Kangaroo at Milsons Point, before the fire that gutted the ferry. In the foreground is the railway line that became an obstacle for land-based firefighters during the fire.
The need for a fire fighting boat was demonstrated by a fire aboard the ferry, Kangaroo, in October 1900. Although the ferry was moored at Milsons Point, and the fire brigade was called, fighting the fire from the shore proved ineffective. The working railway line to the old Milsons Point railway station was a significant obstacle.[1] The ferry was gutted, leaving only the hull and some equipment in a reusable state,[2] but was later rebuilt.[3]
It was just one of a number of marine fires, which had occurred in the port of Sydney. After the Kangaroo fire, Inspector Webb, of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade restated his views on the matter, being quoted as saying, "We cannot do anything at present, but I hope we shall soon be in a position to take action. In the amending bill now before Parliament, and which has passed its first reading, the power is given to us to deal with ship fires, but, unfortunately, the bill has not become law yet. We have had a number of big ship fires here of late years, and the matter is one of great importance. There was the fire on the 'Buteshire,' for instance, which was destroyed at Miller's Point. With a floating fire engine we might have saved the vessel. In a great city like Sydney, with such a large port and such shipping as we have here, it is absurd to think that there is no provision for extinguishing fires aboard ship. At present we have no authority to touch them, and only do so with the consent of the interested persons, and anyway we are only able to render assistance when the boats on which fires occur happen to be alongside".[1]
Description
The hull of Pluvius was built at William Dunn's boatyard on Berrys Bay, on the northern foreshore of Sydney Harbour. The hull was hardwood,with kauri decks. She was 100ft long. 20ft beam, and 10 feet 6in deep in the hold and had a 10 foot draught. Her pumps, built by Merryweather and Sons of London, could raise 2,500 gallons of water per minute. She had six connections for standard 2½ inch diameter firehouse and one connection for a 3½ inch hose, and could also support a 7 inch suction hose for salvage purposes. Her engine was a compound type, capable of powering Pluvius to 12½ knots of speed.[4]
As well as pumping water onto a vessel for putting out fires, more than once Pluvius was used to pump water from a leaking vessel so as to keep it afloat[5] or maintain the vessel's boiler operation.[6]
Goat Island facility and other fire floats
Pluvius at practice, Goat Island, July 1910.
Pluvius was located at a new marine fire station facility on Goat Island.[7] In 1909, there was some criticism that Pluvius had insufficient capacity to fight large fires.[8] In 1913, she was joined by a second fire float, Hydra.[9]
The limitations of just two fire floats—Pluvius and Hydra—became apparent during the gigantic fire at the seven-storey waterside building of the Pastoral Finance Association, at Kirribilli, in 1921.[10] By 1925, Sydney Harbour Trust operated three fire floats, Pluvius, Hydra, and Cecil Rhodes, with Pluvius being the smallest.[11] By 1929, a fourth had been added, Achilles, and all four were being fitted with portable 'Foamite' (fire fighting foam) generators.[12]
Incidents
Harbour fires
Pluvius fighting a wharf fire at Millers Point (1917).
Pluvius was used to fight fires on board vessels and on the waterfront, including these notable fires
Other than fires, Pluvius was involved in other incidents, including:
In 1903, Argus ran onto rocks at Goat Island to prevent her sinking. Pluvius pumped her out, to keep Argus's own boilers and pumps working.[6]
In 1913, Pluvius was used as a temporary passenger ferry, on the route between Milsons Point and Circular Quay.[36]
In 1914, Mongolia collided with Pluvius near Sydney Heads.[37]
In 1916, Lady Rawson and Stormbird collided in Darling Harbour, and Pluvius used her pumps to stop Stormbird from sinking. [38]
In 1916, Pluvius struck a wharf at Darling Harbour, was damaged amidship, and despite, tying lines to the wharf, she sank,[39] but was later raised.[40]
In 1923, Pluvius and a steam lighter Annie Love collided in Darling Harbour off Pyrmont.[41]
In 1926, Pluvius ran aground on a reef at Shark Island and was successfully refloated.[42]
In 1931, Pluvius and Cecil Rhodes used their pumps to raise the sunken coastal steamer Wodonga, in Kerosene Bay (Balls Head Bay).[48]
In 1934, the ferry Baragoola struck a whale. When its carcass resurfaced near the Quarantine Station, Pluvius had the task of towing it out to sea.[49]
In 1946, Pluvius and two other tugs pulled the Manly ferry Dee Why off a rock shelf at Obelisk Bay, where it had run aground during a fog.[51]
Fate
Pluvius, a coal-fuelled steamer, suffered from the disadvantage that it needed to have raised steam before attending fires. Consequently, the fire floats were kept 'steamed up',[52] in readiness for relatively infrequent events. Once motor vessels became more common, it was inevitable that the aging fire floats would be replaced. Pluvius was the oldest and smallest of the fire floats.
Around 1952, Pluvius and Hydra were replaced by two new fire floats, Burrawaree and Boray, and a third new fire float Bennelong was added to the fleet.[53] By mid 1957, what remained of Pluvius—by then, just a hulk—was used for dredging work in Homebush Bay.[54] Pluvius was disposed of in 1959.[citation needed]
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