''Koompartoo'' was a 1922 Sydney Ferries Limited K-class ferry later converted to a

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 ...

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 ...

. ''Koompartoo'', described in the press as a "Dreadnought for the Milsons Point run" and "a titan amongst ferries", was along with her sister ferry, '' Kuttabul'', the highest capacity ferries ever 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 ...

. Commencing ferry service in 1922, they were designed and built for the short heavy-lift run 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 ...

across to Sydney's North Shore prior to the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Following the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, both ferries were redundant. During

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 ...

, they were requisitioned by the

. ''Kuttabul'' was sunk during the 1942 Japanese Attack on Sydney Harbour with the loss of 19 lives. ''Koompartoo'' was converted to a

and taken to Darwin. Following the War, she was laid up in Sydney until 1962 when she was taken to

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () or () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, Launceston has a population of 87,645. Material was copied ...

where her hull was used as bauxite barge. Her final fate is unclear. The name, "Koompartoo", is thought to be an Australian Aboriginal word meaning "fresh start", and the boat followed about twenty previous Sydney Ferries K-class vessels named with Aboriginal words starting with "K".

Background

In the early twentieth century, prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932, Sydney Ferries Limited was running one of the largest ferry fleets in the world to cater for booming demand for ferry services across

to Sydney's North Shore. In particular, more and bigger ferries were needed to service the crowded

to Circular Quay route (in the approximate location and route of the current Sydney Harbour Bridge). The Milson's Point wharf was an interchange with the North Shore rail terminus and is now the location of Luna Park. Peak hour ferries were leaving either side of the harbour at the rate of one fully loaded vessel every six minutes. An order was placed for two similar and very large steel-hulled high capacity ferries - ''Koompartoo'' and '' Kuttabul'' - to service the short heavy-lift route.

Design and construction

The two ferries were built in 1922 by the

Walsh Island Dockyard and Engineering Works The Walsh Island Dockyard and Engineering Works was a dockyard and engineering workshop established by the Government of New South Wales in 1913, at Walsh Island, Newcastle, Australia. The foundation stone was laid on 15 June 1913 by Arthur Griff ...

in Newcastle. At in length, and with very large beams of for most of their lengths, the two vessels were the largest ferries owned by Sydney Ferries and the last of the company's K-class. The two boats represented the peak of the K-class design of double-ended ferries. The Department of Navigation granted ''Koompartoo'' a passenger certificate for 2,089 people, which was the highest passenger capacity of any ferries ever on Sydney Harbour. This was 730 more than Sydney Ferries Limited's previous largest ferry, ''

Kuramia ''Kuramia'' was a " K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Commissioned in 1914, the timber-hulled 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 fer ...

'' (1914), and almost 500 people more than the

Port Jackson and 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 Go ...

's Manly ferries. ''Koompartoo's'' 113 hp triple-expansion steam engines of the inverted type and built by the builder, pushed her to 12 knots. Steam was provided by two gunboat type boilers at 180 lb pressure. The two sister ferries were built with steel hulls and wooden superstructures unlike most other K-class ferries, which were built with timber hulls (sisters '' Kanangra'' and '' Kirawa'', both 1912, also had steel hulls). ''Koompartoo'' was part of a £190,000 order of three ferries, the other two being sister ''Kuttabul'' and vehicular ferry '' Kooroongaba''. ''Koompartoo'' was constructed with 18 watertight compartments, regarded as being unsinkable and therefore was not required to carry life saving equipment. The ferry's designers and builders that the ferry was thus to stable that "nothing short of an unheard of catastrophe could make her turn over", in which case, passengers would not have time to make use of the lifejackets and other apparatus usually provided. As such, the Superintendent of Navigation used his discretion provided for under the Navigation Act to dispense with lifejackets and lower the required buoyant apparatus from 40% of the total number of passengers, to 10%. ''Koompartoo'' was launched on 15 December 1921, and christened by Miss Wise, daughter of a Sydney Ferries Limited director. ''Koompartoo's'' livery generally followed the Sydney Ferries Limited tradition of varnished superstructures with white edging around the promenade deck. The steel hull and main deck bulwarks were painted a light grey. Her strikingly tall single funnel was painted black. File:Sydney ferries KOOMPARTOO and KUTTABUL general arrangement 1922.jpg, General arrangement plans for ''Koompartoo'' and sister, '' Kuttabul'' File:Koompartoo launch 1922.jpg, Launch day at

, 15 December 1921. File:Koompartoo New.jpg, ''Koompartoo'' thought to be photographed new at Walsh Island Dockyard, 1922

Ferry service

The new ''Koompartoo'' arrived in Sydney Harbour on the morning of 12 April 1922 with ferries and other craft blowing whistles and sirens in welcome. She was bedecked in bunting with the code flags "From Walsh Island" displayed. She had left Newcastle six hours before at midnight under the charge of AE Cutler, general manager of the Walsh Island dockyard, and for insurance purposes, she was accompanied for insurance purposes by the tug Heroine. For most of the trip, she travelled at half speed, however, from Barrenjoey, she travelled at full speed of 13 knots for the last hour of the journey. She entered 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 ...

at 6am and was moored at

Clifton Gardens Clifton Gardens is an urban locality in the suburb of Mosman in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Clifton Gardens is located in the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman and is part of the Lower North Shore. Clifton Gardens ...

alongside the smaller ferry, ''Karaga'', where breakfast was provided for the crew and dignitaries. Following the commemorative proceedings, ''Koompartoo'' was put through her speed trials that afternoon maintaining 13½ knots. ''Koompartoo'' began service on the short heavy lift trip between Milson's Point and Circular Quay in early May 1922. Supporting the large steel hulled twins, were usually the timber "K-class" ''

'' (1914), ''

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 ( ...

'', and '' Kulgoa''.

Incidents

* On 25 October 1923, a boy named Oatley was climbing on to the bulwarks of the ferry as it was approaching Circular Quay this morning, when he slipped, and fell over the side. A man named Jack Knucky dived in after the boy, and kept him afloat until a rope was thrown from another ferry, and both were hauled to safety. * In 1926, ''Koompartoo'' collided with ''

'' in thick fog severely damaging the latter. Passengers on ''Kaikai's'' lower deck scrambled clear just in time. ''Kaikai's'' bow was stove in, and her bulwarks and sponson were crumbled. The forward upper and lower decks were also stoved in with the ladies cabin and steering gear damaged. Damage to ''Kaikai'' was estimated at £300 to £400. ''Koompartoo'', being built of steel, was not significantly damaged. While there was great excitement on both ferries, there was no panic or injuries. * On 25 July 1928, ''Koompartoo'' collided with '' Kirrule'' at Circular Quay, with the latter suffering substantial damage. ''Kirrule'' was returning from Athol and had her bulwarks and rails damaged. The crash occurred in heavy rain about 200 m from the wharf, causing women to scream and drop their parcels. Once the danger had passed, passengers retrieved their belongings with one women seen searching for cash that she had dropped in her excitement. No-one was injured. * 21 August 1929 - A lighter being towed by a tug hit the stern of ''Koompartoo'' as the ferry was half across from Circular Quay to Milsons Point at 6.20pm on its last trip for the day. The ferry was crowded and men rushed and women screamed. No-one was injured however some women complained of shock. * 18 December 1938 - Norman Jack Carroll, 21, of Sydenham Road, Marrickville, fell from ''Koompartoo'' near Ball's Head and suffered from the effects of immersion. He was picked up by a nearby man in a dingy and was taken by the Central District, Ambulance to Sydney Hospital.

Post Harbour Bridge

With the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932, the once crowded route was effectively redundant. ''Koompartoo'' and ''Kuttabul'' were too big to be useful on the other cross harbour routes which also saw significant and sudden drops in trade, and the two ferries were laid up. Almost twenty Sydney Ferries were decommissioned in the two years following the bridge's opening. The two were both of relatively young age and were considered for conversion to run the Manly route. ''Koompartoo'' was later made available for tourist, spectator and concert cruises on the harbour.SS Koompartoo
Ferries of Sydney Her wheel houses were raised (flying bridges) in the 1930s to allow her master to see over spectators on the decks. Her roles included service carrying crowds of passengers to the regular Head of the River rowing carnivals and following the sailing boat races that were growing in popularity at the time. This was also the period of the Great Depression and ''Koompartoo'' found a new career as a concert boat, a role she filled between 1935 and 1941.

World War II

In 1941, ''Koompartoo'' was purchased by the British Ministry of War Transport for service in the Middle East and taken to

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 ...

for conversion. However with the outbreak of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

she was never deployed, instead being taken over by the

on 18 June 1942 and converted to a

. Armed with two 20mm Oerlikons and four Vickers .303 MGs, she was commissioned on 23 December 1942 under the command of Lieutenant GG Moss, RANR (S) and taken to Darwin in January 1943 where she served until the end of the war. Held in reserve in Darwin from 1945 until 1950, she returned to

Sydney 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 Mountain ...

and was laid up at Athol Bight. In April 1962, she was declared for disposal and sold out of the Service on 8 June 1962, stripped of her superstructure and towed to Launceston in 1966 for use as a bauxite barge.Andrews (1975), p. 89 Her final fate is unclear, however, it is thought she may have sunk in Port Latta and then removed.flickr.com
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Koompartoo Boom defence vessels of the Royal Australian Navy Ferries of New South Wales Ferry transport in Sydney Iron and steel steamships of Australia Ships built in New South Wales 1922 ships Sydney K-class ferries