REMEMBERING THE DISASTER.

The Sun, Sydney, 4 October, 1922.

KOOMBANA WRECK

Tragedy of Ten Years Ago

LOSS OF 170 (157) LIVES

Terrific Coast Gale

While steaming on a smooth

sea between the mainland and

Bedout Island, in the north, the

steamer Bambra struck what is

believed to be the remains of

the steamer Koombana.

A tantalising possibility, finally the discovery of the wreck of Koombana, 10 years later. 

However, the Geranium naval steamer was tasked to go to the site and confirm the story. This did not materialize. Koombana remains illusive.

A little over ten years ago every

body was asking: "Is there any news

of the Koombana?". She left Port

Hedland on Wednesday March 20,

1912, with 170 (157) souls aboard. 

On that day a terrific gale— a willy willy

— raged along the north-west coast. 

The cyclone commenced on the 

Wednesday night and continued till 

the Friday morning. During that time 

nine inches of rain fell.

"Koombana" was on everybody's lips

for several days. Then came the 

message that a smoking-room settee 

and a red cushion had been found near

Bedout Island. That was followed

by the announcement that all hope

had been abandoned. Several days 

after memorial services were held in

churches and a relief fund was opened.

WHAT MARINERS THOUGHT

After the finding of the wreckage,

mariners were convinced that the

Koombana went down near Bedout 

Island. But, as with the Waratah and

Yongala, and other ill-fated vessels,

the relatives of those on board did not

give up hope till the very last. And

sailors who know that part of the

Australian coast, were not surprised

that there were no survivors. "No

person could have lived in such a sea

for five minutes," they declared, "and

the vicinity of Bedout Island is noted

for the existence of myriads of sharks."

When the Koombana was three days

out the relatives of the unfortunate

passengers and crew were heartened

by a message that she had got back to

port. But that was due to the over-

anxiety of a telegraph line repairer

outside Port Hedland, who reported

that the Koomabana, flying signals of

distress, was about to enter the port.

The steamer proved to be the Bullarra,

which subsequently rendered great

assistance in the vain search for the

Koombana.

"SHE WILL TURN UP"

Right on top of the telegraph lines

man's story came another cheery mess

age — "Evidently the Koombana missed

the full force of the gale, for her safe

arrival at Derby, some distance north

of Broome, is announced." Unfortunately, 

however, both messages proved inaccurate, 

and the Bambra has, it is believed now, 

passed over the Koombana at the very 

spot where ten years ago a veteran 

north-west coast captain said she had 

gone down.

Right up till the time the wreckage

was found the agents were hopeful.

"She is such an admirable seaboat,"

they said, "and the master is such a

careful mariner, that we have every

confidence she will turn up safely."

The Koombana was the plaything of

the cyclone. Old mariners were emphatic 

on that point. She was battered to pieces

- that was indicated by the tattered and 

torn state of the wreckage.

ALMOST FORGOTTEN

Then for a week or two the man in

the street remarked "That's the last of

the Koombana." And so many things

have happened since that the Koombana 

was almost forgotten until a few days ago, 

the Bambra struck her and rolled so much 

that it was feared she would turn right over 

and find a resting place alongside the fine 

vessel of 4400 tons that has evidently been

there for over a decade.

But the Koombana was not altogether

forgotten, because when she went down

she took with her 170 (157) of our own kith

and kin, leaving behind the memory of

a tragedy of the sea.

There have been many tragedies of

the sea during the last ten yours, and

especially during the war period.

Many fine ships were mined — others

torpedoed. But that we could understand

although we were shocked we were not 

staggered. But when at our very doors a 

vessel with many precious lives aboard 

is swallowed up and leaves hardly any 

trace behind— not one solitary survivor 

to tell the story — words fail us. . . .And 

then, as time goes on and disaster 

succeeds disaster we forgot the Koombana. 

But ten years ago almost everything else 

was forgotten. . . . Today we are reminded 

of the tragedy of March, 1912— and we 

understand.

SS Bambra - courtesy Flotilla Australia.

Mirror, Perth, 29 March, 1930.

 In the loss of the Koombana not 

one of her 130 (157) passengers 

and crew was ever seen again. 

She disappeared with all hands.

The Koombana was lost in one of the

worst cyclones on the Nor'-West coast.

Two other ships, the Crown of England 

and the Concordia, were driven ashore 

off Depuch anchorage, eight men off the 

former being drowned. Scores of luggers 

were wrecked and three well known men 

who were to have been Crown witnesses 

in a murder case were drowned when the 

lighter in which they were waiting to be 

picked up by the s.s. Bullara was 

overtaken by the storm. Altogether the 

death roll — apart from the 130 on the 

Koombana — amounted to over 40. 

The Koombana had been on the coast

for two (3) years. She was of 4399 (3668)

tons, well equipped, could do 15 knots, 

and was recognised as one of the best 

boats on the coast. She left Port Hedland 

for Broome at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 

March 20. There was

A GALE BLOWING

then and she was rolling heavily as she

left the anchorage, her captain having

decided not to fill the ballast tanks till

he crossed the outer bank. 

As recalled, 10 years later, there was a gale blowing and Koombana, in very light condition, was 'rolling heavily'. These are the salient, correct facts which stuck in the collective memory.

At 1 p.m. she was sighted by the Bullara, 

which left Port Hedland for the south half 

an hour after her. But she was never seen

again.

Captain T. M. Allen's farewell

words as he prepared to sail out

into the storm were strangely

prophetic: 'I'm going straight

out to sea.' he said, 'and I'll be

lucky if I get to Broome on 

Saturday.'

Again absolutely no ambiguity about departing into a storm and anticipating a rough time of it.

He never reached there. For days the whole 

State waited anxiously for news. Shipping men 

generally

WERE OPTIMISTIC.

One authority, Captain H. C. Clarke,

said that 'properly handled the Koombana 

would live in any hurricane.' And

an engineer who had weathered some

rough weather in her described the ill

fated vessel as 'the best sea boat I

ever sailed in.'

After a few days of anxious waiting

a systematic search was begun, the

Premier (Mr. Jack Scaddan) and the

Prime Minister (Mr. Andrew Fisher) 

cooperating with the steamship 

companies in the hope of piercing the 

veil of mystery. But their efforts were 

unavailing. The coast was scoured by 

luggers and the Bullarra, Gorgon, Minderoo,

Moira and Una kept a close watch for

signs of the missing vessel.

On April 3 the Gorgon found some 

small wreckage and the door of a stateroom.

The discovery was made 25 miles west

by north of Bedout Island, the searchers 

being directed to the spot by the presence 

of numbers of birds. 

Flocks of birds at sea were generally associated with the presence of bodies after the loss of a ship. No bodies, however, were ever officially discovered. 

The Koombana was the only boat on the

coast with staterooms and on receipt of

the news the manager of the Adelaide

S.S. Co (Mr. W. E. Moxon) counselled

people to resign themselves to the

thought that the Koombana

HAD BEEN LOST.

The stateroom door was subsequently

identified as belonging to the stateroom

facing the port side entrance to the

music saloon.

The next discovery was made by

Capt. Mills of the Minderoo, who found

a smokeroom settee, and red cushion,

part of a cabin drawer and the bottom

boards of a boat between 50 and 70

miles west of Bedout Island. And on

Friday. April 5, the 'West Australian'

announced 'All Hope Abandoned.' A

fund for the relief of sufferers was

opened by the Mayor of Perth (Mr. T. G.

A. Molloy) and services were held in

all the churches.

Later the Bullara (Captain Upjohn)

picked up the bow of a boat 20 miles

north of Bedout and a quantity of

greasy and oily water was seen. 

And nothing more on that important subject, then and now.

The Una picked up a mast from one of, the

ship's boats, and a cabin panel and air

tight copper tanks were discovered on

the coast about 150 miles from Broome.

Beyond these traces the Koombana had 

become one of the mysteries of the

sea. She

HAD DISAPPEARED

as completely as had the Yongala of

the same line off the Queensland coast

exactly a year before. Some people still

say she was top-heavy. But to some

every steamer that has more than one

deck in its superstructure is carrying

too much top hamper. It is felt, however, 

that she either struck a reef or was 

overwhelmed by the seas somewhere 

in the vicinity of Bedout Island and sank 

with all hands.

And when some days later the

'Old Bull'— as the Bullara was

known — limped into Fremantle

with her funnel blown away and

temporarily replaced by a wooden

box, her superstructure damaged

and her boats smashed in, those

on the waterfront wondered that

any ship could live out the hurricane 

the 'Old Bull' and the Koombana

encountered.

Bullarra on the left and Koombana on the right, towering over the older steamer - courtesy wikipedia