The ''Herald'' was an iron

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 ...

imported as frames from the United Kingdom and assembled in 1855 by Richard Johnson in

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 ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where she was registered. The ''Herald'' is one of the earliest iron paddle wheel steamers built in Australia, where she operated within Sydney Harbour. She was initially used on the fledgling North Shore route between

Dawes Point Dawes Point is a suburb of the City of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Dawes Point is located on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district, at the southern end of Sydney Harbour Bridge, adjacent to The R ...

and Blues Point by the newly formed North Shore Steam Company; however, due to not enough traffic to make her financially viable, she often performed tug duties. Eventually the North Shore Steam Company was wound up; the vessel was put up for sale but continued picking up business wherever it was available, operating as a tug, ferry, excursion boat and cargo vessel. By 1873 ''Herald'' was working to Mosman Bay and

Neutral Bay Neutral Bay is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Neutral Bay is around 1.5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council. Neutral Bay takes ...

in a somewhat irregular weekday timetable. In the late 1870s and early 1880s she ran as an excursion boat to Manly and a tug. On 1 April 1884 the starboard boiler blew out while the ''Herald'' was waiting to bring in a sailing ship about 400 yards from North Head, causing the vessel to sink.

Ship description and construction

Early steamships in Australia

The iron paddle steamer ''Herald''

Paddle Steamer 1855 - 1884 Herald Sydney Ship Registration

The Iron ''Herald'' is reported as being built in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and sent to Sydney in sections, either being assembled in Australia from imported Frames or alternatively from three sections shipped out to Australia. The vessel was assembled at the Gasworks in Darling Harbour by Richard Johnstone, Davidson and Anderson The vessel had a sharp bow and

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...

with a

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

able to be locked at each end so that it could be run in reverse. It was a steam paddle wheel vessel with twin boilers and no decks, with passengers standing on top of the vessel. It had a and a with a length of and a beam at midships of and a depth in the hold of .

Ship service history

Formation and operation of the North Shore Steam Company

By 1846 there were 106 houses in North Sydney, with the post office opening in 1854, while having no firm transport across the harbour to Sydney central. A number of prominent locals formed the North Shore Steam Company to start a ferry company across the harbour. The company was incorporated through an Act of Parliament in November 1854. The company purchased the ''Herald'' from the UK and imported it in pieces to be assembled by Richard Johnson at the July meeting of the North Shore Steam Company held at the Royal Hotel with T. J. Fisher in the chair. A. Berry (after whom

Berrys Bay Berrys Bay is a bay located to the east of the Waverton Peninsula and the west of McMahons Point, on the north of Sydney Harbour. A number of ship building firms operate from the bay. History In 2008 the Government of New South Wales called f ...

is named) and other shareholders were present. It was stated that four calls of one pound had been paid, leaving a fifth sum of one pound per share to be called up.

The steamer would be ready for running on Thursday 9 July 1855 and it was expected that the ''Brothers'', steamer, and the Company’s new steamer, to be called the Herald, would make alternate trips, so as to give the residents and the public uninterrupted communication between the North Shore and Sydney.

Just a few weeks after the small vessel started plying the route on 31 July 1855 there was a fatal accident when Mr. Field, a butcher, residing on the North Shore, was crossing in the new steam ferryboat. The vessel left Windmill Street at about six o'clock with about six passengers and about 112 sheep on board. When approximately halfway across the harbour, one sheep went overboard. The engines were stopped when two men got outside the rail to lift the sheep in when the stanchions gave way. One man was pulled back in, but Field drowned. Shortly after this incident an ad appeared in the local papers seeking a competent person to take charge of the steam ferry-boat ''Herald'' as well as an engineer, to whom liberal wages would be given. George Hall applied, and he spent the rest of his life working on the vessel, along with his sons. In May 1856 Hall, at that time the engineer of the ''Herald'' ferry boat running between Sydney and North Shore, was convicted of using obscene language towards John M. Ball, a passenger, and was ordered to pay a fine of 20s. and costs, or be imprisoned for seven days. By July 1856 another steamer (''Premier'') had been added to the North Shore Steam Company, but by 1858 the company had started to run into issues, causing it to reduce fares.

All classes, the fares for foot passengers by the steamer Herald have been reduced to two-pence (2d), each way. This cheap conveyance will enable the workingman to visit the beautiful scenery of the North Shore at a moderate rate. The steamer plies from 8 o'clock a.m. to 7p.m. in the evening, to and from Windmill-street to Billy Blue's Point, every quarter of an hour.

By 1860 the North Shore Steam Company was wound up, with the ''Herald'' sold on 5 September 1859, for £700.

Subsequent operation

The vessel then passed into the hands of the Evans Brothers and continued on with George Hall on board. It was a ferry as well as a tug with no real notability until July 1863, when:

Edward Evans, George Hall, and George Hall the younger, were charged, on the information of William James Wilshire, Secretary of the N.S.W. Steam Navigation Board, with having on the 10th instant, kept a steam vessel called the ''Herald'', plying for hire in the harbour of Port Jackson, the principal person then and there in charge being without a license, signed by the Clerk of Petty Sessions for the district in which the said vessel was plying for hire. Defendants pleaded guilty, and were fined £20, with 6s. 4d. costs, or in default of payment to be imprisoned during one month. James Hall was charged with being the person having he principal charge of the above-named vessel on the date stated. Defendant pleaded guilty, and was fined£5, with 6s. costs of court, or in default to be imprisoned during seven days.

In July 1865, when the ''Ada'' was involved in a collision with the mail steamer ''Jeddo'' and sank halfway between Fort Denison and Bradleys Head, the ''Herald'' and the Sydney pilot vessels picked up all of the survivors from the water. In December 1868 the steam ferry and tugboat ''Herald'' was laid up for five weeks, undergoing a general overhaul in hull and machinery. A pair of new boilers, manufactured by Messrs. Mather of Bathurst-street, was supplied and installed into the vessel, replacing the now 13-year-old units originally supplied. In March 1869 James Hall, master of the steamer ''Herald'', appeared, on summons, charged with a breach of the Steam Navigation Act, by taking in tow the barque ''Mary Miller'' without exhibiting two masthead lights. A considerable amount of evidence was adduced for the prosecution, but none of the witnesses could swear positively that the tug had only one masthead light after she had made fast. The majority stated that when she came alongside they saw only one. Henry Hall, engineer of the ''Herald'', deposed that on going alongside the barque the ''Herald'' had the usual steamers' lights up, but before getting underway the captain gave orders to hoist the additional masthead light. William Murdon, coxswain of the ''Herald'', deposed that on making fast to the barque for the purpose of towing her he put up two masthead lights and the usual side lights. Charles Williams stated that he was on board the steamer ''Fire King'' on the occasion of a collision with the barque ''Mary Miller''; he noticed a steamer alongside the barque, and the steamer had two mast headlights and a red light, and the barque had a green one. The case was dismissed. The vessel continued on its service, also being used for day trips around the harbour and surrounds.

WATSON'S BAY-A large number of excursionists visited Watson's Bay yesterday, both by land and water. Those who proceeded by water were convoyed by the steamers ''Vesta'' and ''Herald'', which plied from the Circular Quay and
Woolloomooloo Bay Woolloomooloo ( ) is a harbourside, inner-city Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Woolloomooloo is 1.5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, lo ...
, at convenient intervals from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A band of music was in attendance for the benefit of the dancing portion of the picnic party, whilst those who were averse to this kind of amusement fully enjoyed themselves by opening their well stocked hampers near
the Gap The Gap may refer to: Places Australia * The Gap, New South Wales, a locality near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales * The Gap, Northern Territory, a suburb of Alice Springs, Northern Territory * The Gap, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland ...
and watching the vessels arriving and taking their departure from our harbour. EXCURSION TO
MIDDLE HARBOUR Middle Harbour (or ''Warrin ga''), a semi–mature tide dominated drowned valley estuary, is the northern arm of Port Jackson, an inlet of the Tasman Sea located north of Sydney central business district on the coast of New South Wales, Austr ...
– About 150 persons proceeded on an excursion on Saturday afternoon by the Steamer ''Herald'' to the head of Middle Harbour. The magnificent scenery which surround the placid waters of this beautiful lake-like locality is very little known by the general public, many of whom fancy that the Spit is the head of the navigation, whereas a steamer of a light draught, such as tho ''Herald'', can proceed several miles beyond. The ''Herald'' left the Circular Quay at half-past 1 pm on Saturday, and, after calling at Woolloomooloo Bay, reached Bates at half-past 4. Mr. George Hall was on board, and to that gentleman some of the excursionists were indebted for his courtesy in pointing out objects of interest met with on the passage. After a delay of about a quarter of au hour, during which time several of the passengers went on ashore in search of flowers, the steamer's head was turned for Sydney, where the party was landed in good time and thoroughly well pleased with their trip.

In March 1873 the steamer ''Herald'' towed last the brig ''Firefly'', of 160 tons register, to Newington Wharf eleven miles up 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 ...

. This is the largest vessel that had ever been so far up the river, as the brig ''Firefly'' had been chartered to convey a cargo of bones from Newington to Melbourne. When a small skiff capsized 100 and 150 yards from

Mrs Macquarie's Chair Mrs Macquarie's Chair (also known as Lady Macquarie's Chair) is an exposed sandstone rock cut into the shape of a bench, on a peninsula in Sydney Harbour. It was hand carved by convicts in 1810, for Elizabeth Macquarie, the wife of Major-Genera ...

, dumping three men in the water, the steamer ''Herald'' happened to be nearby. It had got round and thrown a line to the men in the water, which they failed to grasp; Mr Hall, of the steamer ''Herald'' swam to their assistance. Hall and a man he rescued were taken into a steam launch belonging to HMS ''Pearl'', which had come to their rescue, and it was then that he saw another taken into that launch. The third, a William Taylor, age 20, drowned. In July 1876 there was a collision between the steamers ''Phantom'' and ''Herald'' near the wharf in Woolloomooloo Bay by a want of lack of precaution on the part of the masters of both vessels, William Brett and George Hall, with the marine board cautioning both said masters to be more careful for the future. In December 1877 it was reported that whilst the schooner ''African Maid'' was under tow down the harbour, by the steamer ''Herald'', Mrs. Wigmore, the captain's wife, fell overboard, and her husband, who could not swim, then jumped after her. Captain Hall, of the steamer ''Herald'', sprang after them and rescued both, thus making up a catalogue of 53 persons he had saved from death by drowning. On 27 June 1879 the National Shipwreck Relief Society of NSW under Captain Hixson, R.N being chairman, resolved to give the society's silver medal to George Hall for deeds of bravery in saving human life from drowning. The medal was to be presented by his Excellency Lord Loftus during the Exhibition season. The silver medals are 1 inches in diameter. The obverse shows a female figure, representing the Society, comforting a sorrowing woman, and extending a wreath to a seaman, who endeavours to restore to animation a sailor boy washed ashore clinging to a fragment of mast. In the background are seen a stormy sea, a sinking ship, and a lifeboat laden with rescued people. The whole is encircled with the motto "Sunt lachrymx rerum sunt et sua præmia laudi." (from

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...

''and mortal hearts are moved by mortal things'') The reverse has the centre blank for an inscription, and the outer circle is formed by a life buoy on which appears the title of the Society.

Loss

Wreck

On 1 April 1884, Captain George John Hall (a son of the former owner) went on board with the fireman (James Franks) at Central Wharf, and headed down harbour to tow in the

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

''Malcolm'', which was expected from Newcastle just before daybreak. At about 4:30 am while ''Herald'' was lying hove to between and from North Head in the calm of the early morning, the starboard

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

suddenly burst (believed to be at the bottom of the boiler forcing the bottom of the vessel out) and filled the vessel with steam, canting the vessel over. At the time the boilers had been in the vessel 6 years and were carrying of steam with of pure water showing in the sight glasses. Water rushed in over the side as she listed and nothing could be done to save her, despite Captain Hall's courageous effort to steer her onto the reef at South Head. He and the fireman barely had time to abandon ship in a small boat before ''Herald'' sank. A steamer passed by but failed to notice the incident, so the two men started to row back toward Sydney when the steamer ''Kiama'' noticed them and took them under tow.

Wreck site and wreckage

The vessel was found on 3 January 2013 by divers following up on an anomaly detected by a

magnetometer A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment. Different types of magnetometers measure the direction, strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at a particular location. A compass is one such device, o ...

. The wreck site lies at a depth of to of water approximately off North Head. The site is on sand away from any reef structure and completely intact but significantly buried under the sand to a level approximately the same as what would have been the deck level. It is a small site with just the two boilers (about 800 – 1000mm dia by 2.5m long), a broken engine and paddle wheel shaft (shifted by about 1 meter to the starboard) visible above the sand line. The sharp cutting shape of the bow and stern can just be made out with the twin (bow and stern) rudder posts just above the sand level.

References

External links

ferriesofsydney.comenvironment.nsw.gov.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herald Shipwrecks of the Sydney Eastern Suburbs Region Ships built in New South Wales 1855 ships Maritime incidents in April 1884 1851–1870 ships of Australia 1871–1900 ships of Australia Ferries of New South Wales Paddle steamers of Australia Tugboats of Australia Ferry transport in Sydney