Sydney Heritage Fleet

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Sydney Heritage Fleet
Location map Australia Sydney.png
Red pog.svg
Location within Sydney
Established1965;59 years ago (1965)
Location Wharf 7, Darling Harbour, Pyrmont, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Heritage shipyard located at James Craig Road, Rozelle Bay.
Coordinates 33°52′03″S151°11′55″E / 33.8675°S 151.1985°E / -33.8675; 151.1985
Type Historic ship collection
PresidentJohn Winning AM
OwnerSydney Maritime Museum Ltd.
Public transit access
Website shf.org.au
James Craig on Sydney Harbour James Craig Sydney 1.JPG
James Craig on Sydney Harbour
The Sydney Heritage Fleet restoration shipyard at Rozelle Bay, New South Wales. The vessels in the image include the steam tug Waratah, the harbour ferry Kanangra, and the pilot vessel John Oxley. SHF yard vessels.JPG
The Sydney Heritage Fleet restoration shipyard at Rozelle Bay, New South Wales. The vessels in the image include the steam tug Waratah, the harbour ferry Kanangra , and the pilot vessel John Oxley .

Sydney Heritage Fleet, is the trading name of Sydney Maritime Museum Ltd., a public company [1] in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Contents

The Fleet restores and operates a number of historic vessels including the barque James Craig. In 2003 the World Ship Trust awarded James Craig its prestigious Maritime Heritage Award. [2]

The offices, model workshop, some displayed boats, and the library are on Wharf 7 located in Darling Harbour. The James Craig is alongside the wharf. The fleet's shipyard is in Rozelle Bay.


History

The Lady Hopetoun at Circular Quay c.1910 The Lady Hopetoun at Circular Quay (5515643335).jpg
The Lady Hopetoun at Circular Quay c.1910

The Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum was the forerunner of the Sydney Heritage Fleet. In 1965 a group of enthusiasts under Warwick Turner formed the museum to preserve Sydney's 1902 VIP steam yacht Lady Hopetoun. [3] [4] The organisation later became known as the Sydney Maritime Museum Ltd. In 1998 the museum adopted the trading name Sydney Heritage Fleet, except for two years (2003/4) when 'Australian Heritage Fleet' was used. [5] The Fleet now comprises 10 historic vessels which is amongst the largest collections of its type in the world. [6]

On Sunday 18th February 2024 James Craig celebrated 150 years since launch, escorted by a flotilla of historic vessels from the Sydney Heritage Fleet including the flagship, Lady Hopetoun. [7]

Organisation

The Sydney Heritage Fleet is supported by a membership of 1,200, with over 15 paid workers and 200 volunteer workers who restore, operate and maintain the fleet and preserve traditional maritime methods and skills. In addition to the 10 primary vessels being operated or restored, the Fleet also has 55 small heritage boats and a significant collection of marine engines under restoration, as well as a collection of over fifty model ships. A comprehensive research library and archive which includes photographs, ships' plans, diaries, logs and journals is also maintained.

[6]

Funding is through donations, membership subscriptions and income from vessel charters and tours. [6]

Operational vessels

James Craig at sea under sail in May 2012 Sydney Heritage Fleet James Craig.jpg
James Craig at sea under sail in May 2012

James Craig

James Craig is a three-masted, iron-hulled barque. Built in 1874 in Sunderland, England, by Bartram, Haswell, & Co., she was originally named Clan Macleod. She was employed carrying cargo around the world, and rounded Cape Horn 23 times in 26 years. In 1900 she was acquired by Mr J J Craig, renamed James Craig in 1905, and operated between New Zealand and Australia until 1911.

Waratah

Waratah is a coal fired tug and was launched at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney on 22 May 1902. Originally named Burunda, she was used to tow dredges and barges between the various ports along the NSW coast. [8]

Lady Hopetoun

Lady Hopetoun is a 1902 VIP steam launch named after the Governor General of Australia's wife - the then Lady Hopetoun. She was built in the W. M. Ford yard at Berrys Bay, Sydney and launched on the tenth of April. [9]

Boomerang

The 1903 schooner Boomerang was launched as the Bona on 24 September; it was designed by the noted Sydney naval architect Walter Reeks [10] [11]

Protex a 1908 inner-harbour motor launch

Harman a 1947 ex Royal Australian Navy harbour workboat/passenger motor boat

Berrima a 1954 Botany Bay workboat/passenger motor boat

Bronzewing, 1968 and Currawong, 1969, are Bronzewing-class harbour tugs (on loan from the Royal Australian Navy). They are used to berth and un-berth James Craig or to relocate the steam ships when not under steam.

Vessels under restoration

John Oxley with Boomerang in 2005 Sydney Heritage Fleet Heritage dock Rozelle.jpg
John Oxley with Boomerang in 2005

John Oxley

John Oxley is a steamship that previously served as a pilot boat and buoy tender. The ship was built in Scotland in 1927 for the Queensland state government.

John Oxley underwent extensive work in re-plating the hull whilst atop the floating dock that had been previously used to restore James Craig, In April 2022 she was refloated and Sydney Ferry Kanangra took her place on the floating dock.

Kanangra

Kanangra is a 1912 Sydney ferry, with a steel hull and wooden superstructure. She is currently undergoing restoration at the SHF shipyard in Rozelle.

Kookaburra II

A 1950s wooden speed boat

Related Research Articles

<i>James Craig</i> (barque) 1874 iron-hulled barque

James Craig is a three-masted, 19th century iron-hulled barque restored and sailed by the Sydney Heritage Fleet, Sydney, Australia. She is one of only four pre-20th century barques in the world that still go regularly to sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian National Maritime Museum</span> Maritime museum in New South Wales, Australia

The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) is a federally operated maritime museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney. After considering the idea of establishing a maritime museum, the federal government announced that a national maritime museum would be constructed at Darling Harbour, tied into the New South Wales state government's redevelopment of the area for the Australian bicentenary in 1988. The museum building was designed by Philip Cox, and although an opening date of 1988 was initially set, construction delays, cost overruns, and disagreements between the state and federal governments over funding responsibility pushed the opening to 1991.

<i>Dee Why</i>-class ferry

The Dee Why and Curl Curl, were two identical steam ferries servicing Sydney Harbour's Circular Quay to Manly service. Both commissioned in 1928, they were the largest ferries on Sydney Harbour until the 1938 introduction of the South Steyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial navies of Australia</span>

Before Federation in 1901 five of the six separate colonies maintained their own naval forces for defence. The colonial navies were supported by the ships of the Royal Navy's Australian Station which was established in 1859. The separate colonies maintained control over their respective navies until 1 March 1901, when the Commonwealth Naval Forces was created.

SS <i>John Oxley</i> Pilot boat, built 1927

SS John Oxley is a steamship that previously was a pilot boat and lighthouse and buoy tender. The ship was built in Scotland in 1927 for the Queensland Government. The vessel was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. Returned to her duties after the war, John Oxley remained active until 1968 when her deteriorating condition made her unusable. In 1970, the ship was donated by the Queensland Government to the Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum for preservation, but due to other projects, work was sidelined until 2004. The ship has undergone restoration for the past 20 years at Rozelle Bay on a floating dock. In April 2022 she was towed to dry dock at Garden Island, re-floated successfully and returned to Rozelle Bay for further restoration work afloat.

DMS Maritime, formerly Defence Maritime Services, is a company providing port services to the Australian Defence Force and Marine Unit. It is a subsidiary of Serco.

<i>Karrabee</i> (ferry)

Karrabee 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 and near "sister", Karingal, were the smallest of the fleet of round-end "K-class ferries".

MV <i>Lady Denman</i> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Lady Denman is a former Sydney Harbour ferry built in 1912 for the Balmain New Ferry Company. She was later run by Sydney Ferries Limited and its government successors. She is now preserved at the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum near her original build site in Huskisson, New South Wales, Australia.

<i>Yelta</i> (tugboat)

Yelta is a steam tug which operated in the Australian state of South Australia from 1949 to 1976 within both the Port River and the waters of Gulf St Vincent immediately adjoining the river's mouth. After being laid up for about nine years, she was purchased in 1985 by the Government of South Australia for addition to the collection of the South Australian Maritime Museum as a museum ship. As of 1985, she was considered to be the only remaining steam-powered tug operating within Australian waters.

CLS4 Carpentaria

Commonwealth Lightship 4 (CLS4) Carpentaria is a lightship that was in service from 1917 to 1985 with the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service, built at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard and commissioned in 1917. The vessel is named after the Gulf of Carpentaria, where it spent most of its service life together with its sister ship CLS2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney K-class ferry</span>

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.

<i>Kirawa</i>

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.

<i>Kulgoa</i> Ferry on Sydney Harbour

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.

<i>Kirrule</i>-type ferry

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

<i>Kameruka</i> and <i>Kamiri</i> 20th-century ferries on Sydney Harbour

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.

<i>Kosciusko</i> (ferry)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Sydney Harbour ferries</span>

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.

<i>Kurraba</i> and <i>Kirribilli</i> Steamers for SYDNEY HARBOUR

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.

<i>Karingal</i> (ferry)

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".

<i>Kanangra</i> (ferry)

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

  1. "Current details for ABN 70 000 519 246". Australian Business Register. 4 August 2004. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  2. "World Ships Trust, Maritime Heritage Awards" (PDF). International Congress of Maritime Museums. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  3. "Traditions and skills a half century on - International Congress of Maritime Museums". Archived from the original on 5 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  4. Beresford, Charles (26 January 1966). "An Edwardian piece of our history". The Canberra Times . Vol. 40, no. 11, 375. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. p. 2. Retrieved 2 December 2017 via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Australian Heritage Fleet", Trove, 2011, retrieved 3 December 2017
  6. 1 2 3 "Sydney Heritage Fleet". Sydney Heritage Fleet. Archived from the original on 17 December 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  7. "Stormy waters ahead for Sydney tall ship on 150th birthday".
  8. "A NEW GOVERNMENT STEAMER". The Daily Telegraph . No. 7162. New South Wales, Australia. 23 May 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 6 December 2017 via National Library of Australia.
  9. "New Harbour Trust Steamer". The Australian Star . No. 4414. New South Wales, Australia. 10 April 1902. p. 5. Retrieved 2 December 2017 via National Library of Australia.
  10. "LAUNCH OF THE YACHT BONA". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 20, 452. New South Wales, Australia. 26 September 1903. p. 7. Retrieved 3 December 2017 via National Library of Australia.
  11. Blaxell, Gregory (September 2011). "A Boomerang for all seasons". www.afloat.com.au. Retrieved 29 January 2018.