Phantom (ferry) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
''Phantom'' was an iron paddle steamer on
She was bought in 1864 by the newly-created Brighton and Manly Steam Ferry Company. Being long (36.3 m) and narrow (beam 4.0 m) with a shallow draft, rides across the
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 ...
that ran the Circular Quay
Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping port, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the northern edge of the Syd ...
to Manly run. Built in 1858, she was the first large double-ended Manly ferry, a basic configuration that has continued through to the contemporary Manly ferries.
Service history
''Phantom'' was built by JF Dow and Co of Melbourne. Her 50 hp steam engines were supplied by the builder and could push her to over 12 knots. She could carry up to 166 passengers. She steamed up to Sydney over four days arriving on 19 May 1859. She is thought to be the first vessel to wear the long-standing Manly ferry livery of dark green hull and white funnel with black topping. This livery was discontinued in the 1970s when the ferries came under the control of the NSW State Government'sPublic 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, responsi ...
.
She was bought in 1864 by the newly-created Brighton and Manly Steam Ferry Company. Being long (36.3 m) and narrow (beam 4.0 m) with a shallow draft, rides 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 ...
in bad weather could be uncomfortable. This was mitigated with twenty-five kilogram balance weight bags slung on poles to the windward side. All subsequent Manly ferries have been designed to counter the problem of beam swells as the ferries crossed the Sydney Heads.
She was known for blowing smoke rings from her funnel. On one trip across the Sydney Heads in rough weather, waves doused her fires and she lost control. A jury mast and sails were rigged and she arrived in Sydney two hours late.
''Phantom'' was a success on the Manly run, and double-ended ferries remain the standard on the Manly route through to the present-day. ''Phantom'' was sold out of the Manly run in 1878 and was later used by Charles Jeanerret as a ferry and work boat. She was broken up in Pyrmont in 1885.
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 na ...
* 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, s ...
References
* * * *External links
* {{Sydneyferries, state=collapsed Ferry transport in Sydney Ferries of Australia