SS Australasia

Last updated

Australasia.jpg
The Australasia prior to her sinking
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameAustralasia
Operator
  • Davidson Steamship Company 1884–1886
  • James Corrigan and John Huntington (1⁄2 each) 1886–1893
  • Corrigan Transit Company 1893–1896
Port of registryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
BuilderJames Davidson
Yard number9
LaunchedSeptember 17, 1884
In service1884
Out of serviceOctober 18, 1896
IdentificationU.S. Registry #106302
FateBurned to a total loss on Lake Michigan
General characteristics
TypeBulk Freighter
Tonnage
  • 1,829.32  GRT
  • 1,539.20  NRT
Length285 ft (87 m)
Beam39 ft (12 m)
Height21.2 ft (6.5 m)
Installed power2 × Scotch marine boilers
Propulsion fore-and-aft compound engine
AUSTRALASIA (wooden bulk carrier) Shipwreck
USA Wisconsin location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Door County, Wisconsin
Nearest city Sevastopol, Wisconsin
Coordinates 44°55.20′N87°11.13′W / 44.92000°N 87.18550°W / 44.92000; -87.18550
Built1884 in West Bay City, Michigan
ArchitectJames Davidson
Architectural style Freighter
MPS Great Lakes Shipwreck Sites of Wisconsin MPS
NRHP reference No. 13000466 [1]
Added to NRHPJuly 3, 2013

Australasia was a wooden-hulled American Great Lakes freighter that served on the Great Lakes of North America between her construction in 1884 to her burning and sinking in 1896. On October 18, 1896, while loaded with coal, the Australasia sank in Lake Michigan near the town of Sevastopol, Door County, Wisconsin, United States, after burning off Cana Island. On July 3, 2013, the wreck of the Australasia was added to the National Register of Historic Places. [2] [3]

Contents

History

The Australasia (Official number 106302) was built in 1884 in West Bay City, Michigan, by the shipyard owned by Captain James Davidson. She was built for the Davidson Steamship Company, which was also owned by Captain Davidson. At a length of 285 feet (87 m), the Australasia was one of the largest wooden ships ever built; her beam was 39 feet (12 m) wide and her cargo hold was 21.2 feet (6.5 m) deep. She was powered by a fore-and-aft compound engine which was fueled by two coal-burning Scotch marine boilers.

Stern view of the Australasia at an ore dock Australasia ship.png
Stern view of the Australasia at an ore dock

She had a gross tonnage of 1829.32 tons and a net tonnage of 1539.20 tons. [4]

On September 17, 1884, the Australasia was launched as hull number #9. [5] [4] At the time of her launch, the Australasia was the largest wooden-hulled ship in the world. [6] Because of her enormous size, the Australasia needed iron cross bracing, an iron keelson, iron plates, and several iron arches to increase her strength. [7] [upper-alpha 1]

She was used to haul bulk cargoes such as iron ore, coal, grain and sometimes salt. She could carry these cargoes so efficiently that she earned a fortune for her owners at a time when small, less versatile wooden vessels were quickly being replaced by larger, and stronger iron or steel vessels. [6] Just like all ships owned by Captain Davidson, the Australasia used to tow a wooden schooner barge. [6]

Final voyage

On October 17, 1896, the Australasia was bound from a port on Lake Erie for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, carrying 2,200 tons of soft coal. [9] At around 6:00 p.m. near Baileys Harbor, the crew of the Australasia discovered "a fire beneath the texas on the main deck". They attempted to fight the blaze but failed. The crew abandoned the Australasia before she reached Jacksonport, Wisconsin. At 10:30 p.m., the Australasia was about four hours off Jacksonport when the tugboat John Leathem came upon the struggling steamer. The Leathem began towing the Australasia to shore, but the hawser connecting them kept burning through. At 9:00 a.m. on October 18, 1896, the crew of the Leathem gave up trying to salvage her and instead dragged her onto the beach in 15 feet (4.6 m) of water south of Cave Point. [10] Her crew decided to scuttle her, by ramming a hole in the Australasia's side with the Leathem's stem. [10] She burned until the night of October 18, 1896. [10]

The Australasia today

The Australasia was declared a total loss. Much of her cargo of soft coal and machinery was salvaged; however, her hull was beyond repair and was abandoned. [11] Today her lower hull lies mostly buried in sand under 15 to 20 feet of water off Whitefish Dunes State Park. [2] Because most of her hull remains buried in sand, there is the possibility that different hull sections may be uncovered which may reveal more significant information about her construction. [2] Not a trace of her cargo is visible on the site of her wreck, but traces of coal are visible on a beach nearby. [11] The wreck of the Australasia is rarely visited by divers which means that very little site disturbance to the site has occurred. [11] Close by are the wrecks of several other ships, including the early steel freighter Lakeland, the large wooden bulk carrier Frank O'Connor, the wooden steamer Louisiana, which was lost during the Great Lakes Storm of 1913, the schooner Christina Nilsson and the steamboat Joys.

Related Research Articles

SS <i>Appomattox</i> Largest wooden steamship on the Great Lakes wrecked in 1905

SS Appomattox was a wooden-hulled, American Great Lakes freighter that ran aground on Lake Michigan, off Atwater Beach off the coast of Shorewood, Wisconsin in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States in 1905. On January 20, 2005 the remnants of the Appomattox were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<i>Thomas Wilson</i> (shipwreck) Whaleback freighter that sank in Lake Superior

The Thomas Wilson was a whaleback freighter built in 1892 and used to haul bulk freight on the Great Lakes. The ship sank in Lake Superior just outside the harbor of Duluth, Minnesota, United States, on 7 June 1902, after a collision with the George Hadley. The wreck of the Thomas Wilson is one of the best remaining examples of a whaleback steamer, and it is also significant for the changes made in operating procedures at the Duluth harbor. The remains of the ship were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

SS <i>Marquette</i> (1881) Wooden-hulled, American Great Lakes freighter

The SS Marquette was a wooden-hulled, American Great Lakes freighter built in 1881, that sank on Lake Superior, five miles east of Michigan Island, Ashland County, Wisconsin, Apostle Islands, United States on October 15, 1903. On the day of February 13, 2008 the remains of the Marquette were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<i>Samuel P. Ely</i> (shipwreck) Schooner wrecked in Lake Superior

Samuel P. Ely is a shipwreck in Two Harbors, Minnesota listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was a schooner that sailed the Great Lakes carrying iron ore, coal, and other bulk freight. It was built in 1869 and was a fairly typical example of the 200-foot schooner built in the 1870s, though she was reinforced for the demands of carrying iron ore.

SS <i>Norman</i> Shipwreck in Lake Huron, Michigan, United States

The Norman was a bulk freighter; its wreck in Lake Huron was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

SS <i>Onoko</i> Iron hulled Great Lakes freighter.

SS Onoko was an iron-hulled Great Lakes freighter. She was launched in 1882 in Cleveland, Ohio by the Globe shipbuilding firm, as its hull number #4, and sank on September 14, 1915, in Lake Superior near Knife River, Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, Onoko is regarded as a prototype of the single-steel hulled Great Lakes bulk carrier, These vessels made possible the cheap transport of bulk cargoes such as iron ore, coal and limestone. Her wreckage still remains on the bottom of Lake Superior and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

SS <i>Choctaw</i> Unique steamship wrecked in Lake Huron in 1915

SS Choctaw was a steel-hulled American freighter in service between 1892 and 1915, on the Great Lakes of North America. She was a so-called monitor vessel, containing elements of traditional lake freighters and the whaleback ships designed by Alexander McDougall. Choctaw was built in 1892 by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company in Cleveland, Ohio, and was originally owned by the Lake Superior Iron Company. She was sold to the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company in 1894 and spent the rest of her working life with it. On her regular route between Detroit, Escanaba, Marquette, and Cleveland, she carried iron ore downbound, and coal upbound.

SS <i>Robert Wallace</i> Wooden steamship wrecked in Lake Superior in 1902

SS Robert Wallace was a wooden-hulled American bulk freighter that served on the Great Lakes of North America from her construction in 1882 to her sinking in 1902 on Lake Superior near the town of Palmers, St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. On November 17, 1902 shortly after leaving Superior, Wisconsin with a cargo of iron ore, Robert Wallace sprang a leak and sank. Her wreck was found in 2006, and on October 14, 2009, the wreck of Robert Wallace was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

SS <i>George Spencer</i> Wooden steamship wrecked in the Mataafa Storm of 1905

The George Spencer was a wooden lake freighter that sank on along with her schooner barge Amboy on Lake Superior, near Thomasville, Cook County, Minnesota in the Mataafa Storm of 1905. On April 14, 1994, the wrecks of the Spencer and the Amboy were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

SS <i>Lakeland</i> Steel ship wrecked in Lake Michigan

The SS Lakeland was an early steel-hulled Great Lakes freighter that sank on December 3, 1924, into 205 feet (62 m) of water on Lake Michigan near Sturgeon Bay, Door County, Wisconsin, United States, after she sprang a leak. On July 7, 2015, the wreck of the Lakeland was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

SS <i>Ohio</i> (1875) Wooden steamship wrecked in Lake Huron in 1894

SS Ohio was a wooden hulled Great Lakes freighter that served on the Great Lakes of North America from her construction in 1875, to her sinking in September 1894 when she collided with the schooner barge Ironton which also sank in the collision. Ironton was being towed by the steamer Charles J. Kershaw, which was also towing the schooner Moonlight. Ohio was found upright in 2017, over 122 years after her sinking in over 200 feet of water off Presque Isle, Michigan. In March, 2023, it was announced that Ironton had been located in 2019. The researchers who discovered Ohio plan to nominate her for a listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

SS <i>Senator</i> Steel-hulled Great Lakes freighter that sank on Lake Michigan

SS Senator was a steel-hulled Great Lakes freighter that sank on Lake Michigan with the loss of nine lives and 268 Nash automobiles, on Halloween of 1929 after she was rammed in heavy fog by the bulk carrier Marquette. She lies in 450 feet (140 m) of water 16 miles northeast of Port Washington, Wisconsin. On April 12, 2016 her wreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<i>Amboy</i> (ship) Wooden schooner-barge wrecked in the Mataafa Storm of 1905

The Amboy was a wooden schooner barge that sank along with her towing steamer, the George Spencer on Lake Superior off the coast of Schroeder, Cook County, Minnesota in the United States. In 1994 the remains of the Amboy were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

SS <i>Atlanta</i> Wooden hulled Great Lakes steamer

The SS Atlanta was a wooden hulled Great Lakes steamer that sank in Lake Michigan off the coast of Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, United States, after a failed attempt of her being towed to shore ultimately killing 5 out of her 7 crew members on board. Her wreckage still remains at the bottom of the lake, and on November 6, 2017, the wreck of the Atlanta was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amboy and George Spencer Shipwreck Sites</span> United States historic place

The AmboyandGeorge SpencerShipwreck Site is an archeological shipwreck site which consists of the wrecks of the wooden bulk freighter George Spencer and the wooden schooner-barge Amboy. Both vessels were wrecked during the Mataafa Storm of 1905. In 1994 the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

SS <i>Muskegon</i> Wooden-hulled freight vessel

The SS Muskegon was a wooden hulled American passenger and package freight vessel that burned down on October 6, 1910 off the coast of Michigan City, Indiana in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States while unloading a cargo of sand. On April 26, 1989 the remains of the Muskegon were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

SS <i>Selah Chamberlain</i> Great Lakes freighter that sank on Lake Michigan in 1886

SS Selah Chamberlain was a wooden-hulled Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Michigan in 1886, 6 miles (10 km) off the coast of Sheboygan, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States after being rammed by the steamer John Pridgeon Jr. with the loss of five lives. On January 7, 2019, the wreck of Selah Chamberlain was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was given the reference number 100003288. She was the first shipwreck listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

SS <i>S.R. Kirby</i> Great Lakes freighter sunk in a 1916 storm on Lake Superior

SS S.R. Kirby was a composite-hulled bulk carrier that served on the Great Lakes of North America from her construction in 1890 to her sinking in 1916. On May 8, 1916, while heading across Lake Superior with a cargo of iron ore and the steel barge George E. Hartnell in tow, she ran into a storm and sank with the loss of all but two of her 22-man crew off Eagle Harbor, Michigan. For over 102 years the location of S.R. Kirby's wreck remained unknown, until June 2018, when her wreck was discovered by the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) in 825 feet (251 m) of water, completely broken up.

SS <i>Russia</i> (1872) American Great Lakes package freighter

SS Russia was an iron-hulled American Great Lakes package freighter that sank in a Lake Huron gale on April 30, 1909, near DeTour Village, Michigan, with all 22 of her crew and one passenger surviving.

SS <i>John V. Moran</i> American package freighter

SS John V. Moran was a wooden-hulled American package freighter in service between 1888 and 1899. She was built in 1888 in West Bay City, Michigan, by F.W. Wheeler & Company. She was built for Ward's Crescent Transportation Company of Detroit, Michigan, and was operated as part of his Detroit & Lake Superior Line. She was built to haul both bulk, and package freight. Throughout the 1893 shipping season, John V. Moran ran between Buffalo, New York, and Duluth, Minnesota. She was sold for the first time in 1895 to the Union Transit Line of Buffalo, and once again in 1898 to the Crosby Transportation Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ James Davidson was a well-known builder of wooden ships. While most companies started to build ships with steel hulls, Davidson kept building wooden ships and pushed the boundaries of wooden boat technology. Because of this he eventually manufactured some of the largest wooden ships in the world like: the Appomattox, the Frank O'Connor and the Pretoria [8]

Citations

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Australasia Shipwreck (Wooden Bulk Carrier)". Features. National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2013. (Archived May 24, 2021)
  3. ↑ Thomsen, Tamara; Meverden, Keith. "Australasia Shipwreck (Wooden Bulk Carrier)" (PDF) (National Register of Historic Places registration form). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2013. (Archived April 11, 2021)
  4. 1 2 "Australasia". Great Lakes Vessel Histories of Sterling Berry. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  5. ↑ "SS Australasia (+1896)". Wrecksite. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "Service History". Wisconsin Shipwrecks. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  7. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Program". National Park Service. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Davidson Shipbuilding". Wisconsin Shipwrecks. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Australasia". Bowling Green State University. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 "Final Voyage". Wisconsin Shipwrecks. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 "Today". Wisconsin Shipwrecks. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
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.