The K-class ferries were a group of double-ended screw steam ferries run by

Sydney Ferries Limited Sydney Ferries Limited operated ferry services on Sydney Harbour from 1900 until June 1951. The company grew out of the North Shore Steam Ferry Company and took over smaller ferry operators to become the largest ferry operator in Sydney's his ...

and its government successors on Sydney Harbour. The company introduced more than two dozen of the vessels from the 1890s through to the early twentieth century to meet the booming demand for ferry services across Sydney Harbour prior to the opening of the

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Sydney Harbour from the central business district (CBD) to the North Shore. The view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is widely regarded ...

in 1932. The K-names were largely Australian Aboriginal names with their meanings listed in the table below.

Design

The K-class were not a group of identical ferries - they were delivered in batches of two or three identical sister ships - rather they were a general type of vessel that ranged in sized but shared a typical form. They were all double-deck, double-ended screw steamers with two raised wheelhouses and a single tall funnel. Apart from a few early vessels with open upper decks that were later enclosed, the K-class had enclosed upper and lower saloons with lower deck outdoor seating around the vessel, and the upper decks had smaller outdoor areas at either end around the wheelhouses. The boats were all timber-hulled with timber superstructures, except for four later and larger vessels that had steel hulls and timber superstructures - namely, sisters '' Kanangra'' and ''

Kirawa ''Kirawa'' was a ferry on Sydney Harbour. She was a near identical sister vessel with '' Kanangra'' both of which were launched in 1912 during the early-twentieth pre-Sydney Harbour Bridge boom years of Sydney Ferries Limited. They were the f ...

'' (both 1912) and sisters '' Kuttabul'' and '' Koompartoo'' (both 1922). The boats' upper deck sheer or profile line were curved parallel to the hull sheer, in contrast to many contemporary ferries whose upper deck was built straight fore and aft. '' Kareela'' was the first of Sydney Ferries Limited to have upper decks fully enclosed. The earlier K-class vessels, including ''

Kurraba ''Kurraba'' and ''Kirribilli'' were two similar " K-class" ferries on Sydney Harbour. Launched in 1899 and 1900 respectively, the two timber-hulled steamers were built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prio ...

'', '' Kirribilli'', ''

Koree ''Koree'' was a " K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Launched in 1902, the timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. When built, '' ...

'' and '' Kulgoa'' had only the sides of their upper decks enclosed leaving the ends open, with the roofs being squared off. On ''Kareela'' and all subsequent K-class vessels had an upper deck structure with curving roof lines that met at the rear of the wheelhouses thus the upper deck saloon was fully enclosed. Sliding doors gave access to the a small unroofed area surrounding the raised wheelhouses.

Service history

The ferry trade to the North Shore increased rapidly and consistently from the turn of the century until the opening of the

in 1932. The Sydney Ferries fleet became one of the largest in the world - the bulk of which in number and capacity were K-class - and carried 40 million passengers per year by the 1930s. With the opening of the bridge, many of the K-class vessels were deemed redundant and were decommissioned. More still were decommissioned following the NSW State Government takeover of Sydney Ferries in 1951. A handful of the K-class ferries ('' Karingal'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Kanangra'', '' Kameruka'') were in service until the mid-1980s having been converted to diesel in the 1930s and 1950s. During the launch speech for '' Kaikai'' in 1906, Sydney Ferries acknowledged they were deliberately naming their vessels with Aboriginal words starting with the letter "K".ferriesofsydney.com
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List of K-class vessels

Notes

References

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External links