MV ''Baragoola'' was a
ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
formerly operated by the
Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company
The Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company (PJ&MSC) was a publicly listed company that operated the Manly ferries in Sydney, Australia. After being taken over by Brambles Industries, the ferry service was eventually taken over by the State G ...
and its successors on the
Manly service.
The sixth and final of the -type Manly ferries, the vessel entered service in 1922. Built with a triple-expansion steam engine, she was converted to diesel-electric propulsion in 1961. Since its decommissioning as a ferry in 1983, the vessel had a number of owners who attempted to find a new role and restore it. In 2003, it was laid up at
Balls Head Bay
Balls Head Bay, formerly known as Oyster Cove, Wollstonecraft Bay, Sugarworks Bay, Powder Works Bay and Kerosene Bay, is a bay located to the west of the Waverton Peninsula, west of Balls Head and to the east of Berry Island, on the north of Sy ...
on the north side of
Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...
as attempts to restore the vessel continued. However, in January 2022, she sank at her mooring alongside the
Balls Head Coal Loader, with the decision then made that the vessel would be scrapped.
''Baragoola'' is an Australian Aboriginal word for "flood tide".
Background
![Kuringgai Flickr](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Kuringgai_Flickr.jpg)
The
Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company
The Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company (PJ&MSC) was a publicly listed company that operated the Manly ferries in Sydney, Australia. After being taken over by Brambles Industries, the ferry service was eventually taken over by the State G ...
's fleet transitioned comparatively late to screw-propelled vessels and the fleet comprised mostly
paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...
s until the early years of the twentieth century. The difficulty of turning in the narrow bays of
Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...
- particularly in the busy Circular Quay terminus in
Sydney Cove
Sydney Cove (Eora: ) is a bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, one of several harbours in Port Jackson, on the coast of Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney Cove is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central Sydney locatio ...
- required the use of double-ended vessels. However, a double-ended screw configuration was particularly difficult for the fine
bows that Manly ferries required for both speed and heavy seas. Further, a propeller at the leading forward end of a vessel reduced speed considerably. In the prosperous early twentieth century, this speed drawback was overcome by increasing engine size and power.
The first screw ferries on the Manly run were two innovative
Walter Reeks
Walter Reeks (1861-1925) was one of the earliest Naval architecture, naval architects in Australia and is known for designing yachts, ferries and coastal ships.,
He was born in Christchurch, Dorset, Christchurch, England and migrated to Australi ...
–designed vessels; the (1896), and (1901), which were to become the fore-runners of the ''Binngarra''-class ferries. They both had high
forecastle
The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " be ...
s at either end to help her run through the deep-sea conditions across the
Sydney Heads
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...
. The steel-hulled ''Kuring-gai'' was larger and she further refined the basic design to be similar to the subsequent and larger ''Binngarra''-class vessels. ''Manly'' and ''Kuring-gai'' had both followed paddle steamer design with their
bridges
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whic ...
around the midships
funnels
A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening.
Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construc ...
. Whereas the ''Binngarra''-class vessels would have their wheelhouses at either end of their promenade decks.
The Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company's ''Binngarra''-class ferries, (1905), (1908), (1910), (1912), ''
Barrenjoey'' (1913), and ''Baragoola'' (1922), were designed by
Mort's Dock and Engineering
Mort's Dock is a former dry dock, slipway, and shipyard in Balmain, New South Wales, Australia. It was the first dry dock in Australia, opening for business in 1855 and closing more than a century later in 1959. The site is now parkland.
His ...
, initially under the guidance of former chief draughtsman Andrew Christie. The first five were built at Mort's
Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...
yard and ''Baragoola'' was built at the
Balmain yard. They were among the largest ships built in Australian yards at the time and, on the admission of Mort's executives, were built by the dock more for prestige than profit. Build costs were higher in Australia than in the United Kingdom, but this was offset by the cost of sailing them out to Australia.
Design and construction
![Baragoola performing sea trials 11 August 1922](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Baragoola_performing_sea_trials_11_August_1922.jpg)
''Baragoola'' was built at the Balmain yard of Mort's Dock. She was launched on 14 February 1922 by Mrs Hunter McPherson, the wife of the owning company's chairman of directors.
She was the sixth and final ''Binngarra'' type vessel.[Baragoola]
Ferries of Sydney[Manly Ferries Balgowlah, Barrenjoey & Baragoola]
History Works December 2007 Although shorter and with a greater beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
(width at its widest point), she was otherwise similar to her older sister ships ''Binngarra'' (1905), ''Burra-bra'' (1908), ''Bellubera'' (1910), ''Balgowlah'' (1912), and ''Barrenjoey'' (1913 - later ''North Head''). She cost £80,000 compared to £32,000 for ''Barrenjoey'' in 1913 and £29,000 for ''Balgowlah'' in 1912.[ The quickly rising cost of Australia-built ships led the Port Jackson Company to order their next vessels, ''Dee Why'' and ''Curl Curl'', from the United Kingdom.][
''Baragoola'' is 498 tons and long. As built, the vessel was powered by a three-cylinder ]triple expansion steam engine
A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.
A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure ''(HP)'' cylinder, then having given up he ...
with cylinder diameters of , , and , with stroke, developing . It had two marine horizontal multitubular (navy type) boilers. During acceptance trials on 11 August 1922, she achieved an average speed of in 6 runs, with one maximum of , over the measured mile. While this exceeded the contracted speed requirements, she was slower than her sister ships, and earning the name 'slow boat' due to her being 6 metres shorter and of greater beam. As a steamship her working speed was . She can be distinguished from her older near-sisters by the rounded (vs. square) ends of the sun deck around each wheelhouse.[
The layout of ''Baragoola'' public spaces was typical of Manly ferries built until 1938. In her original open upper deck configuration, she had a summer capacity of 1,218 passengers, and a winter capacity of 926. Following her upper-decks being enclosed in the early 1930s, her capacity was 1,523 passengers. On the lower deck, aft, was a segregated Ladies Saloon with toilets, a main cabin and forward was a smoking saloon (usually reserved for men) with external toilets. This area also contained the original Mail Room and was the site of the later crew's mess. The internal hull arrangement has two void spaces at either end, a hold immediately aft of the forward void, the engine room behind the hold connected to the control room and (second from the aft) a compartment that contains batteries, auxiliary diesel tank, fresh water tank and the Engineer's Quarters.
She was fitted with electro-hydraulic steering equipment after World War II which replaced her earlier chain steering.
In 1961, the vessel was converted to diesel-electric and her tall funnel replaced with one short and squat. Four ]British Thomson-Houston
British Thomson-Houston (BTH) was a British engineering and heavy industrial company, based at Rugby, Warwickshire, England, and founded as a subsidiary of the General Electric Company (GE) of Schenectady, New York, United States. They were kno ...
7-cylinder diesels were installed, generating a total of , and driving two new English Electric
N.º UIC: 9094 110 1449-3 (Takargo Rail)
The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during th ...
electric engines, enabling her to achieve . These engines are the only remaining operational ones of their type, having only ever been installed in three Manly ferries. The large steam ferry, ''Curl Curl'' was retired when ''Baragoola'' was recommissioned following her diesel-electric conversion.
File:Sydney Ferry BARAGOOLA launch day.jpg, Being launched, 1922
File:Sydney Ferry BARAGOOLA crossing Sydney Heads 1930.jpg, Crossing Sydney Heads
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...
early 1930s, after her wheelhouses were extended to provide officer accommodation
File:Sydney Ferry BARAGOOLA CIrcular Quay 26 July 1937.jpg, With her enclosed upper deck. Leaving Circular Quay, 1937.
File:Sydney Ferry BARAGOOLA as a steamer.jpg, At Manly Wharf in 1951 as a steamer, showing the rebuild in the 1940s and full extension of her wheelhouses.
Ferry service
''Baragoola'' entered service on 3 September 1922.[
''Baragoola'' was involved in a number of collisions while in service. On Christmas Eve 1926, off ]Kirribilli
Kirribilli is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. One of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods, it is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area administere ...
Point, she collided with the Sydney Ferries Limited
Sydney Ferries Limited operated ferry services on Sydney Harbour from 1900 until June 1951.
The company grew out of the North Shore Steam Ferry Company and took over smaller ferry operators to become the largest ferry operator in Sydney's his ...
's . On 12 September 1927, ''Baragoola'' ran down a lifeboat from the French steamer ''Ville D'Amiens'', five people were thrown out of the lifeboat, one of whom was hospitalised. The people were rescued by two fishing trawlers in the vicinity and the lifeboat was severely damaged. On 28 August 1934, ''Baragoola'' struck and killed a whale. The event was widely reported in the media when the disposal of the corpse took multiple attempts over nine days.
Like her sisters, ''Bellubera'' and ''Barrenjoey'', ''Baragoola''s open upper deck was closed-in in 1931/2, improving passenger amenities. At this time, she was modified to trial pulverised coal, however, this was stopped when the vessel and passengers were being showered in coal dust.
Between 8 March and 3 August 1939, ''Baragoola'' was converted to an oil burner using tar under natural draught, like the ''Curl Curl'', ''Dee Why'' and . Improved propellers were fitted at this time.[ The conversion to oil firing was reversed due to oil shortages during the war, however, with coal bunkers having been previously replaced by oil tanks, she could only make a couple of trips per day and she smoked badly without forced draft being available.] Modifications in 1948 included the replacement of her chain-operated steering gear with Brown Brothers (later known as Vickers
Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...
) hydraulic equipment. In 1958, ''Baragoola'' was withdrawn for a rebuild including the replacement of its steam engines with English Electric
N.º UIC: 9094 110 1449-3 (Takargo Rail)
The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during th ...
7SKM diesel-electric engines. It returned to service in 1961. In 1973 and loaded with sight-seers, she took part in the on-Harbour celebrations for the opening of the Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
.
''Baragoola'' was included in the sale of Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company to Brambles
A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inclu ...
in April 1972. It had a re-fit in 1974. In December 1974, the Manly service was taken over by the NSW State Government and her traditional Manly ferry colours of green, cream and brown were replaced by the Public Transport Commission
The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia from October 1972 until June 1980.
Upon dissolution, responsib ...
's blue and white. Following the 1982 delivery of the , ''Baragoola'' was withdrawn on 8 January 1983 gaining significant media coverage. A second new ferry, ''Queenscliff'', entered service in 1983, several years after which, the aging ''North Head'' was retired from service.
File:Sydney ferry BARAGOOLA at Manly.jpg, At Manly, 1940
File:Sydney ferry BARAGOOLA and B-class sister at Manly.jpg, At Manly (left), 1930s
File:Sydney Ferry BARAGOOLA crossing the Sydney Heads en route to Circular Quay 13 Jan 1974.jpg, Crossing Sydney Heads with North Head in the background. As a Brambles Limited
Brambles Limited is an Australian company that specialises in the pooling of unit-load equipment, pallets, crates and containers. It is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
History
Brambles traces its history to 1875, when Walter Bra ...
ferry, 1974.
File:Sydney ferry BARAGOOLA arriving at Circular Quay 1973.jpg, Late in her career, 1973
Post service life
''Baragoola'' was sold to Bob Hyde for use as a floating university. The university never eventuated, and she was laid up at Rozelle Bay
Rozelle Bay is a bay located to the south of Glebe Island and the west of Blackwattle Bay, on Sydney Harbour.
The naming of the bay is derived from either the Rosella bird or the Rosella plant, with the latter being more likely, due to the o ...
until 1988 when she was sold to David Ashton of Waterview Wharf, Balmain.[ In late 2003, she was evicted from Waterview Wharf and relocated to the Coal Loader in ]Balls Head Bay
Balls Head Bay, formerly known as Oyster Cove, Wollstonecraft Bay, Sugarworks Bay, Powder Works Bay and Kerosene Bay, is a bay located to the west of the Waverton Peninsula, west of Balls Head and to the east of Berry Island, on the north of Sy ...
.
In 2009, following a period of animosity from NSW Maritime
NSW Maritime, the trading name of Maritime Authority of New South Wales, was an agency of the Government of New South Wales, Australia responsible for marine safety, regulation of commercial and recreational boating and oversight of port operatio ...
, Ashton offered the vessel for sale by auction and she passed into ownership of Adrian Thompson, who considered scrapping the vessel. In March 2010, ''Baragoola'' was sold to the Baragoola Preservation Association, a not for profit organisation who intended to restore the vessel.
An Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
training activity with Black Hawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to:
Animals
* Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856
* Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus''
* Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii''
* Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus ur ...
helicopters and the adjacently-moored damaged the vessel's upper works on 1 December 2010. The vessel is listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels.
During the evening of 1 January 2022, the ferry sank at its moorings. It was reported to have sunk quickly, before assistance to help pump water out of the vessel could arrive. Two people were on board and left the vessel before she sank. The ferry settled partially above water. Transport for NSW
Transport for NSW, sometimes abbreviated to TfNSW, and pronounced as Transport for New South Wales, is an agency of the New South Wales Government established on 1 November 2011, and is the leading transport and roads agency in New South Wales, ...
declared the ferry unable to be refloated and the decision was made to scrap her.
Salvage, Preservation & Recycling
Birdon Pty Limited
successfully salvaged Baragoola from Sydney Harbour and cleared the berth pocket of vessel debris. Baragoola was cut into approximately 16 sections and lifted to the Birdon Barge "Pelican". "Pelican" was then unloaded at While Bay where the sections were cut using excavator mounted Hydraulic Shears before being removed from site. Throughout the salvage various vessel sections and artifacts were retained by Transport for NSW and gifted to various Heritage Societies. All of the remaining metal components were recycled through fully licensed facilities.
Upon presentation to the hardstand at White Bay, the vessel was able to be inspected in greater detail. It was found the that vessel hull had corroded through in many sections which was deemed to be the cause of the vessel sinking.
File:Sydney ferries BARAGOOLA and FRESHWATER.jpg, In her final months of service alongside her replacement, the then new ''Freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
'', 1982
File:Baragoola Internal Main Cabin.jpg, Main cabin, 2012
File:Baragoola 140412.jpg, At Balls Head, 2012
File:Sydney ferry BARAGOOLA submerged at Balls Head by Anton Leddin 03.jpg, The morning after her sinking, 2 January 2022
See also
* List of Sydney Harbour ferries
Sydney Harbour's first ferries were sail and/or oar powered, but by the mid-19th century, paddle steamers were well established. Double-ended ferries became common as they did not require turning at terminating wharves in Sydney's busy but nar ...
* Timeline of Sydney Harbour ferries
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, sp ...
References
External links
*
Baragoola Preservation Association
Restoration photo gallery
* English Electric 7SKM diesel electric engines in Australia
''Baragoola's'' last day of service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baragoola
Ferries of New South Wales
Ferry transport in Sydney
Museum ships in Australia
Ships built in New South Wales
1922 ships
Maritime incidents in 2022