INQUIRY REPORT, 1909.

Unique ID:	19774
Description:	BOT Wreck Report for 'Koombana', 1909
Creator:	Board of Trade
Date:	1909
Copyright:	Out of copyright
Partner:	SCC Libraries
Partner ID:	Unknown

Transcription

(No. 7298.)

KOOMBANA"(S.S.).

FINDING Of a Court of Marine Inquiry held at Fremantle on the 6th and 7th days of August, 1909, to investigate the circumstances attending the damage sustained by the s.s "KOOMBANA" through striking an obstacle off Gantheaume Point, North-West Coast of Australia, on 28th April, 1909.

Finding of the Court.

In coming to a decision on this matter, I must be guided entirely by the evidence before me, and I do not purpose to go outside that evidence, and assume anything that is not warranted by it.

The evidence establishes the fact that the s.s. "Koombana," with Captain Rees in command of her, left the port of Broome for Derby about 8 p.m on the night of 28th April, 1909, the captain being on the bridge. A course was steered in line of the leading lights astern until Entrance Point was bearing N. 10 W., when the course was then set N. 46 W., to bring her through the Roebuck Deep. On that course she continued until Gantheaume Light bore East, distant one mile or thereabouts. The evidence is that she then and there struck an obstruction, damaging her bottom on the port side forward, and there is no evidence that she struck an obstruction in any other position. No obstruction is shown to exist in such a position on the Admiralty chart produced, being the chart by which the vessel was navigated on that occasion. An uncharted rock has since been found in the locality, some half mile from the ship's position on the occasion of her striking. There is no evidence before the Court that any other course was steered, after the course was set off Entrance Point, until she struck an obstruction, and the evidence establishes the fact that such course, the captain being guided by the chart, was perfectly safe, through the Roebuck Deep.

It is regrettable that, as the vessel did strike an obstruction, the notebook of the officer of the watch, and also the bridge book, were not preserved and made available on this inquiry. In my opinion, such books should have been kept for reference.

In my opinion, there is no evidence establishing the charge of laxity in navigating the s.s. "Koombana" on the part of Captain Rees. I think, therefore, that this charge must be dismissed, and Captain Rees exonerated. I therefore return him his certificate.

E. P. DOWLEY,

Magistrate of the Local Court,

Fremantle.

We concur in the above Finding.

THOS. E. CUTLER,

JOHN FOXWORTHY,

Nautical Assessors.

(Issued in London by the Board of Trade on the 8th day of October, 1909.)

The Argus, Melbourne, Monday 9 August, 1909.

KOOMBANA'S MISHAP.

SUPPOSED SUNKEN ROCK.

PERTH, Sunday - Following the preliminary

inquiry by the chief harbourmaster (Mr Irvine) 

into the circumstances surrounding the mishap 

to the steamer Koombana outside Broome on 

April 28 the Marine Court, consisting of Mr Dooley,

resident magistrate, and Captains Cuttle and

Foxworthy, investigated the charge preferred 

against Captain Rees the master of the vessel, 

of laxity in navigation when leaving Broome. 

Captain Rees described the course steered 

when leaving port and said that he was confident 

of the vessel's position, although no bearings 

were taken he suggested that the vessel struck a 

coral pinnacle which was snapped off, leaving the 

stern clear to pass over it. The chart which he had 

used was drawn in 1883 and during the last two months 

H. M. S. Fantome had found an additional rock which 

at extreme low tide, when the Koombana struck, would

be nearly awash, as at neap tide it was 14ft below the 

surface The board exonerated Captain Rees from all 

blame in connection with the mishap.

The Mercury, Hobart, 29 November, 1911

The Fantome has just completed a 

survey of the N.W. Coast of' West 

Australia. During her visit to those 

waters an area of 700 square miles 

has been sounded, 350 miles of

coastline examined, and charts 

corrected

It does appear to be the case that lenience was exercised by Mr. Dowley. 

If one takes a closer look at the image below, it is apparent that Captain Rees could not have set a course N 46 W as claimed in order to arrive at the rock in question, 0.5 n miles west of Gantheaume Lighthouse. He would have run aground long before. 

Western Australia-North-West Coast. 2187/09. IT is hereby notified that an uncharted reef or submerged derelict is reported with less than 16 feet water at 3/4 ebb dead neap tide, Gantheaume Point bearing East distance 3/4 of a mile Lat. 17.58 S., Long. 122.10 East (position approximate.) Charts affected. No. 1048.-Buccaneer Archipelago to Bedout Island. No. 858.-Roebuck Bay. C. J. IRVINE, Chief Harbour Master. Department of Harbour and Lights, Fremantle, 14th May, 1909. 

Western Astralia-North-West Coast. Gantheaume Point. 2187/09. WITH reference to Notice to Mariners dated 14th May, 1909: Further notice is hereby given that a thorough search has been made for the alleged uncharted danger, and no obstacle discovered in position given, but a rock with three feet over it at L.W.O.S. was found by H.M.S. , "Fantome" with Gantheaume Point Lighthouse bearing North 88 East, 5 cables, and Riddell Point South 47 East (bearings Magnetic). Charts affected. No. 1048.-Buccaneer Archipelago to Bedout Island. No. 858.-Roebuck Bay. C. .J. IRVINE, Chief Harbour Master. Department of Harbour and Lights, Fremantle, 20th July, 1909.

Captain Rees claimed the obstacle was 1 mile distant from Gantheaume Lighthouse - a blatant untruth. The rock in question would have been 1/2 a mile closer to shore, suggesting that Koombana had wandered off course bearing N 40 W, rather than N 46 W. What's more, Koombana struck on her port side suggesting that she was seriously off course.

Conveniently the 'notebook' and 'bridgebook' were missing which made the senior crew look more guilty.Captain Rees admitted not taking bearings, compounded by the incident taking place at night. A coral pinnacle was a transparent 'clutching at straws'.

Why was Dowley so lenient?

The answer to this reverts to speculation: I believe that the crew and steamers servicing the 'work in progress' Nor'-West coast were subjected to almost unreasonable challenges in the form of the tidal ports such as Broome and Port Hedland + the extremely hazardous sand banks and narrow channel off Denham, Shark Bay. There should have been dedicated port pilots to guide steamers through these hazards, as were provided on the east coast. It was almost as though too much was expected from masters such as Captain Rees. Dowley recognised this and in order to avoid too much negative attention being directed at the limitations of the port services and access, let Captain Rees off the hook. From a cynical perspective if Captain Rees had lost his licence for say 6 months, who would have taken command of the challenging Koombana and met the stringent Nor'-West coast demands??

Perhaps the most intriguing comment made in the above extracts refers to the outdated chart used - circa 1893. Although the Fantome survey was completed by late 1911, it was claimed at the Inquiry into the loss of the Koombana, that the chart was inaccurate, yet to be updated and the coast in question, poorly surveyed. This claim is legitimized by the reference to 1893, 19 years prior. We know that the coordinates for Bedout Island, circa James Martin survey, 1865, were 10.5 n miles deviated to the southwestward. 

courtesy Google Earth

courtesy Google Earth

"a number of highly magnetic undersea iron ore bodies."

"These ore bodies are of such magnitude that when the survey vessel HMS Penguin reexamined 19th-century survey reports from HMS Meda, it experienced compass variation of up to 55° and dip to 33° (Lecky, 1920: 30)."

(The Searches for SS Koombana, Kerry Thom) 

courtesy Trove.