''Kuramia'' was a "
K-class" ferry on
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 ...
. Commissioned in 1914, the timber-
hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
ed 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.
She was a typical example of the "K class"; a group of double-deck, double-ended,
steam-powered screw
A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...
ferries.
''Kuramia'' was built for the short but busy cross-harbour route between
Circular Quay and
Milsons Point
Milsons Point is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The suburb is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of North Sydney Council.
Mil ...
. Made redundant by the 1932 opening of the
Sydney Harbour Bridge, the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
converted her to a
boom defence vessel
A net laying ship, also known as a net layer, net tender, gate ship or boom defence vessel was a type of naval auxiliary ship.
A net layer's primary function was to lay and maintain steel anti-torpedo or anti-submarine nets. Nets could be laid ...
.
''Kuramia'' followed Sydney Ferries Limited's tradition of naming their vessels after
Australian Indigenous words starting with "K". ''Kuramia'' was reported to have been named after a village on the
Transcontinental railway route.
Background
''Kuramia'' 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. She was typical of a broader type of timber
double-ended screw
A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...
ferry known as the
K class. The company built 25 of these vessels between the 1890s and early 1920s to meet the booming demand. The K class were all propelled by
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 ...
s and were predominantly timber-hulled (four later K-class had steel hulls).
Design and Construction
![Sydney ferry KURAMIA on her trials](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Sydney_ferry_KURAMIA_on_her_trials.jpg)
''Kuramia'' was designed by Mr. J. Darter, under the supervision of Mr. T. Drown,
Sydney Ferries Limited works manager. The vessel had six longitudinal bulkheads to improve her strength and safety.
''Kuramia'' was built by
David Drake
David A. Drake (born September 24, 1945) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now a writer in the military science fiction genre.
Biography
Drake graduated Phi ...
,
Balmain for
Sydney Ferries Limited at a cost of £20,027.
She was long with a beam of
compared to the previously largest ferry, ''
Kaikai
Kaikai is a surname, and may refer to:
* Ansumana Jaia Kaikai, Sierra Leonean politician
* Linus Kaikai, Kenyan journalist
* Moijueh Kaikai, Sierra Leonean politician
* Septimus Kaikai, Sierra Leonean politician and broadcaster
* Sullay Kaikai ( ...
'' with a length of .
She was launched on 15 November 1913 and christened ''Kuramia'' by Miss Ina Cornish.
Her triple expansion, direct-acting, surface-condensing steam engines were built by
Mort's Dock
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.
Histor ...
, Balmain.
There were two multi-tubular boilers 7 feet 7 ½ inch in diameter, and 18 feet and 7 ½ inches long and the trial trip indicated 670 hp.
The electric lighting was provided by Messrs. Lawrence and Hansen.
Service history
![Sydney_Ferry_KURAMIA_at_Circular_Quay](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Sydney_Ferry_KURAMIA_at_Circular_Quay.jpg)
Her official trails were undertaken on 14 July 1914 where she attained a speed of 12 knots.
''Kuramia'' at 335 tons, and ''
Kulgoa'' (338 tons), were the largest wooden ferries on Sydney Harbour,
and to that point, the largest built for
Sydney Ferries Limited.
With a passenger capacity of 1,357, she was the highest capacity inner-harbour (non-Manly) ferry until the twins, ''Koompartoo'' and ''Kuttabul'' of 1922 (''Kulgoa'' could carry 1,255).
She was operated on the
Circular Quay to
Milsons Point
Milsons Point is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The suburb is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of North Sydney Council.
Mil ...
run,
joining the regular ferries on that route, ''
Kulgoa'' (1905) and ''
Kaikai
Kaikai is a surname, and may refer to:
* Ansumana Jaia Kaikai, Sierra Leonean politician
* Linus Kaikai, Kenyan journalist
* Moijueh Kaikai, Sierra Leonean politician
* Septimus Kaikai, Sierra Leonean politician and broadcaster
* Sullay Kaikai ( ...
'' (1907). With three ferries, the service increased from a ferry every 10 minutes, to one every 6 minutes.
''Kuramia'', ''Kulgoa'' and being three of the largest of the Sydney Ferries Fleet were used to capacity as spectator vessels to witness the 1925 arrival of the American Fleet in Sydney Harbour.
Made redundant by the opening of the
Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932. Her engines were sold in 1940.
![HMAS KURAMIA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/HMAS_KURAMIA.jpg)
Part of her machinery was fitted into ''
HMAS Uralba
HMAS ''Uralba'' was an auxiliary minefield tender and armament stores carrier operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War II. She was launched in 1942 by Ernest Wright, Tuncurry, New South Wales as ''Uralba'' (presumably named af ...
''. Her hull was requisitioned by the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
in 1942 and she was converted to a
boom defence vessel
A net laying ship, also known as a net layer, net tender, gate ship or boom defence vessel was a type of naval auxiliary ship.
A net layer's primary function was to lay and maintain steel anti-torpedo or anti-submarine nets. Nets could be laid ...
for naval use in 1942 as a boom gate vessel on the harbour boom off Watsons Bay until the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, being removed from the boom in October 1945.
For a few months after the end of World War II she remained in use as a dormitory and amenities ship before finally being paid off in December 1945.
Her hulk was used as target by aircraft from
HMAS ''Sydney'' and sunk 17 miles off Sydney's
Macquarie Lighthouse
The Macquarie Lighthouse, also known as South Head Upper Light, is the first, and is the longest serving, lighthouse site in Australia. It is located on Dunbar Head, on Old South Head Road, Vaucluse in the Municipality of Woollahra local govern ...
on 10 October 1953.
Incidents
* 7 June 1915 - ''Kuramia's'' upper deck collided with stays of the
Gladesville Bridge
Gladesville Bridge is a heritage-listed concrete arch road bridge that carries Victoria Road over the Parramatta River, linking the Sydney suburbs of Huntleys Point and Drummoyne, in the local government areas of Canada Bay and Hunter's Hill, ...
when returning from a regatta. The wheelhouse and a portion of the roof were severely damaged, however, no injuries were report.
* 5 May 1923 - Upon returning from the Head of the River rowing regatta, ''Kuramia'' crashed into the Gladesville Bridge after being taken off course by the current. Striking a buttress, the collision caused a large beam to crash into the smoking saloon. Two girls and a man were injured, with one girl later having her leg amputated.
![Sydney ferry KURAMIA collision damage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Sydney_ferry_KURAMIA_collision_damage.jpg)
* On 22 February 1924, ''Kuramia'' crashed into the pontoon of Milsons Point wharf during a busy evening peak run from Circular Quay. One passenger was taken to hospital with a broken right leg, and others were treated at the scene. The bulwarks and anchor box were smashed. A strong wind was blowing and the ferry was estimated to be carrying between 1,500 and 2,000 people, thus, it was speculated making it difficult to manoeuvre the vessel.
* In June 1925, she collided with ''Kulgoa'' of Dawes Point. An August 1925 Marine Court of Inquiry did not find anyone culpably negligent. The court found that the Lane Cove ferry ''The Lady Mary'', hid the larger ferries ''Kuramia'' and ''Kulgoa'' from each other until ''Kulgoa'' was abreast of ''The Lady Mary'' until a collision between the larger two was inevitable. No injuries occurred due to the crew being able to clear passengers from the forward of ''Kuramia''. Both vessels suffered significant damage to their bows, with ''Kuramia's'' smoking cabin also smashed in. Damage ''Kulgoa'' was estimated at £175 and £560 to ''Kuramia''.
* On 1 February 1926, ''Kuramia'' collided with the steamer ''Wear'' and was badly damaged on the port side. Damage was estimated to be worth £130, but there were no injuries. Deck planks, belting, rail, stanchion and bulwarks were destroyed, and a hole was also pierced in her within 18 inches of the water-line. The ''Wear'' was only mildly damaged and was able to continue on her voyage to
Newcastle.
* On 21 September 1929, ''Kuramia'' collided with ''Koree''. The former was reported to have suffered no damage, while damage to the latter was around £40.
* 5 June 1930 - ''Kuramia'' collided with the launch ''Engadine'' off Milsons Point, the latter of which partially sank in shallow water. Four men on the launch were able to safely board ''Kuramia'' while the ''Engadine'' was beached. ''Kuramia's'' rudder was damaged.
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 ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuramia
Boom defence vessels of the Royal Australian Navy
Ferries of New South Wales
Ferry transport in Sydney
Scuttled vessels of New South Wales
Ships built in New South Wales
Wooden steamships of Australia
1913 ships
Sydney K-class ferries