SS UGANDA; CYCLONE AND CASE OF THE CLAN RANALD.

Evening Journal, 26 March, 1912.

The steamer Uganda arrived this morning

from Singapore. She had a rough passage

down but did not sustain any damage. Signs

of a cyclonic disturbance were noticed three

or four days before arrival but the Uganda

did not see any trace of the missing vessel. 

The SS Uganda built in 1898 by the same builders of Koombana, Alexander, Stephen and Sons, comprised 5,355 gross tons; length 410 ft and beam 51 ft. Triple expansion engines produced 2,274 ihp and 10 knots. Predominantly cargo and accommodation for only 17 passengers.

The distance between Port Hedland and Fremantle is 960 n miles. This suggests that Uganda making an average of 10 knots took 96 hours, 4 days, which correlates with the 'three or four days'. 

The fact that the humble SS Uganda completed her voyage via the Balla Balla cyclone without 'sustaining any damage' and 'noticed the cyclonic disturbance' reflects, in my opinion, that the worst of the system impacted the coast rather than significantly offshore. 

This was further confirmed by:

Steamer Charon was near Legulier
Reef at 7 a.m. on 22nd inst., bound Java.
Consider cyclone more severe nearer land
than with us. Did not sight Koombana.

SS Uganda

The SS Uganda was involved in a rather unsavory incident reminiscent of the TItanic / Californian controversy. The following lengthy link outlines circumstances surrounding the loss of the Clan Ranald. There are echoes of the Koombana ballasting issues and 'the ugly list to port':

https://waratahrevisited.blogspot.com/2016/03/clan-ranald-fascinating-account-and.html

Extracts:

By the President - If the ballast tanks

had to be filled he would have preferred to

have them filled alongside the wharf. 

Warden Ericker - Considering the weather 

and the position of the ship, would it

have been dangerous to fill the ballast

tanks in the circumstances? 

By Warden Berry - If the tanks had been

left partly filled it would have been dangerous. 

direct me to the spot where the wreck was sunk, 

which he said he knew exactly, having seen 

streams of oil rising from her 

This mirrors Captain Upjohn's discovery of a patch of oil resembling the outline of a ship. This was highly significant.

There are several long furrows in the bottom immediately 

to the eastward of the ship, as if her starboard 

bilge keel had bumped several times before 

she finally settled down.

This description might very well explain the discovery of a section of Koombana's bilge keel.

The engineers alone manipulated the valves

to fill the ballast tanks.

By Warden Berry - The various valves of

the ballast tanks were separate and distinct, 

and were always treated so. There

was a double "shut-off" to each ballast

tank - a master (or boss) valve and a separate valve. 

One would not be justified in

concluding that the ballast injection valve

was open because bubbles had been observed

issuing from it when the diver went down,

but that it was shut and leaking. If it had

been open the tank would have been filled

with water long since. There might have

been compressed air in the tank, which escaped 

through the inlet. To do this it would have to pass 

through three valves.

Suggesting a partially filled tank ----> list ----> capsize.

A reminder of how wrong things could go with ballast tanks:

'At 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon, upon being informed by the Chief Engineer of the condition of the engine room and stokehold, the captain ordered starboard ballast tank No. 4 pumped out, and during the latter part of the afternoon No. 5 starboard ballast tank was pumped, but as these pumps had no wing suctions loose water was left in them. Early Monday morning starboard ballast tank No. 2 was pumped. The effect of pumping out these tanks was to increase the list instead of reducing it. The weather and sea grew worse during the afternoon and at about 7:30 P.M. a heavy sea broke against her port side and she lurched heavily to starboard and some of her cargo in No. 1 hold of her upper deck shifted, breaking a temporary wooden partition. After the lurch she had a list to starboard variously estimated from ten to fifteen degrees. The list gradually increased until she capsized; at 4 A.M. Monday it was about twenty degrees; by noon it had increased to about thirty-five degrees. Just how much more she listed in the period between noon and the time she turned over is uncertain. The storm was most severe during Sunday evening and the wind reached about force 10 on Beaufort’s scale (wind at 56 to 65 miles an hour).'

Thayer, G. David. First to Die: The Tragic Loss of the SS Vestris (p. 198). Rapidsoft Press ®, jointly with Our American Stories ® LLC. Kindle Edition.

Clan Ranald courtesy Wikipedia

courtesy Flotilla Australia and Trove.