving Circular Quay with 100 passengers on a trip Neutral Bay when she collided head-on with Balgowlah which was heading into the Quay. The significantly larger steel-hulled Balgowlah had minor damage, whereas timber Kanimbla had her upper and lower superstructure smashed, and her port bow almost torn off with the Balgowlah penetrating the side of the smaller ferry by six feet and into the passenger cabins.^[13]^[14] Six passengers were injured and treated at Sydney Hospital.^[15]Kanimbla was settling at the bow, and she was rushed to Milsons Point where she was beached. Her passengers were transferred to the ferry Kookooburra .^[16]
23 September 1936 – Kurra-ba collided with ferry Kulgoa causing significant damage to her superstructure. One injured passenger was taken to hospital.^[17]^[18]

Citations

↑ "SYDNEY FERRIES". The Sun . No. 2853. New South Wales, Australia. 25 August 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 19 October 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "SYDNEY FERRIES". The Sun . No. 2853. New South Wales, Australia. 25 August 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 19 October 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "LAUNCH Of THE KANIMBLA". The Star . No. 151. New South Wales, Australia. 3 September 1909. p. 7 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "LAUNCHING OF A FERRY BOAT". Evening News . No. 13, 177. New South Wales, Australia. 2 September 1909. p. 6. Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "LAUNCH Of THE KANIMBLA". The Star . No. 151. New South Wales, Australia. 3 September 1909. p. 7 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "LAUNCH Of THE KANIMBLA". The Star . No. 151. New South Wales, Australia. 3 September 1909. p. 7 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "NUMBER THIRTY-SEVEN". Evening News . No. 13, 435. New South Wales, Australia. 1 July 1910. p. 5. Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "LAUNCHING NEW STEAMERS". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 22, 350. New South Wales, Australia. 2 September 1909. p. 8. Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "LAUNCH Of THE KANIMBLA". The Star . No. 151. New South Wales, Australia. 3 September 1909. p. 7 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "Harbor Sensation". National Advocate . New South Wales, Australia. 11 August 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 29 December 2020– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "FERRY STEAMER SUNK". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 25, 346. Victoria, Australia. 4 November 1927. p. 15. Retrieved 27 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "FERRY COLLISION". National Advocate . New South Wales, Australia. 7 September 1926. p. 3. Retrieved 27 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "KANIMBLA BEACHED". The Newcastle Sun . No. 2973. New South Wales, Australia. 16 June 1927. p. 9. Retrieved 27 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "COLLISION OF FERRY BOATS IN SYDNEY HARBOUR". The Register (Adelaide) . Vol. XCII, no. 26, 785. South Australia. 22 June 1927. p. 10. Retrieved 27 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "SIX ARE INJURED WHEN FERRIES CRASH". The Labor Daily . No. 1052. New South Wales, Australia. 16 June 1927. p. 1. Retrieved 27 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "Ferry Smashes Have Been Frequent". The Evening News . No. 18835. New South Wales, Australia. 4 November 1927. p. 15. Retrieved 14 November 2020– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "Ferry's Decks Shattered In Harbor Collision". The Daily Telegraph . Vol. I, no. 161. New South Wales, Australia. 25 September 1936. p. 1. Retrieved 3 August 2021– via National Library of Australia.
↑ City of Sydney Archives

Related Research Articles

SS Balgowlah was a ferry on Sydney Harbour operated by the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company on the Manly service from 1912 until 1951.

MV Baragoola was a ferry formerly operated by the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company and its successors on the Manly service.

Kuramia was a "K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Commissioned in 1914, the timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the early twentieth boom in cross-harbour ferry travel. At 353 tons, she was the largest wooden ferry on Sydney Harbour.

The MV North Head was a ferry operated by the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company and its successors on the Manly service from 1913 until 1985.

The K-class ferries were a group of double-ended screw steam ferries run by Sydney Ferries Limited and its government successors on Sydney Harbour. The company introduced more than two dozen of the vessels from the 1890s through to the early twentieth century to meet the booming demand for ferry services across Sydney Harbour prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932.

Kirawa was a ferry on Sydney Harbour. She was a near identical sister vessel with Kanangra both of which were launched in 1912 during the early-twentieth pre-Sydney Harbour Bridge boom years of Sydney Ferries Limited.

Koree was a "K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Launched in 1902, the timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Kulgoa was a "K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Launched in 1905, the timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Kulgoa was Sydney's largest ever wooden ferry. She was a typical early example of the "K-class"; a group of double-deck, double-ended, steam-powered screw ferries. Kulgoa was one of the first Sydney ferries built with the sides of her promenade (upper) deck enclosed, although the ends near the wheelhouses remained open.

Binngarra was a ferry operated by Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company on the Manly service. Launched in 1905, she was the first of six similar vessels built for the company–the Binngarra class—the success of which saw three of her sister vessels serving through to the 1970s and 1980s.

The Kirrule-type ferries - Kiandra, Kirrule and Kubu - were three identical K-class ferries that operated on Sydney Harbour by Sydney Ferries Limited.

Kameruka and Kamiri were near identical ferries that served on Sydney Harbour. Kamiri was built in 1912 and Kameruka was launched on 8 February 1913. They were double-ended "K-class" steam ferries, a type that was prolific on Sydney Harbour in the early 20th century boom in cross-Sydney Harbour ferry transport before the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Kamiri was laid up in 1951 following the New South Wales government take-over of the Sydney Ferries Limited. Kameruka was converted to diesel in 1954 and was laid up in 1984.

Kareela was a "K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Launched in 1905, the double-ended timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited in response to the early twentieth century boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. She was the first of Sydney Ferries Limited's boats to have a fully enclosed upper deck.

Kosciusko was a "K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Launched in 1911, the timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Sydney Harbour ferry services date back to the first years of Sydney's European settlement. Slow and sporadic boats ran along the Parramatta River from Sydney to Parramatta and served the agricultural settlements in between. By the mid-1830s, speculative ventures established regular services. From the late-nineteenth century the North Shore developed rapidly. A rail connection to Milsons Point took alighting ferry passengers up the North Shore line to Hornsby, New South Wales via North Sydney. Without a bridge connection, increasingly large fleets of steamers serviced the cross harbour routes and in the early twentieth century, Sydney Ferries Limited was the largest ferry operator in the world.

Kookooburra was a "K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Commissioned in 1907, the timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. She was retired from Sydney Harbour service in 1947 after which she was sent to Newcastle. She is thought to have been broken up in 1959.

Kurraba and Kirribilli were two similar "K-class" ferries on Sydney Harbour. Launched in 1899 and 1900 respectively, the two timber-hulled steamers were built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Kaludah was a K-class ferry on Sydney Harbour, Australia. Commissioned in 1909, the timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Like the other "K-class" ferries, she was double-deck, double-ended, steam-powered screw ferry. However, she and the larger but otherwise similar Kookooburra (1907), were the only two K-class ferries designed by naval architect Walter Reeks and not Sydney Ferries Limited's Captain Summerbell.

Karingal was a ferry operated by Sydney Ferries Limited and its NSW State Government operated successors on Sydney Harbour from 1913 until 1984. A wooden ferry built at the time of Sydney Ferries' rapid early twentieth century, she was the smallest of the round-end "K-class ferries".

Kaikai was a "K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Commissioned in 1907, the timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At the time of launch, Kaikai was one of Sydney's largest wooden ferries, being the longest and second largest by tonnage. She was a typical example of the "K-class"; a group of double-deck, double-ended, steam-powered screw ferries.

Kanangra is a retired ferry on Sydney Harbour. She was launched in 1912 during the early-twentieth century pre-Sydney Harbour Bridge boom years of Sydney Ferries Limited.

References

Andrews, Graeme (1975). The Ferries of Sydney. A.H. & A.W. Reed Pty Ltd. p. 29. ISBN 0589071726.
Andrews, Graeme (1982). A Pictorial History of Ferries: Sydney and Surrounding Waterways. Sydney: AH & AW Reed Pty Ltd. ISBN 0589503863.
Gunter, John (1978). Across the harbour : the story of Sydney's ferries. Rigby. ISBN 0727007157.
Prescott, A M (1984). Sydney Ferry Fleets. Magill, South Australia: Ronald H Parsons. ISBN 0-909418-30-6.

External links

Media related to Kanimbla (ship, 1910) at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "SYDNEY FERRIES". The Sun . No. 2853. New South Wales, Australia. 25 August 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 19 October 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[2] "SYDNEY FERRIES". The Sun . No. 2853. New South Wales, Australia. 25 August 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 19 October 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[3] "LAUNCH Of THE KANIMBLA". The Star . No. 151. New South Wales, Australia. 3 September 1909. p. 7 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[4] "LAUNCHING OF A FERRY BOAT". Evening News . No. 13, 177. New South Wales, Australia. 2 September 1909. p. 6. Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[5] "LAUNCH Of THE KANIMBLA". The Star . No. 151. New South Wales, Australia. 3 September 1909. p. 7 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[6] "LAUNCH Of THE KANIMBLA". The Star . No. 151. New South Wales, Australia. 3 September 1909. p. 7 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[7] "NUMBER THIRTY-SEVEN". Evening News . No. 13, 435. New South Wales, Australia. 1 July 1910. p. 5. Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[8] "LAUNCHING NEW STEAMERS". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 22, 350. New South Wales, Australia. 2 September 1909. p. 8. Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[9] "LAUNCH Of THE KANIMBLA". The Star . No. 151. New South Wales, Australia. 3 September 1909. p. 7 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved 21 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[10] "Harbor Sensation". National Advocate . New South Wales, Australia. 11 August 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 29 December 2020– via National Library of Australia.

[11] "FERRY STEAMER SUNK". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 25, 346. Victoria, Australia. 4 November 1927. p. 15. Retrieved 27 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[12] "FERRY COLLISION". National Advocate . New South Wales, Australia. 7 September 1926. p. 3. Retrieved 27 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[13] "KANIMBLA BEACHED". The Newcastle Sun . No. 2973. New South Wales, Australia. 16 June 1927. p. 9. Retrieved 27 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[14] "COLLISION OF FERRY BOATS IN SYDNEY HARBOUR". The Register (Adelaide) . Vol. XCII, no. 26, 785. South Australia. 22 June 1927. p. 10. Retrieved 27 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[15] "SIX ARE INJURED WHEN FERRIES CRASH". The Labor Daily . No. 1052. New South Wales, Australia. 16 June 1927. p. 1. Retrieved 27 March 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[16] "Ferry Smashes Have Been Frequent". The Evening News . No. 18835. New South Wales, Australia. 4 November 1927. p. 15. Retrieved 14 November 2020– via National Library of Australia.

[17] "Ferry's Decks Shattered In Harbor Collision". The Daily Telegraph . Vol. I, no. 161. New South Wales, Australia. 25 September 1936. p. 1. Retrieved 3 August 2021– via National Library of Australia.

[18] City of Sydney Archives

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

v t e Ferries of Sydney Harbour
Individual ferries	Balgowlah Baragoola Barrenjoey Bellubera Binngarra Brightside Brighton Brothers Burra Bra Collaroy Curl Curl Dee Why Emu (II) Experiment Fairlight (1878) Freshwater Herald Kaikai Kalang Kaludah Kameruka Kamiri Kanangra Kanimbla Kara Kara Kareela Karingal Karrabee Kiandra Kirawa Kirrule Kookooburra Kooleen Koompartoo Kooroongaba Koree Kosciusko Kirribilli Kubu Kulgoa Kummulla Kuramia Kuranda Kurraba Kurrab-Ba Kuring-gai Kuttabul Lady Cutler Lady Denman Lady Edeline Lady Ferguson Lady Scott Manly (II) Manly (III) Narrabeen (I) Narrabeen (III) North Head Phantom Queenscliff Rodney Rose Hill Packet Sophia Jane South Steyne Sydney 2000 Surprise Vaucluse Wallaby
Ferry classes	Dee Why class Emerald First Fleet Freshwater class hydrofoil JetCat K class Lady River RiverCat SuperCat
Ferry operators	Kelsian Group Captain Cook Cruises Matilda Cruises My Fast Ferry Rosman Ferries Transdev Sydney Ferries
Former ferry operators	Australian National Line Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company Public Transport Commission State Transit Authority Sydney Ferries Corporation Sydney Ferries Limited Sydney Harbour Transport Board Transit Systems Urban Transit Authority
Miscellaneous	List of Sydney Harbour ferries Timeline of Sydney Harbour ferries Greycliffe disaster Rodney disaster