MISLEADING WITNESS ACCOUNT.

Daily Commercial News, 14 May, 1912

Captain Challoner, a pearler in the 

North-West, had reported that on 

March 19 he was six miles from 

Bedout in a 'dead calm sea and 

glorious sunshine.' From midnight

the wind increased, and at 5 a.m.

there was a big sea. From 2.30 to 

6 p.m. on the 21st there was a 

fierce hurricane, which was worse 

than the 'willy willies' of 1908 and 

1910. From other reports received 

from the North-West witness continued, 

it appeared that the hurricane was one 

of the worst that had ever been

experienced.

Although a less than subtle attempt had been made to draw the Court's attention back to the vicinity of Bedout Island and conditions conducive to the loss of SS Koombana, the man in question was actually referring to Bezout Island, 123 miles away, well within the cyclonic forces as per image below.

courtesy Google Earth and Trove

TWO MASTHEAD LIGHTS.

The Horsham Times, Friday 29 March, 1912.

Fremantle was advised on Wednesday

morning from Geraldton to the following 

effect :

At 8.30 last night a steamer, with

two masthead lights and well lit up,

passed Point Moore, bound south.

This information occasioned the usual

speculation and the usual rumour that

the passer by would prove to be the

overdue vessel. However, if the vessel

passed so close to Point Moore she

could have sent a Morse cede message 

- to the effect that she was the Koombana

and thus have relieved all anxiety. As far 

as can be gathered, there is no vessel 

due at Fremantle from that direction, but 

she might easily be a timber boat, bound 

for Bunbury, or an overseas ship, bound

from the Far East.

It would also have been extremely strange for Koombana to have gone as far as Point Moore, almost 900 miles away, without making her presence, safety and purpose known.

courtesy Google Earth

Fix this text

CONGRATULATING THEMSELVES.

The Register, Adelaide, 9 May, 1912.

INSURANCE ON THE KOOMBANA.

Fairplay is responsible for the statement

in connection with the loss of the Adelaide 

steamship Company's steamer Koombana

until last year the company had insured its 

fleet in Adelaide, but some smart London 

brokers got hold of the business at a cut 

rate, and placed the highest valued boats, 

including some new steamers in London

at a considerable reduction on the rates 

paid in Adelaide. In consequence of the 

loss of the Koombana, Adelaide underwriters 

are congratulating themselves that they have 

missed a heavy loss, which has fallen on 

London underwriters.

It is difficult to reconcile the loss of a ship with 157 souls and self-congratulation.

courtesy Trove

UNA DISCOVERY CONFUSION.

The West Australian, Perth, 8 April, 1912.

At a point 33 miles N.N.W. of the (Bedout)

island, however, a quantity of wreckage was

found, including a mast from one of the

ship's boats, and what appeared to be some

cabin panels. In the opinion of the Una's

master the wreckage seemed to be floating

up from the bottom of the sea. The information 

was conveyed to Mr. W. E. Moxon, manager 

of the Adelaide S.S. Co., who subsequently 

despatched a telegram to Captain Rantzau, 

master of the Una, requesting further information 

as to his opinion regarding the wreckage floating 

up from the bottom. In reply a telegram was 

received stating that the crew had picked up

all the floating wreckage visible, and had then 

proceeded to dinner. On coming on deck 

subsequently more wreckage was discovered, 

giving rise to the impression that the woodwork 

must have been rising from the bottom.

It should be explained in regard to the

mast which was picked up that each ship's

boat is complete with all accessories, such as

rudder tiller, sails, mast, and so on, in order

that in the event of a catastrophe when the

boat is lowered into the water all her gear is

ready for use immediately. The mast picked up 

evidently belonged to one or other of the ship's 

boats, portions of which have been found during 

the past few days some distance away from 

Bedout Island.

Subsequent to the disaster it was interpreted by some that Koombana's one mast was found at the position quoted; 33 miles NNW of Bedout Island. As outlined in the report, the mast referred to one of the lifeboats. Together with the 'impression' that wreckage must have been rising up from the bottom, many searches for the missing steamer were conducted in this location - to no avail. 

courtesy State Library of South Australia

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courtesy Trove

COULD THE DISASTER HAVE BEEN AVERTED?

If one comes to the conclusion that stability was Koombana's weak link, the primary problem was to be found at the outer bar, Port Hedland. 20 March, 1912. It was spring tide and the bar was merely 19 ft. deep, which meant that Koombana (draught, 20 ft. 8 in.) had to be in light condition to clear the bar without 'bumping' or grounding. 

Furthermore, with a heavy ground swell and gale at sea on that day, there would have been significant fluctuations over the bar, implying that Captain Allen was obliged to depart Port Hedland with draught figures of 16 ft. aft, 11 ft. forward, and attempt filling ballast tanks at sea. 

We know that given the conditions and Bert Clarke's observations that Koombana pitched and rolled while filling tanks, the task may not have been carried out adequately, resulting in a free surface effect in tanks contributing to heeling instability. 

Due to pressure of maintaining schedules and making spring tides at Hedland and Broome, Captain Allen was obliged to proceed to disaster. 

The only solution, as I see it, given Koombana's size, would have been to create anchorage outside Port Hedland and Broome; relying on lighters to ferry passengers, cargo and livestock to and from the port. 

On the east coast, relatively large steamers Yongala and Grantala (same size as Koombana) could not access Mackay, for the same reason, and relied on lighters to and from anchorage outside the port. 

So why did the Adelaide Steamship Company simply not implement this system to avoid delays (neaping up to a week) and unnecessary, unreasonable pressure on their masters? 

Finances, I would imagine! 

Koombana had, after all, been purposely designed to obviate the lighter system; but the figures were marginal, to say the least, in terms of hull clearance, ballasting and safety. 

Yes, I believe the disaster could have been averted, but when Moxon signed off on the Koombana he was gambling and ultimately the Adelaide Steamship Company lost and paid the price.

Mr. Moxon, in my opinion, ultimately passed the buck at the Court of Inquiry, saying:

 "In the North West trade the captains 

were peculiarly responsible, the company 

left matters very largely in their hands.

His company's rule No. 4 stated that

'No order will be held to excuse the

endangering of the ship.'

Fix this text'No order will be held to excuse the

 

150 ft. BILGE SECTION AND CYCLONE REVIEWED.

Sunday Times, 14 July, 1912.

THE LOST STEAMER KOOMBANA.

Captain Irvine, Chief Harbor-master of Fremantle

(W.A.), received the following telegram from Broome

on Monday : 'Bullara, on passage from Cossack to Port

Hedland, passed derelict, appeared to be submerged bilge

of vessel, 15Oft. or 200ft. long, in latitude 20 deg. 10 min.

south and 118 deg. 3 min. east.'

The general impression amongst shipping men is that

the derelict is portion of the Koombana. It is significant 

that the wreckage was sighted close to where the

Koombana was supposed to have been lost. 'She left

Port Hedland during the forenoon, and was lost the same

night in the vicinity of Bedout Island. Wreckage was

found about five miles north-west of Port Hedland.'

Fix this tex

97 miles southwest of the oil patch, 13 miles offshore, the submerged 'bilge' was discovered four months after the disaster. This important discovery suggested that Koombana had sustained hull damage.

Given the Bullarra report, as it stands, had Koombana taken a knock off Bedout Island (reef extending out on the southwestern fringe) resulting in water ingress and ultimately foundering; or had her back broken; or hull damaged when striking the seabed ? This was well documented in the case of the Clan Ranald when a diver went down and reported:

"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."

It must be remembered that Koombana's hull had suffered repeated insults in the form of groundings; striking a rock; bumping the outer bar at Port Hedland; resting on muddy bottom at low tide and a blow from the SS Pilbarra. 

Although repairs were made and the keelson reinforced with a steel strap, the latent damage must have been significant. A steamer's back could break given certain certain circumstances and wave lengths as outlined in the following extract drawn from Wikipedia:

"Hogging is the stress a ship's hull or keel experiences that causes the center or the keel to bend upward. Sagging is the stress a ship's hull or keel is placed under when a wave is the same length as the ship and the ship is in the trough of two waves. This causes the middle of the ship to bend down slightly, and depending of the level of bend, may cause the hull to snap or crack."

It is interesting to note the comment about wreckage being found 'five miles north-west of Port Hedland'. 10 airtight tanks from lifeboat(s) were discovered about 15 miles west of Port Hedland. For the rest, the bulk of the wreckage was found to the north and west of Bedout Island significant distances from Port Hedland. Reporting needed to be constantly cross-referenced. 

The following image reminds us where the submerged bilge was discovered and in this case I have illustrated the extent of the cyclone as reported at the Inquiry:

"S. R. P. Stevens, who was acting divisional

officer of the Commonwealth Weather Bureau 

from March 15 to 25"

"The diameter, he thought, would extend from Port

Hedland on the north and Cossack on the south. 

About 90 miles north-east by south-west"

Note that even to this extent the cyclone did not broach the Hedland to Broome, outer steamer track route around Bedout Island.

The Daily News, 27 March, 1912

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

PORT HEDLAND, This Day.

11.45 a.m. 

Scarcely any damage has been done

at all at Port Hedland.

The following document is interesting in that although minimal damage was sustained at Port Hedland the sequence of events was important. Note that as the system moved inland Port Hedland started to get stronger winds, only commencing late Thursday 21 March, when Koombana was long gone to a watery grave.

Compare this sequence of events with that reported in Bullarra's log as she steamed southwest into the cyclone targeting Balla Balla. Initial hurricane conditions 4.30 pm 20 March (inferior aspect of the system) increasing towards 10 pm ----> midnight as the cyclone made landfall and the steamer was driven into the heart of the system.

courtesy State Records Office, Western Australia

Balla Balla and Whim Creek took the brunt of the cyclone. The following extract describes the evolution:

"On Wednesday morning (20 March) a strong breeze sprang up at Whim Creek and Balla Balla (separation distance, 15 miles) which, as the day wore on, gradually developed until at night it was blowing a gale. The following day the wind increased in strength and on Thursday afternoon it was blowing a hurricane which attained its maximum at about 2.30 on Friday morning. At the Whim Creek mine office the barometer fell from 29.86 to 29.31. At the mine store the register went as low as 29.15."

There is no doubting the significance of the fall in barometer readings and intensity of the onslaught.

"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."

Cossack; Point Sampson and Roeburne are only about 30 miles from Balla

Balla. Port Hedland is about 50 miles distant. Although heavy flooding rain fell,

there were NO reports of destructive wind forces at these two geographical sites, confirming my understanding of the limited extent of the cyclone core. 

"A message from the Hedland post

master reports that the gale was

severely felt there, but there was no

damage and no loss of life."

Heavy rain would not necessarily destroy a steamer; but destructive winds and

confused seas, most certainly could!

courtesy Trove and Google Earth.

PROPELLER ERROR.

Returning to the Inquiry transcript and Captain Upjohn's interview:

The top of her propellor, according to the plan, is about on

the 18' mark: You say she was well submerged? 

- Yes.

I have studied a copy of the elevation plans for Koombana and it has become immediately apparent that her propeller's uppermost limit was only 16.5 ft. from the bottom of the ship, not 18 ft..

If she had all her tanks empty and only 800 tons on board (which was the case) her, with coal and everything, what draft would she be?

- She would be 16'6 aft and about 12' forward.

Under such carefully worded circumstances Captain Upjohn did not mislead the Court, for his estimates of Koombana's draft aft, 16.5 ft., accounted for the propeller being submerged (just). He did not correct the 18' figure for reasons only known to himself.

However:

The Port Hedland harbour master allegedly referred to Koombana's true figures as being 16 ft. aft and 11 ft. forward, which would account for the propeller not being fully submerged.   

Ref. Koombana Days online resource.