NOT LIKELY TO BE SOUTH OF PORT HEDLAND

The Advertiser, Adelaide, 30 March, 1912

THE KOOMBANA.

SEARCHES THAT FAILED.

Fremantle. March 29.

News is still awaited from vessels in

search of the Koombana. The Adelaide

Steamship Company received a telegram

from the branch manager at Port Hedland 

that the examination of Bedout Island and 

Amphinome Shoals had been resultless, 

and the search along the coast by luggers 

also has been unsuccessful. The Bullarra 

arrived at Broome at 4 p.m., and signalled-

"No news of the Koombana."

The steamer Una, chartered by the

Government, will leave Geraldton

to-night on a four weeks' search.

She will take sufficient coal and food to

enable her to remain at sea if necessary for

two months.

FEDERAL TRAWLER TO SEARCH.

Melbourne, March 29.

The Federal Government have decided to

dispatch the trawler Endeavor in search

of the Koombana, should the Western

Australian Government desire it. The

trawler is now engaged in the Bight, but

her whereabouts are fairly accurately

known, and sending her to the assistance

of the search parties will be, it is officially 

stated, an easy matter. To-day communications 

passed between the Federal and Western 

Australian Governments, the former having 

decided to offer assistance, in response to 

a suggestion from Mr. G. Piggott, who fears 

that relatives of his were passengers on the 

vessel. Mr. Piggott was supported by Mr. W. H. 

Irvine, M.H.R. The Prime Minister informed

the Premier of Western Australia (Mr.

Scaddan) that the Federal Government

were prepared to bear portion of the expense 

of searching by sea or land for the vessel, 

and of succoring survivors if in distress. 

Mr. Scaddan replied with the following 

account of what the State Government were doing:-

"Thank for your telegram, Koombana. The Government

have done everything possible to ascertain

whether the steamer has met with mishap.

At present the captains of the Gorgon

and Minderoo have been instructed to

keep a sharp lookout for her, whilst the

Bullara has been dispatched from Port

Hedland to make special search. 

Arrangements have also been made for 

luggers to search near the coast between 

Broome and Port Hedland. I was negotiating 

for using the steamer Moira from Wyndham,

but she sailed at 10.30 a.m. to-day, and

the agents have instructed her captain to

keep a lookout on the southward journey.

Captain Irvine, chief harbormaster, has

been in conference with representatives of

the steamship companies at Fremantle, and

having charts available, is arranging a

course as deemed most advisable. 

Regarding your enquiry as to the search being

made south of Port Hedland, Captain Irvine 

points out that the Bullara passed near the 

coast from Cossack to Port Hedland, also 

that a number of luggers are out. He does 

not think there is any probability of a 

successful search being made south of that 

port. The police also have sent men along 

the coastline. Everything possible is being 

done, but the extent of water requiring 

examination covers a large area. Should 

we be unable to find the vessel, could your 

Government arrange for a gunboat or vessel 

such as the Protector to proceed north-west, 

with the object of assisting in the search?"

The Protector is in Port Phillip Bay,

and as time would be lost in sending her

to Western Australia, the trawler has

been selected.

Very interesting comment made by Captain Irvine that a search south of Port Hedland was unlikely to yield results. One would have thought that he would be pushing for the loss of the Koombana well within the hurricane-force core of the cyclone, possibly being driven to the west as had happened to the Moira. Furthermore, the date 29 March was before all the major wreckage discoveries. I have the distinct impression that he knew more than he ever let on!!

Barrier Miner, 3 April, 1912.

BEDOUT ISLAND.

Bedout Island, where the wreckage

was found, is almost on the direct

route of steamers travelling between

Port Hedland and Broome, being a

few miles to the west of the regular

"track." Vessels steer wide of the

presence of "foul ground" there. The

Amphinome Shoals lie between 

Bedout Island and the Mainland. The 

fact that the wreckage was not discovered

earlier might have been on account of

the steamer having foundered in deep

water, and did not break up sufficiently

to release much wreckage until the

last few days.

Entirely in keeping with my theory that Koombana will be found in the vicinity of the 27.5 mile mark, within the steamer track between Hedland and Broome.

For Koombana to have foundered in the region of the 'foul ground' would have been a feat of extraordinary seamanship to avoid the plethora of shallow shoals - running aground!!!

courtesy Google Earth

courtesy Trove.

A LARGE PATCH OF STRAW AND THE 'MAIN CAUSE OF THE DISASTER'.

The West Australian, 6 November, 1948

THE KOOMBANA SINKING

By W. J. WALKERDEN

WHEN the schooner Alto

bumped against a jetty and

disclosed some faulty timbers,

a Port Hedland dealer was

forced into a decision which was

to provide the only evidence of

the spot where the Koombana

went down with all hands.

The Alto was a softwood

schooner, a relic of the boom

days of big pearling fleets, when

a number of luggers operated

from a mother ship. After

several years of inactivity she

had been bought by an 

enterprising mariner who intended

sailing her to Fremantle with a

payload of mixed cargo, including 

several thousands of empty

bottles which a dealer had

gathered and was shipping

south. When the dealer saw

the condition of the hull he

Lightly loaded and with her ballast tanks emptied to clear the bar, the Koombana left Port Hedland to steam into one of the worst cyclones the North has experienced.

Helpthe condition of the Alto's hull

he refused to entrust his valu-

able cargo to such a fragile

craft; and "Leech's Fortune,"

as the huge stack of empties had

become known, was transferred

as deck cargo to the Koombana.

But about 60 miles from Hedland 

some searchers found a large 

patch of straw. Perhaps

a quarter of an acre in extent, 
it was composed of straw

envelopes in which bottles are

packed--all that remained of

"Leech's Fortune."

1. Stateroom door; painting stage; small pieces of board. SS Gorgon

2. Motor launch starboard bow plank (with insignia). SS Bullarra

3. Small wreckage; (life) boat tanks; lifebelts; panel from saloon / smoke room ceiling. SS Bullarra
(see: https://koombanarevisited.blogspot.com/2019/11/sufficient-warning.html)

4. Bottom board from (life) boat; white painted board. Lugger McLennan. 

5. (life) boat mast and small wreckage (rising from bottom). SS Una

6. Miscellaneous wreckage. SS Una   

7. Miscellaneous wreckage. SS Una. 

(see https://koombanarevisited.blogspot.com/2019/10/captain-rantzau.html)

8. Cabin paneling. Lugger Mina.

9. Smoking room cushion; cabin door. SS Minderoo.

10. Straw envelopes (Leech's fortune). SS Minderoo and SS Gorgon.
(see:  https://koombanarevisited.blogspot.com/2019/11/sufficient-warning.html)
11. Bottom boards (lifeboat); drawer; small teak panel. SS Minderoo.

Meanwhile, out on the pearling

beds, Japanese divers were 

surfacing and reporting heavy

ground swell, an infallible 

indication of an approaching

storm; lugger owners were 

raising anchors and preparing to

make for port or run before the

wind. On March 20, 1912, the

Koombana, lightly loaded, and

with her ballast tanks emptied

to clear the bar, left Port Hed-

land to steam into one of the

worst cyclones the North has

experienced. She was never

seen again.

The captain's decision to leave

port was criticised after the

tragedy, but the facts vindicated

his action. In the open sea

the ship should have been 

capable of riding the storm. 

The tide was receding; had he 

remained in port another day,

at least a week would have

elapsed before another high

tide enabled him to leave port.

In maritime phrase, he would

have been neaped.

As it was, to clear the bar he

had to empty his water ballast

tanks. This was probably the

main cause of the disaster. The

ship, naturally top-heavy, was

made more so by the light

cargo and lack of ballast. Be-

fore she could regain ballast the

blow struck her.

Officially, the spot where she

sank is unknown. A cabin door

and part of a grating was all

the identifiable wreckage found.

That was where the Koombana

sank. Her resting place may

be for ever a secret. Our 

northern waters are deep, and the

playground of uncharted currents. 

She may have drifted far before 

she found rest in the lee of some 

coral island, or the frozen seas

of the Antarctic.

A fascinating, insightful commentary. I believe that the bottles filled with water and did not rise to the surface with the lighter straw envelopes.

courtesy Trove.

DESTRUCTIVE TYPHOON

The Argus, Melbourne, 25 March, 1912

DESTRUCTIVE TYPHOON.

NORTH-WEST COAST DISASTER.

VESSELS SMASHED TO PIECES.

MEN DROWNED OR MISSING.

PERTH, Sunday.—Details of a terrific

gale on the north-west coast, causing great

damage and loss of life, were received in

Perth yesterday. The gale commenced on

Wednesday night, and continued till Friday

morning, during which time 9 in. of rain fell. 

The wind-swept area extended at least from 

Cossack inland to Marble Bar a distance of 

about 170 miles as the crow flies.

Telegrams from the scene of the disaster

show that the most serious damage was

done at Balla Balla, 30 miles east of Cossack, 

where one ship was broken to pieces

and another is ashore. One lighter was

smashed to pieces, and another sunk. At

least a dozen lives have been lost, for four

bodies have already been recovered, while

eight men are still missing from the crew

of the ship Crown of England, the vessel

which was smashed to pieces.

(The steamer Bullarra sailed from Port

Hedland for Cossack via Balla Balla on

March 20, at 11 a.m., and encountered

a strong north-east gale on leaving the

harbor. By 2 p.m. (22 n miles from Balla 

Balla) the gale had increased to a hurricane, 

and continued till 1 p.m. next day. The 

barometer had fallen to 27.70 at this 

stage, and the hurricane had reached 

its strongest - Advertiser, Adelaide, 26

March, 1912)

(Bullarra steered a course to Balla Balla,

where she had to pick up some passengers,

and the Koombana went towards Broome.

When about 22 miles from Balla Balla very

bad weather was struck - West Australian

2 April, 1912)

The first news of the disaster was contained 

in the following telegram, received

by the commissioner of police from Con-

stable Brown, of Whim Creek :—

"Reported 2 o'clock this morning by telephone

from Balla Balla that on the night of 20th a

terrific storm occurred. Ship Crown of England

broke in pieces ; eight men are missing from her.
Ship Concordia is on beach, intact, and there is
fair chance or refloating her. Lighter Steady
standing high and dry on Dupuch Island unbroken.
Lighter Clyde sunk in shallow water. Lighter
Enterprise was broken to pieces. Bodies of
Thomas J. Hill, hotel keeper, of Whim Creek,
Edward P. Maginnis, wharfinger, also those of
first mate and steward of Crown of England, have
been recovered. A Greek was also drowned, and
as far as can be ascertained seven or eight men
still missing. Others are on Dupuch Island. Have
despatched Cossack cutter to Dupuch Island, with
Constables Cusack and Gardiner, and Dr. 
Shelmardine, with instructions to search for survivors."

Some time later the postmaster at Whim

Creek telegraphed :—

"Eight men still missing from crew of Crown

of England. All other passengers and crew are

supposed to be safe on Dupuch Island. Pearling

fleet, in charge of Richard Thorley, sheltered at

Balla Balla Creek. Captain Erickson, of Concordia, 

and Messrs. Thorley and McDonald, searched 

yesterday in heavy seas, and further search 

will be made to-day."

The Dupuch anchorage is a dangerous

and treacherous spot, dreaded by every

shipmaster who is obliged to use it. It

lies between the mainland and Dupuch 

Island, the narrowness of the waterway 

causing the tide to race furiously backwards 

and forwards. Though it offers very adequate

protection against the weather, sailing

vessels caught by the "Blow" with two or

three anchors down have little or no hope

of getting out to sea. For safety there is

nothing to depend upon but ground tackle,

and with a hurricane backed up by a terrific

racing tide, ships would have little chance

of escaping destruction.

A telegram despatched from Roeburne

on Saturday night stated :—

The loss of life on the lighters Clyo and

Enterprise is not known. Seven witnesses

in the recent murder case at Roeburn went

on the lighter Clyo, intending to catch the

steamer Bullarra on Wednesday night, and

Messrs. Maginnis and Hill, who are among

the drowned, were taken to the same lighter

in a motor launch. Maginnis was at one

time first mate on the Bullarra, and after-

wards of the Koombana. His relatives live

in Melbourne.

The damage on land extended over a wide

area. At Roeburne 875 points of rain fell in

24 hours. The Harding River was running

a banker, and the town was flooded. 

Portion of Point Sampson jetty, and the 

tramway between Point Sampson and 

Cossack are washed away. Port Hedland 

was half under water, but no lives are lost.

Two hotels were blown down at Balla

Balla, and other buildings are severely

damaged.

These two paragraphs are extremely informative with regard to the influence of the cyclone. Although flooding took place at both Point Sampson and Port Hedland, there was NO destructive wind force, as took place at Balla Balla. 

"The eye diameter of severe cyclones off the northwest coast tends to be about 20 to 40 km, and are typically smaller than those in some other parts of the world such as the north Pacific. The eye size of Tracy (Darwin, 1974) was just 12 km across. Rosita (Broome, 2000) only had an eye diameter of 20 km."

The Moira Account outlined in a previous post adds to filling in important information describing the movements and extent of the cyclone:

http://koombanarevisited.blogspot.com/2016/11/moira-account.html

The Brisbane Courier, Wednesday 27 March, 1912.

Captain Brett Ward, master of the

Moira, which reached Wyndham 

yesterday, forwarded the following 

cable message, via Broome, to the 

Premier :-

"We encountered cyclonic weather at 8 a.m. 

on the 20th, in latitude 19-20 deg. south,

and longitude 117 deg. east, 100 miles 

north-west of Hedland. The Moira was 

run before the storm in a westerly direction

about 150 miles. The storm roughly lasted 

21 hours, the wind gradually shifting from 

east and north-east to south-westerly.

The ship proceeded on her journey, 

passing 60 miles north-west of Rowley

Shoals (255 miles). The steamer Charon 

was near Liguliea reef at 7 a.m. on the 22nd, 

bound for Java. I consider the cyclone was 

more severe nearer the land than with us. 

We did not sight the Koombana."

The Moira encountered the cyclone 8 am, 20 March, approximately 69 n miles from the position where Bullarra encountered the right-hand margin of the cyclonic semi-circle at 2 pm, 20 March. This was 7 hours prior and Moira 100 n miles northwest of Port Hedland. If she had been fitted with wireless Captain Ward could have warned both Koombana and Bullarra!!

The interesting thing about the Moira account and conceptualized on the last image below is that the steamer struck the 'inferior' aspect of the cyclone (wind from east), which was moving more southeastward than southwestward (as I had imagined) and completely missed the outside, inner track Koombana would have taken from Port Hedland to Broome! Furthermore, the cyclone was moving roughly 11.8 knots until it approached landfall slowing down ---> stalling ? 

The image of the SS Moira, below, confirms yet another humble steamer surviving the cyclone which allegedly took Koombana to the bottom. She was a cargo steamer built, 1901, by William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton, for the Australasian United Steam Navigation Company (A.U.S.N.) - 2184 gross tons; 300 ft. in length and powered by a single triple expansion engine.

In fairness to Koombana the complexity of Moira's intersection with the cyclone suggests that she was blown to the west out of the worst of the system, which might explain why she survived and what's more, the influence of the cyclone extended considerably beyond the 50 mile radius, not in terms of a battering, hurricane-force gale, but in terms of strong winds and heavy rain.

courtesy Google Earth

One can imagine the impact even a 50 kph wind would have on the towering superstructure of a tender steamer such as Koombana.

The wind catchment factor would have been enhanced by Koombana's prominent funnel and wind sails deployed on the spar and promenade decks, as depicted in this image. (courtesy Daily Telegraph)

Moira (courtesy Flotilla Australia)

courtesy Google Earth

courtesy Trove.