''Sophia Jane'' was the first
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 ...
to operate in the coastal waters of
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 ...
(NSW). She was launched on the Thames in 1826 and arrived in
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 ...
in May
1831.
Construction
''Sophia Jane'' was an auxiliary steamer, like all the early steamers, using her paddle wheels only when winds were inadequate or contrary. The vessel was built by Barnes and Miller of
Ratcliff
Ratcliff or Ratcliffe is a locality in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames between Limehouse (to the east), and Shadwell (to the west). The place name is no longer commonly used.
History
Etymolog ...
e, pupils of
James Watt
James Watt (; 30 January 1736 (19 January 1736 OS) – 25 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fun ...
, for passenger service between England and France and parts of the British islands.
[Various blogs, letters to editors and notes claim the hull was built by William Elias Evans. Contemporary references, including engineering and shipbuilding journals of the time, clearly state the ship was built by Barnes and Miller. Claims with regard to Evans need to be supported by similar high quality references.]
Service in Australia
''Sophia Jane'', under command of Captain Edward Biddulph, identified as having been Lieutenant, Royal Navy, and part owner, arrived at Sydney on 13 May 1831, having come by sail, with her paddle wheels stowed and her engine not yet commissioned.
["The first Australian tugboats" (June–August 2012), ''Signals'', Issue №99, pp.36-40.] Six weeks earlier Australia's first steamer, the small river vessel ''Surprise'', had been launched in March with intended use 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 ...
. ''Sophia Jane'' became an operational steamer before ''Surprise'' and was "the first steamer to turn a paddle-wheel in Sydney Harbour."
[
At Sydney the vessel's particulars were noted as being 250 tons builder's measurement,][One of the ship volume measures expressed in "tons burden" based on a measurement formula.] 150 tons register, four years old but only operating two of those years in European waters, and considered one of the fastest sea going vessels built at the time. A specific speed reference notes the ship ran "the 60 knots from Newcastle to Sydney was seven and two-thirds hours, equal to nearly eight knots per hour in 1831"[Note the old use of knot for distance and then speed as "knots per hour" — a term no longer used as a knot is now defined as one nautical mile per hour.] further noting "She has frequently towed ships of the largest class." Having been largely in the passenger service the ship had separate cabins for "gentlemen" with sixteen beds and "ladies" with eleven beds with a third for steerage passengers having twenty beds. In need additional beds could be added for a maximum of 54 passengers.[
She was tried on a Sydney-Parramatta service however she was too deep in the draft and found more use coastal services including ]Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
and later the first run between Sydney and 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 ...
.
On 12 June 1831 ''Sophia Jane'' towed down the harbour as ''Lady Harewood'' set off for England. This was the first application in Australia of steam power to such a task. The reason for the tow was that weather conditions were miserable and squally.[
However, at the same time there was a report that the ship's agent was under instructions to send her on to India unless she could be profitably sold in Australia.''Sydney Herald'' (13 June 1831), p.4, "Domestic Intelligence".]
/ref> ''Sophia Jane'' advertised in the ''Sydney Herald'' on 13 June the first Australian steamship cruise to be held on 17 June.[
]
Fate
In 1845 ''Sophia Jane'' grounded on a reef off Wollongong. She was re-floated, but later that year her owners, facing more extensive repairs, decided to lay her up. Her engine, however, was still operational and was installed in ''Phoenix''.[
]
Footnotes
References
External links
Australian National Maritime Museum: ''Sophia Jane'' model
{{Sydneyferries, state=expanded
Ships built in England
Paddle steamers of Australia
1788–1850 ships of Australia
Water transport in New South Wales