SS Yongala - Wikipedia SS Yongala Australian registered passenger ship that sank off Cape Bowling Green, Queensland, Australia SS Yongala History Name : SS Yongala Owner : Adelaide Steamship Company Port of registry : Adelaide, Australia Builder : Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd Cost : £ 102,000 Launched : 29 April 1903 In service : 1903 Fate : Sank during a cyclone, 23 March 1911 with the loss of all 122 passengers and crew. Status : Wreck Notes : One of the largest, most well - preserved shipwrecks of Queensland 's seas. General characteristics Tonnage : 3,664 tons ( mass ) Length : 350 ft ( 107 m ) Propulsion : Triple expansion steam engine, single screw Speed : 15.8 knots ( 29.3 km / h ; 18.2 mph ) official top speed Crew : 72 The passenger ship SS Yongala sank off Cape Bowling Green, Queensland, Australia on 23 March 1911. En route from Melbourne to Cairns she steamed into a cyclone and sank south of Townsville. All 122 aboard were lost, and traces of the ship were not found until days later, when cargo and wreckage began to wash ashore at Cape Bowling Green and at Cleveland Bay. It was believed that the hull of the ship had been ripped open by a submerged rock. The wreck, which has become a tourist attraction and dive site, was not found until 1958. Contents 1 Design and construction 2 Operational history 3 Final voyage 4 Aftermath 5 Discovery 5.1 Position 6 Present day 6.1 In media 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links Design and construction SS Yongala was a steel passenger and freight steamer built by Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd in Newcastle upon Tyne, England to special survey for the Adelaide Steamship Company, at a cost of £ 102,000. She was launched on 29 April 1903, and was registered in Adelaide. The vessel was named after the small town of Yongala in South Australia, a word from the Nadjuri language which meant `` good water ''. The vessel was propelled by a large triple expansion steam engine built by Wallsend Shipway and Engineering Co., which drove a single propeller. Official top speed was recorded as 15.8 knots ( 29.3 km / h ; 18.2 mph ), although Yongala was recorded to have reached 17 knots ( 31 km / h ; 20 mph ) on multiple occasions. Five single ended steel boilers working under natural draught supplied steam of 180 - pound - per - square - inch ( 1,200 kPa ) pressure. At 15 knots, Yongala 's engines burned approximately 67 tonnes of coal per day. A direct acting steam windlass and capstan was fitted on the forecastle head. Cargo handling was done with two steam cranes, along with seven winches with derricks and derrick - posts. Electric lighting was fitted throughout the ship with a duplicate generating plant. She was also provided with refrigeration facilities for the carriage of frozen cargo. A specially arranged steam and hand steering gear was fitted in a house at the after end of the fantail and controlled from the bridge. Operational history On entry into service, Yongala operated on the passenger route linking the gold fields of Western Australia with the eastern ports of Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Postcard of SS Yongala from c. 1905 In 1906, Yongala was transferred to the Brisbane -- Fremantle route. The ship was the first to sail the 5,000 - kilometre ( 2,700 nmi ) direct route between Fremantle and Brisbane ; the longest interstate trip at that time. During the winter months from 1907 to early 1911, a lack of demand on the Brisbane - Fremantle run meant the ship was reassigned to the Adelaide Steamship Company 's Melbourne - Cairns route. Final voyage Captain William Knight in 1911 On 14 March 1911, under the command of Captain William Knight, Yongala embarked on her 99th voyage in Australian waters. She left Melbourne with 72 passengers, heading for Brisbane, where she arrived on 20 March. In Brisbane, most of the passengers from Melbourne disembarked, and new passengers and cargo headed up the Queensland coast ( including the racehorse Moonshine and a Lincoln Red bull ) were loaded. A harbour inspection found Yongala to be `` in excellent trim '', and she sailed for Mackay, where she was due on 23 March. Despite delays in Brisbane, Yongala arrived in Mackay on the morning of 23 March. After the transfer of passengers and cargo, the ship sailed north for Townsville at 1 : 40 pm, carrying 49 passengers, 73 crew, and 617 tons of cargo in the lower hold. Five hours later, the lighthouse keeper of the Dent Island Light saw Yongala sail into the Whitsunday Passage ; the last known sighting of the ship. Shortly before the vessel left sight of land at Mackay, a telegram was received by the Flat Top signal station warning of a tropical cyclone between Townsville and Mackay. Flag and wireless signals from the station prompted several ships to take refuge at Mackay, but Yongala did not see the flags, and was yet to be fitted with wireless equipment. Yongala sank during the cyclone on 24 March 1911. All of her 122 passengers and crew died in the tragedy. Aftermath The lack of Yongala 's arrival in Townsville did not immediately cause concern, with the assumption that the ship had taken shelter from the cyclone. After three other ships arrived in Townsville, Yongala was listed as missing on 26 March, with the note that she may have been lost as early as 23 March. Queensland Premier Digby Denham turned all of the state 's resources over to search efforts, including seven vessels operated by the public service, police and shipping. Wreckage was found washed up on beaches from Hinchinbrook Island to Bowen, but there was no sign of the ship or those aboard. The only body found was of the racehorse Moonshine, which washed up at the mouth of Gordon Creek. A £ 1,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of the ship was offered by the Queensland government, but this was withdrawn after no useful information came forward. Several theories were offered for the ship 's disappearance. Some speculated that Yongala had fallen victim to the cyclone ; the high winds would have come from perpendicular to the ship 's course and overpowered the vessel. Others thought she had grounded on a submerged reef between Flinders Passage and Keeper Reef, run into Nares Rock, or struck Cape Upstart. SS Yongala at Fremantle in the 1900s The Marine Board of Queensland investigated the loss of Yongala from 8 to 20 June 1911. With no witnesses to the ship 's fate, the inquiry considered the ship 's stability, equipment and seaworthiness, together Captain William Knight 's capabilities as a ship 's master. After finding no fault with the condition of the ship ( based on design specifications supplied by the Adelaide Steamship Company, along with data from sea trials and seven years of uneventful operation ) or with Knight 's abilities ( his reputation as one of Adelaide Steamship Company 's most capable men, and 14 years ' service without incident ) the Board concluded that `` the fate of the Yongala passes beyond human ken into the realms of conjecture, to add one more to the mysteries of the sea ''. The Board did note the increased risk of navigating the Great Barrier Reef during tropical cyclone season was risky, and that the safest option was to secure the best anchorage available and ride the storm out. A `` Yongala distress fund '' was set up in March 1911, with money raised used for the relief of families of those aboard. The fund was closed on 30 September 1914, with the £ 900 remaining credited to the Queensland Shipwreck Society. Discovery In 1943, a minesweeper fouled on what was then thought to be a shoal, eleven miles east of Cape Bowling Green. The captain marked on his chart an obstruction in about thirteen fathoms ( 24 m ), dead on the track of vessels bound for Townsville. After the end of the war, the obstruction was investigated by the survey ship HMAS Lachlan. She arrived over the area in June 1947, and after several runs in the locality using anti-submarine instruments and echo sounder, found what appeared to be a patch of shoal water at six fathoms ( 11 m ) surrounded by soundings from twelve to fourteen fathoms ( 22 to 26 m ). Lachlan steamed over the area several times and found that the object was about 300 feet ( 91 m ) long and probably the wreck of a fair - sized steamer, possibly lying on her side. The only ship that had been reported missing in those waters was Yongala. The Navy did nothing to follow up the find. In 1958, Bill Kirkpatrick located the wreck and brought to the surface a barnacle - encrusted steel safe which they found in a cabin. When broken open with a pinch bar, hammer and chisel, the safe was found to contain nothing but black sludge. The only thing that offered a clue to identification of the ship was part of the safe 's serial number -- 9825W. It was subsequently established that it was a Chubb strongbox and the number was sent to the manufacturers in London for tracing. In 1961, the reply came back that the safe was one supplied to the purser 's cabin of the SS Yongala during her construction in 1903. Position The wreck of Yongala was 109 metres ( 358 ft ) in length. The bow points in a northerly direction ( 347 ° ), and although she lies listing to starboard at an angle of between 60 ° and 70 °, the vessel 's structural integrity has been retained. The depth of water to the sea floor is approximately 30 metres ( 98 ft ) ), with the upper sections of the wreck 16 metres ( 52 ft ) below the surface. Yongala 's ship 's bell The sea floor surrounding the wreck is open and sandy, so the wreck has become an established artificial reef, providing a structurally complex habitat for a diverse range of marine life. In 1981 the wreck was sketched by marine biologist Leon Zann. Although the superstructure of the wreck remains intact and very much like this sketch, the significant buildup of sand around the starboard side of the vessel has been scoured away, and the ventilators and railings have collapsed. The wreck of Yongala lies within the central section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It is approximately 48 nautical miles ( 89 km ) south - east of Townsville and 12 nautical miles ( 22 km ) east of Cape Bowling Green. Its official location is 19 ° 18 ′ 15.9 '' S 147 ° 37 ′ 31.6 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 19.304417 ° S 147.625444 ° E ﻿ / - 19.304417 ; 147.625444 Coordinates : 19 ° 18 ′ 15.9 '' S 147 ° 37 ′ 31.6 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 19.304417 ° S 147.625444 ° E ﻿ / - 19.304417 ; 147.625444. The wreck is protected under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976 and is managed through the Museum of Tropical Queensland, Townsville. Penetration diving and interference with artefacts is prohibited under the terms of the Act. As part of the management plan, a protected zone has been declared - this includes the wreck site itself, and all of the water and seabed within a radius of 797 metres ( 2,615 feet ) from the wreck. Access to the site is via permit only, obtainable from the Maritime Archaeology Section of the Museum of Tropical Queensland In late 2002, the site had several moorings installed to ensure that no more impact damage occurs by careless anchoring practices. A policy of ' No Anchoring ' was also introduced within the protected zone following the installation of the moorings. In addition to statutory protection, the site is also listed on the non-statutory Register of the National Estate ( place ID # 14835 ) as a Heritage site. Present day A buoy marks the Yongala wreck site SS Yongala is today a major tourist attraction for the recreational diving industry in Townsville. It is a popular dive spot with an extensive array of marine life. More than 10,000 divers visit the wreck every year. At 110 metres ( 361 ft ) long, she is one of the largest, most intact historic shipwrecks. The Maritime Museum of Townsville has an extensive display of Yongala memorabilia. The death of Tina Watson occurred near the dive site on 22 October 2003. Watson 's husband of eleven days was subsequently imprisoned for manslaughter. The heritage - listed Yongala Lodge in North Ward, Townsville, is named after the SS Yongala. The house was originally built for Matthew Rooney who died on the Yongala in 1911 along with his wife and youngest daughter. In media The wreck appeared in an episode of the Great Barrier Reef documentary, where it was seen as a home for many sea creatures. See also Nautical portal Disasters portal Underwater diving portal List of maritime disasters SS Koombana SS Waratah Protected areas of Australia References Jump up ^ `` The Yongala : The Worst Feared, Cargo Washing Ashore '' Archived 7 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine., Ohinemuri Gazette, 29 March 1911 p. 2 ^ Jump up to : SS Yongala Archived 7 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine., ( 2002 ), Maritime Museum of Townsville, retrieved 9 March 2008. Jump up ^ `` Supposed Foundering s.s. Yongala ''. The Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central - Western Districts ( Barcaldine, Qld. : 1892 - 1922 ). Barcaldine, Qld. : National Library of Australia. 1 April 1911. p. 7. Retrieved 2 February 2014. ^ Jump up to : Holthouse, Hector ( 1971 ). `` Yongala Vanishes ''. Cyclone. Adelaide : Rigby. pp. 59 -- 66. ISBN 0 - 85179 - 290 - 1. OCLC 251985. ^ Jump up to : `` View Shipwreck - Yongala ''. Australian National Shipwreck Database. Retrieved 20 August 2012. Jump up ^ ' SS Yongala Shipwreck, Cape Bowling Green via Ayr, QLD, Australia, ' Register of the National Estate ( Non-statutory archive ), ( 1 ), retrieved 20 / 08 / 2012. Jump up ^ Dive the SS Yongala Archived 9 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine. ( 2008 ), retrieved 9 March 2008. Jump up ^ ABC North Queensland ( 2005 ) Safeguarding the wreck the SS Yongala Archived 28 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine., retrieved 9 March 2008. Jump up ^ SS Yongala Dive Site Archived 28 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine., Tourism Queensland ( 2008 ), retrieved 9 March 2008. Jump up ^ `` Yongala Lodge ( entry 600878 ) ''. Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014. Further reading Gleeson, Max ( 1987 ). Townsville 's Titanic. Sydney : Turton & Armstrong. ISBN 0 - 908031 - 31 - 9. OCLC 27579405. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to SS Yongala. `` Dive spot description plus underwater pictures and videos of the Yongala wreck ''. `` List of crew and passengers ''. Grey River Argus. 29 March 1911. p. 6. `` Briefing map, photos, location, local dive weather ''. `` Discovery of the ship 's bell, underwater photo 's of wreck ''. `` Yongala salvage 1977 ( video ) at 35 minutes from start ''. Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1911 Shipwrecks 25 Jan : Rosario di Giorgio 23 Mar : Yongala 24 Mar : Sechelt 10 Apr : Iroquois 23 Apr : Doric 12 May : Merida 6 Jun : Bayard 1 July : USS Samar 27 July : RMS Empress of China 25 Sep : Liberté 27 Sep : Three Brothers 30 Sep : Swarland 1 Oct : Ixion 3 Nov : Fairhaven 4 Dec : Maryland Unknown date : HMS A1, Kings County Other incidents March ( unknown date ) : HMS Empress of India 20 Sep : Olympic, HMS Hawke 25 Sep : République 1910 1912 Recreational dive sites Reef dives Regions Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park Poor Knights Islands Sites Palancar Reef Wreck dives Regions Chuuk Lagoon Maritime Heritage Trail -- Battle of Saipan Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve Wreck Alley, San Diego Sites HMS A1 HMS A3 USS Aaron Ward Abessinia Aeolian Sky Albert C. Field Andrea Doria Antilla Antilles Aquila HMS Boadicea Bianca C Booya Breda HMAS Brisbane Bungsberg HMAS Canberra Carl D. Bradley Carnatic SMS Dresden Dunraven Eastfield HMT Elk Ellengowan RMS Empress of Ireland HMS Falmouth Fifi SS Francisco Morazan Fujikawa Maru Fumizuki USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg HMS Ghurka Glen Strathallan Gothenburg Herzogin Cecilie Hilma Hooker Hispania HMS Hood HMAS Hobart Igara James Eagan Layne Captain Keith Tibbetts King Cruiser SMS Kronprinz Kyarra HMS Laforey USAT Liberty Louis Sheid USS LST - 507 SMS Markgraf Mikhail Lermontov HMS M2 Maine Maloja HMS Maori Marguerite SS Mauna Loa USAT Meigs Mendi USCGC Mohawk Mohegan RMS Moldavia HMS Montagu MV RMS Mulheim Nagato Oceana USS Oriskany Oslofjord P29 P31 Pedernales Persier HMAS Perth Piłsudski Pool Fisher HMS Port Napier Preußen President Coolidge PS Queen Victoria Radaas Rainbow Warrior RMS Rhone Rondo Rosehill Royal Adelaide Royal Charter Rozi HMS Safari Salem Express USS Saratoga USS Scuffle HMS Scylla HMS Sidon USS Spiegel Grove Stanegarth Stanwood Stella HMAS Swan USS Tarpon Thesis Thistlegorm Toa Maru Torrey Canyon Tulagi Tulamben U-40 U-352 U-1195 Um El Faroud Varvassi Walter LM Russ Washingtonian HMNZS Wellington USS Yancey Yongala Zenobia Zealandia Zingara Cave dives Sites Devil 's Throat at Punta Sur Engelbrecht Fossil Cave Piccaninnie Ponds Sistema Ox Bel Ha Sistema Sac Actun Sistema Dos Ojos Sistema Nohoch Nah Chich Freshwater dives Ewens Ponds Little Blue Lake Training sites Capernwray Dive Centre National Diving and Activity Centre Stoney Cove Related topics Recreational diving Sea Trek ( diving system ) Shark tourism Snuba Scuba diving Commons Glossary Indexes : dive sites divers diving Outline Portal Australian historic shipwrecks with a protected zone National Aarhus SS Alert Bega ( 1908 ) Cato AHS Centuar Clonmel SMS Emden Foam Florence D SS Glenelg SS Gothenburg HSK Kormoran Lady Darling Llewellyn Submarine M24 HMCS Mermaid HMS Pandora HMS Porpoise Sanyo Maru Submarine I - 124 HMAS Sydney SS Yongala VOC Zuytdorp Northern Territory Booya ( ship ) South Australia HMAS Hobart ( D 39 ) South Australian Zanoni ( 1865 ) Related topics Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SS_Yongala&oldid=859227682 '' Categories : Shipwrecks in the Coral Sea Shipwrecks of Queensland Maritime incidents in 1911 Merchant ships of Australia Iron and steel steamships of Australia Ships built on the River Tyne 1903 ships Underwater diving sites in Australia Ships lost with all hands Places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate North Queensland Australian Shipwrecks with protected zone Ships built by Armstrong Whitworth March 1911 events Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 : Julian -- Gregorian uncertainty Articles with short description Use Australian English from September 2012 All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English Use dmy dates from March 2011 Pages using deprecated image syntax All Wikipedia articles needing clarification Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2010 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2014 Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2014 All articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases Articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases from May 2014 All pages needing factual verification Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from May 2014 Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch فارسی Français Italiano Simple English Suomi Edit links This page was last edited on 12 September 2018, at 16 : 37 ( UTC ). 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Question: ship that sank off cape bowling green in 1911
Answer: SS Yongala