''Lady Denman'' is a former

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 ...

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. She and four similar ferries, ''Lady Chelmsford'' (1910), '' Lady Edeline'' (1913), ''

Lady Ferguson ''Lady Ferguson'' was a Sydney Harbour ferry built in 1914 for the Balmain New Ferry Company. She and four similar ferries, ''Lady Chelmsford'' (1910), ''MV Lady Denman, Lady Denman'' (1912), ''Lady Edeline'' (1913), and ''Lady Scott'' (1914), wer ...

'' (1914), and ''

Lady Scott ''Lady Scott'', later ''John Cadman'' and ''Harbour Queen'' was a Sydney Harbour ferry built in 1914 for the Balmain New Ferry Company. She and four similar ferries, ''Lady Chelmsford'' (1910), '' Lady Denman'' (1912), ''Lady Edeline'' (1913), and ...

'' (1914), were a new series of "Lady-class", designed by renowned naval architect,

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 ...

. The five survived the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and were all converted to diesel power that decade. They also survived the 1951 NSW State Government takeover of the ailing ferry fleet. ''Lady Denman'' was removed from ferry service in 1979 and donated for preservation. She is the last extant double-ended timber ferry, a type that was once prolific on Sydney Harbour. Continuing a Balmain Ferry Co convention of naming their ferries after the wives of

Governors-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.Governors of NSW, ''Lady Denman'' was named after

Gertrude Denman Gertrude Mary Denman, Lady Denman, GBE ( née Pearson; 7 November 18842 June 1954) was a British woman active in women's rights issues including the promotion of Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom. She was also the wife of Lord Denman, the ...

, wife of fifth Governor-General of Australia. This naming nomenclature was again used by the State Government harbour ferry operator with the introduction of 6 new " Lady-class ferries" in the 1960s and 1970s.

Design and construction

In common with most Sydney Harbour ferries at the time, ''Lady Denman'' and her four sisters were wooden double-ended screw steamers. The five ferries had only a single propeller at one end that pushed the vessels in one direction and pulled them in the other. This feature was introduced by the ferry's designer,

, on a previous Balmain company ferry, ''Lady Rawson'' of 1906. The configuration contrasted with the double-ended vessels of Sydney Ferries Limited ( the K-class ferries) which had a continuous propeller shaft and a screw at each end. A single propeller and one shaft simplified the internal arrangements and put less stress on the timber hulls compared to shafts running a propeller at either end. Apart from some unusual handling characteristics, the single-propeller configuration was a success and Reeks unsuccessfully tried to patent it. The hulls of ''Lady Denman'', and one other of the five sisters, ''

'' (1914), were built by Joseph Dent Limited on the banks of Currambene Creek at Huskisson from local timber milled at the Dent sawmill. Her keel was cut from 96 foot spotted gum, carted by two bullock teams. The hull was launched on 5 December 1911, then floated 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 ...

carrying a load of timber doubling as ballast and a commercial product. Machinery installation and upperworks were completed in Sydney possibly by Morrison and Sinclair. ''Lady Denman'' is 33.6m long, 7.6m wide (110.4 x 25.0 x 9.0 feet), displacing 96 gross tons. She has two passenger decks with two wheelhouses on her promenade deck, and the engine room in hull. She was fitted with lavatories & wooden batten seats. The main deck originally featured a woman's saloon. Spotted gum used extensively in its construction. With construction of a Sydney Harbour Bridge seeming likely, she and her four sisters were designed for a maximum of fifteen years of life. Instead, she would go on operating on the harbour until 1979. Because she was only to have a limited life-span, she was lightly built and almost austere in her fittings, such as her roof of galvanised iron. They were relatively small and had the shape of a 'V' and shallow draft to navigate the muddy and silted upper reaches of their upstream runs. ''Lady Chelmsford'' (1910) was built by Brisbane Water shipbuilder

Rock Davis Rock Davis (1833-1904) was a shipbuilder, mainly associated with his shipyard, the Rock Davis shipyard, colloquially known as 'the Big Shed', on Brisbane Water at Blackwall, New South Wales, Australia. After his death, the business of ship building ...

, ''Lady Edeline'' (1913) by G A Washington of Annandale and ''

'' (1914) was built by David Drake Limited of Balmain. Her original engines were 38 hp (nominal) compound steam engines were by Chapman and Co Ltd which pushed her to 10 knots. File:Sydney ferry LADY DENMAN launch Day Huskisson 5 December 1911.png, Launch day, Huskisson, 5 December 1911 File:Sydney ferry LADY DENMAN on Woodleys slip 1975.jpg, On slips showing her double ended, single propeller configuration File:Sydney ferry LADY DENMAN lower saloon June 1979.jpg, Lower saloon, 1970s File:Sydney ferry LADY DENMAN upper saloon and wheel house interior June 1979.jpg, Upper saloon, 1970s

Pre-Bridge history (1912–1932)

From 1900, the Balmain New Ferry Company began a period of expansion to keep up and compete with the tram network expanding into what is now referred to as Sydney's Inner West. Older ferries were sold off and several series of "Lady-class" ferries were introduced. ''Lady Denman'' was the second of five in the Balmain company's final series of "Lady-class" ferries, the others being ''Ladies Chelmsford'' (1910), ''Edeline'' (1913), ''Ferguson'' (1914) and ''Scott'' (1914). This series was introduced to replace the single-ended ferries on the Lane Cove River service. They also worked on the run from Balmain to Erskine Street wharf (at site of the current Barangaroo development). ''Lady Denman'', and the rest of the Balmain fleet, were bought by Sydney Ferries Limited as part of its take over of the Balmain company on 1 March 1918. The five operated the Lane Cove River services to Fig Tree until 12 November 1931 when weekday services were suspended. They ran weekend services to Fig Tree on weekends until 2 September 1945. Lane Cove River services were discontinued altogether on 10 November 1950, after which the five saw them work the Parramatta River and across other routes. Sydney Ferries Ltd ran a service to Balmain until it was taken over in 1939 by Nicholson Brothers Harbour Transport Company with their own ferries. The five "Lady class" ferries were run on other routes across the Harbour. File:Sydney Ferry LADY DENMAN.jpg, At Fig Tree depot circa 1915 File:Sydney Ferry LADY DENMAN at Fig Tree Depot 1925.jpg, At Fig Tree depot on the Lane Cove River, 1925 File:Sydney ferries LADY EDELINE and LADY DENMAN and KARINGAL at Circular Quay 1930.jpg, With Lady Edeline and ''

Karingal Karingal is a local area within the suburb of Frankston located in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. It is in the local government area of the City of Frankston (app. 45 km South East from the Melbourne CBD) History European settlement ...

'' at Circular Quay as the Sydney Harbour Bridge nears completion, 1930

Post-Bridge history (1932–1979)

Sydney ferries KAMERUKA - LADY DENMAN - KARINGAL at Circular Quay Sydney 15 Feb 1970

In 1932, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened, and Sydney Ferries Limited's annual patronage dropped from 40 million to about 15 million. As part of economy measures, older and/or most of the larger steamers were put up for sale. The five "Lady-class" ferries, however, were kept in service and converted to diesel power in the 1930s with ''Lady Chelmsford'' first. Their tall black smoke stacks were replaced with short funnels. Facing uncertain post-Bridge times, Sydney Ferries Ltd sought a refreshed look for their ferries, covering the original livery of varnished timber and white trim with yellow and green paint and red trim. In 1936, ''Lady Denman'' re-entered service with a six-cylinder 170 kW (228 bhp)

L. Gardner and Sons L. Gardner and Sons Ltd was a British builder of diesel engines for stationary, marine, road and rail applications. The company was founded in Hulme, Manchester, England in 1868. It started building engines around 1895. The firm ceased engine pr ...

diesel. The five "Lady" ferries continued to run the Hunters Hill and Balmain services. The post-Bridge drop in demand for the ferry fleet was somewhat mitigated as many could not afford their own transport in the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of the 1930s and rationing of fuel during World War 2 made the coal required for the steam ferries relatively cheap. After the cessation of the Lane Cover River runs, ''lady Denman'' and her sisters ran services to Cockatoo Island 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 ...

. However, the post World War II years saw the drop in demand pick up pace. In 1951, with annual patronage down to 9 million, the NSW State Government took over Sydney Ferries Limited and its remaining fleet and assets. 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 ...

, which ran the Manly service, was paid to run the services. The services and fleet were quickly rationalised with most of the larger remaining timber K-class steamers being decommissioned, however, the five relatively small and economical "Lady-class" ferries were retained. Throughout the remainder of the 1950s and into the 1960s, they became the back-bone of Sydney Harbour's non-Manly ferry fleet, along with '' Karginal'' and ''

Karrabee ''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 ...

'' the smallest of the K-class ferries. Their routes were expanded to all inner-harbour (ie, non-Manly) services including

Taronga Park Zoo Taronga Zoo is a zoo located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the suburb of Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The opening hours are between 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning 'beautiful water view'. It w ...

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 ...

, Cremorne and Hunters Hill. The five sister ferries (except ''Lady Scott'') were re-engined again in the late 1950s and early 1960s. ''Lady Denman'' received a 4-cylinder 224 kW (300 bhp) Crossley Brothers diesel. On 21 April 1951, ''Lady Denman's'' engines failed and she ran aground at Cremorne Point. Passengers were transferred to ''

'' which then towed ''Lady Denman'' off the rocks. On 29 August 1965, she ran aground near

Shark Island Shark Island may refer to: Places *Cocos Island, Costa Rica *Shark Island, Namibia, off the coast of Namibia *Shark Island Concentration Camp, at Shark Island, Namibia *Shark Island (Port Jackson), in Sydney Harbour, Australia *Shark Island (Cronu ...

. Her passengers donned life jackets and rehearsed speeches which invoked the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

''. File:Sydney ferry LADY DENMAN in Sydney Harbour 28 September 1962.tif, in her 1930s yellow and green colour scheme, September 1962 File:Sydney ferry LADY DENMAN between 1962 and 1979.jpg, As a diesel vessel, likely 1960s File:Sydney ferry LADY DENMAN heading for Taronga Zoo 1975.jpg, in her

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 ...

colours headed for

Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo is a zoo located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the suburb of Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The opening hours are between 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning 'beautiful water view'. It ...

, 1975 File:Sydney ferry LADY DENMAN September 1970.jpg, Making her way up from Darling Harbour, 1970

Liveries

As built, she was painted white and maroon with black funnel and varnished timber features. Upon her 1936 conversion to diesel, at a time when Sydney Ferries Limited as seeking a refreshed look for their ferries in the uncertain post-Harbour Bridge times, she and the rest of the fleet was painted in yellow and green with red trim. In the 1960s the NSW government Transport Board updated all their ferries to a more muted cream and khaki scheme. In the 1970s, the fleet were painted in the

's blue and white scheme.

Retirement

''Lady Denman'' was pulled from ferry service in 1979 following the introduction that year of the new '' Lady Street''. Her last run was on 14 June 1979. ''Lady Chelmsford'', the first built of the five, was sold in 1969 and rebuilt as a show boat in Adelaide. She was sold to Melbourne interests in 1985 where she was used as a cruise boat. She sank at her moorings in 2008 and was broken up in 2011. ''Lady Scott'' was sold out of ferry service in 1969 and used as a cruise ferry. A 1972 fire destroyed her superstructure and she was rebuilt as the ''John Cadman'' and undertook a successful career as a cruise boat before being sold in 2000s and falling into disrepair and broken up in 1914. By the 1970s, ''Lady Ferguson'' was being used as a spare ferry on Sydney Harbour and set aside for sale in 1974. She was towed to

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

with '' Kosciusko'' in 1975 to assist following the collapse of the Tasman Bridge however she was found to be in too poor condition and was scrapped. ''Lady Edeline'' was the longest serving as a Sydney ferry being decommissioned in 1984 with the remaining wooden K-class ferries following the ''Karrabee's'' sinking earlier that year. She was laid up on the

Parramatta River The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. Seco ...

and sank into the mud in 1988. Of the original five, only ''Lady Denman'' is extant.

Preservation

Sydney ferry LADY DENMAN arrives at Huskisson 1981

A group from Huskisson led by Member for South Coast John Hatton convinced the

to donate ''Lady Denman'' as a museum piece for display in Huskisson. It was towed out of

by on 3 January 1980, but was quickly damaged by rough seas and had to turn back."Maritime Battle" '' Illawarra Mercury'' 20 March 2010 Sydney ferry LADY DENMAN in Huskisson 1999

Sydney ferry LADY DENMAN in Huskisson 1999

A second attempt was made on 1 June 1981. However, after running into storm off

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

, the ferry began taking on water after a pump failure. 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 ...

were able to provide to shelter the ferry and the tow was successfully completed to Jervis Bay, although at the end of the journey she nearly sank in Currambene Creek at Huskisson, opposite where she had been built. On 3 April 1983, ''Lady Denman'' was hauled ashore to its final resting place very close to where it had been built and restoration work commenced. With a $1.4 million Federal Government grant, on 3 December 1988 the Lady Denman Maritime Museum (since renamed Jervis Bay Maritime Museum) opened. A dry dock was built and a channel cut to where the vessel was sitting, a short distance away and well out of the water. The dock and channel were then flooded, and with pumps operating a patched up LADY DENMAN was floated a pulled by volunteers the short distance across to its new location. The water was then drained out, and construction of its new housing began around it in 1998.Lady Denman Ferry
Jervis Bay Maritime Museum Restoration and rebuilding work continue to bring her back to her 1960s appearance. The Museum is divided into three sections, each with its own official openings. Olympian Dawn Fraser opened the Local History Museum, sailor

Kay Cottee Kay Cottee (née McLaren, born 25 January 1954) is an Australian sailor, who was the first woman to perform a single-handed, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of the world. She performed this feat in 1988 in her yacht ''Blackmores Fi ...

opened the Museum of Science & the Sea (Halloran Collection) and elder Marjorie Timbery (dec) opened Timbery’s Aboriginal Workshop. She was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 9 November 2001. The condition of the ferry was reported as good as at 2 June 1998 as a result of conservation work, arresting a long period of deterioration. Its machinery has been removed for separate display and the ferry otherwise remains in its decommissioned state.

Heritage listing

MV Lady Denman was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 9 November 2001 having satisfied the following criteria. The New South Wales Heritage Register The ship is a rare surviving example of the characteristic type of ferryboat which served

over more than a century, having a long (67 year) association with Sydney Harbour. It is strongly associated in the minds of Sydneysiders and past Sydney visitors with the image of Sydney as a harbour city. It is one of only two surviving traditional wooden Inner Harbour Ferries. It is also a rare surviving example of the design work of Walter Reeks, an innovative and pioneering Australian naval architect. Being the last remaining ferry built in Huskisson, it is strongly associated with Huskisson as a place of manufacture and a fine example of the timber shipbuilding industry, as well as being a significant relic of

South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

family timber ship building industry. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. A rare surviving example of the characteristic type of ferryboat which served Sydney Harbour over more than a century. A rare surviving example of the design work of Walter Reeks, an innovative and pioneering Australian naval architect. The last remaining ferry built in Huskisson, in service for 67 years and one of two surviving traditional wooden Inner Harbour Ferries. Significant relic of South Coast family ship building industry. The only Sydney Harbour ferry or Australian commercial vessel to be returned to its place of construction. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. Traditional style of ferry, now virtually unrepresented. Current location amongst spotted gums from which it was built. "From Trees to Seas" theme.Oliver 1998 The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. One of the longest running Sydney Harbour Ferries, which carried tens of millions of passengers over 67 years, representing era of wooden ferries. Strongly associated in the minds of Sydneysiders and past Sydney visitors with the image of Sydney as a harbour city. Central exhibit of LDHC, which places wooden ship building in its environment, historical and social context. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Rare evidence of the pioneering design innovations in double ended propulsion undertaken by naval architect Walter Reeks. Preserves construction techniques described by traditional boat builder, Alf Settree in National Trust 1997 Award-winning documentary video, 'From Trees to Seas' The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. It is the last remaining ferry built in Huskisson. It is one of three surviving traditional wooden larger Sydney Harbour Ferries. It is one of the last two original Lady Class Ferries. It is the only such vessel returned to its place of construction. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. It represents the Jervis Bay wooden ship building industry, the Lady class ferries, and Sydney Harbour wooden ferries.

Notes

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lady Denman Ferries of New South Wales Ferry transport in Sydney Museum ships in Australia Ships built in New South Wales Tourist attractions in New South Wales 1912 ships New South Wales State Heritage Register City of Shoalhaven