SUFFICIENT WARNING AND FOUR THEORIES.

There can be no doubt that the signs were there when Captains Upjohn and Allen departed Port Hedland, 20 March, 1912:

Hedland Advocate, 6 April, 1912

It was preceded by hot, stifling days.

On Monday (2 days prior) several

divers who have been years on this

coast, warned their masters that

there were sudden changes of hot

and cold water, below, with a 

ground swell, which although

the surface of the sea was calm

and the glass good, they declared

indicated the approach of a blow.

(A similar warning was given by

old divers two days before the

disastrous Broome blow.)

Quite suddenly on Tuesday (the day

before) night a strong cockeye (large

whirlwind) blew up from the east, 

followed by moderate winds and a little 

rain. On Wednesday the wind shifted 

slightly to the south, increasing in its 

strength, and by midday it was again 

blowing from the east - all through 

blowing in gusts, accompanied

by occasional showers.

According to Bullarra accounts, it was blowing a gale from the N.E. when the two steamers put out to sea.

By the time (about 10.30 a.m.) the Koombana

and Bullarra (about an hour later) (20 minutes

later) had left Hedland it began to excite alarm, 

luggers moved up the creek and people bolted up

their houses. Two or three layers of swiftly

racing clouds could frequently be seen

through the prevailing mist. 

'Exciting alarm' is graphic and clear in its meaning. 

It blew with terrific force whenever it shifted 

its course, and in Hedland we miraculously escaped

its full force, but the Bullarra struck its full fury 

three hours out, and the Koombana must have 

struck it earlier.

The hurricane was moving southward, and

its centre was not far out to sea, as the

Bullarra experienced half an hour's dead

calm (in which is was possible to keep a

match alight) in the middle of the hurricane.

What must the feelings of those on board the

lightly loaded Koombana as the wind and

water came booming against her with

resistless power?  

A 'lightly loaded' steamer implied a top heavy one.

Officers of the ships Moira and Bullarra 

say the rapidity of the storm was indescribable, 

the wind driving from the raging and foaming 

sea spray like a snow storm, which mingled with 

the clouds.

As the Koombana left the port, she was so

light that her propeller was partly out of the

water, and in the small swell at the entrance,

was racing. 

The clincher. 

Hedland was clear about the compromised seaworthiness of Koombana when she departed for the last time. The top of Koombana's propeller was 16.5 ft., suggesting that all tanks were empty. 

How effectively these were filled at sea, we shall never know...

Once outside, Captain Allen had

no other course open but that which led his

ship right into the vortex of the tremendous

elemental strife which prevailed at sea.

I disagree. 

The system was clearly visible to crew on board Bullarra towards the west into which they were steaming. 

Conversely, Koombana was steaming into the northeast, away from the centre of the system.

With a map or chart before the reader, and

following record, taken in Hedland, the fact

is easily borne in upon the mind that the

Koombana had to go into danger to avoid

land and reefs:

                March 20

4 p.m. east, wind fresh

10 p.m. east and northeast, strong

More in line with the Bullarra accounts; a gale from the northeast.

                March 21

10 a.m., east strong

12 noon, east-north-east, very strong

1 p.m. east-north-east, hurricane force

2 p.m. to 9 p.m., north-east, hurricane force

10 p.m. north-north-east, hurricane force

12 midnight, north, a howling hurricane

                 March 22

4 a.m. till noon, north-north-west hurricane

The wind very gradually fell from 2 p.m.

and at early morning was blowing with

occasional strong puffs from the west.

It is fairly certain that the Koombana was not

more than 70 miles from Hedland, and in the

worst part of the Hurricane, on Wednesday

night or Thursday, and sank.

90 miles if Captain Upjohn's coordinates are accurate. This was 130 miles from the centre of the cyclone, 90 miles in diameter. 

No, Koombana was far away from the worst part of the hurricane.

The seas off Bedout are dreaded by seamen

when an ordinary strong wind blows, and it

cannot be conceived what they were like

during the height of this gale.

It is also certain that the light on Bedout was

out on Wednesday night.

The public alarm at the continued absence of

news of the Koombana increased to confusion,

consternation and distress. Two luggers went

in search from Broome, each taking a different

course towards Rowley Shoals and into Hedland.

Harper's lugger, the first to arrive here picked up

a piece of board off Bedout, which, from

appearances, did not at first give an

impression that it came from Koombana.

The Bullarra searched the steamers'

course from Hedland to Broome, and the

Minderoo made a systematic search of the

coast from Onslow to Depuch, each

without result.

On Tuesday evening came undoubted

evidence of the fact that the Koombana

had foundered with about 140 souls

aboard. The Gorgon arrived at Hedland

on Tuesday evening having searched as

far out as Rowley Shoals. The ship's log

contained the following (the words in

brackets being our own): "On April 2,

at 10.15 a.m. lat. 19 10 S, long. 119 06 E

(40 fathoms), picked up a panelled door,

painted white on one side, been polished

on the other, silver fittings, marked "W&H

(Walker & Hall) finger-plate both sides

ornament with Grecian urn with hanging

wreath, each side; door forced by pressure;

(water pressure?) handle on white side was 

gone, and on the reverse side drawn in; 

builders' joiner had written this on paits hidden 

from paint and drawn off the door post by the 

door hinges, Stat (here was a joiner's cut in the 

pencilled lettering, leaving only traces of the 

letters, which appeared to be State Room - 

first class entrance, 429; the lock is marked 

N.F. Ramsay & Co, Newcastle-on-Tyne; 

several small leather heads attached about 

3.2 inches long."

The log adds that half an hour later the ship

passed through several small pieces of

wreckage, one a painting stage, and the

others apparently small pieces of board,

but, strange to relate, the ship was not

stopped to pick them up.

The Minderoo (Captain Mills) arrived

in Hedland on Wednesday morning, having

been four days out from Depuch, making

a very systematic search. We have seen the

chart of this search, and passengers declare

that the Captain rarely left the bridge, a

fact which was borne out by his jaded

appearance on arriving at Hedland.

April 2, in lat. 19 36 S, long. 117 53 E,

sighted wreckage on the port bow. Stopped

and picked up a leather cushion for settee.

Cruised round for half an hour but sighted

 no more wreckage. Then sailed east 18

miles, north 24 miles, at 4.30 p.m., lat.

19 32 S, long. 118 09 E, picked up

bottom boards of a boat, numbered

429, and a small teak wood panel. Sailed

east 14 miles and then south to Hedland.

The search from Depuch to the turning of

this port gave vision to some miles of sea

surface, 12,000 square. A master mariner

has worked out these directions and

distances. The door, 25 miles north of

Bedout and 75 miles north-north-east

of this port. Cushion, 70 miles west of

Bedout and 60 miles northwest of this

port. Boards (Minderoo), 54 miles west

by north of Bedout and 55 miles north-west

by north of this port both the Gorgon and

the Minderoo passed through thousands of

bottle straw envelopes, and, as the Koombana

had shipped 27 tons of empty bottles (mostly

enveloped) from this port, it is evident these

came from the doomed ship's hold.

https://koombanarevisited.blogspot.com/2018/06/a-large-patch-of-straw.html

 "Leech's Fortune,"

as the huge stack of empties had

become known, was transferred

as deck cargo to the Koombana.

27 tons on deck would have presented a further, alarming decrease in Koombana's GM i.e. increasing top heaviness. Against this claim must surely be the fact that these many straw envelopes would have been discovered much earlier if released, unobstructed from Koombana's main deck. 

It does seem more likely that the envelopes were stowed in lower holds, released over time from the sunken ship, leaving behind the heavier bottles.

Capt. Dalziel (schooner

Muriel), who took the outer

course in a search from

Broome to Rowley's Shoals and

into Hedland, arrived here on

Thursday night, and saw no

wreckage. The schooner met

the Bullarra, on its second

search; and she had found,

25 miles north of Bedout: the 

bow of a boat with the A.S.S. 

Coy's, badge on it, the bottom 

boards of a boat, life-boat tanks, 

life belts, and a panel from either 

the saloon or smoke-room ceiling.

The following theories as

to the Koombana's fate have

been hazarded :

1. Mountainous seas flooded

the ship by means of her cattle

decks and she sank.

Acknowledging the cattle deck as a weak link for water ingress.

2. Bedout light being extinguished,

Capt. Allen misjudged

his position in the

dark, the ship struck and

turned over, or her bottom being

torn out she subsequently

sank in deep water.

This would certainly explain the 150-200 ft. submerged bilge discovered by Bullarra in July, 1912.

3. Machinerery became disabled

and the vessel, left to the fearful 

wind and seas, foundered. 

continued on Page 8

S

4. That when the vessel

attempted to alter her northward

course, to face the hurricane,

she heeled over, the wind drove
the water from her bottom, and
the next big sea turned her
completely over.

Frighteningly to the point! Note the thoughts leaning towards a top heavy vessel turning over, completely. I am of the opinion that this is EXACTLY what happened.

Nos. 2 and 4 are theories

held by seamen most competent

to judge. The opinion

generally held , by Nor'-West

residents was that the Koombana

would meet her fate in

the first willy willy she

struck, and we have had a sad

fulfilment of that prophecy.

A blatant acknowledgement of the steamer's shortcomings. No wonder Captain Allen looked ill before he sailed that day.

Seamen are of the opinion

that from Bedout Island the

area of the sea in which the

Koombana is situated can be

seen with the naked eye.

Suggesting within a radius of 10 miles from Bedout.

A fortnight has elapsed since the

blow, yet the sea for 100 miles

from the shore "is like pea soup."

'Pea soup' a shroud for 158 lost souls.



courtesy Trove

A GRIM REMINDER.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 September, 1913.

MISSING KOOMBANA.

PERTH, Tuesday.

On July 20, at Middle Forestier reef, half

way between Forestier and Dupuch Islands,

in the north-west, Captain Cummings, of the

schooner Queenie Alice, picked up part of a

bridge ladder and the back of a saloon seat,

painted with a floral design. The relic has

since been brought into Carnarvon, and is
believed to have formed part of the fittings of
the missing steamer Koombana.

And decades later in the 1930's....

A pearler with whom he was acquainted 

had found a stateroom door among drift 

wood on Stuart Island, (Great Sandy Island

Nature Reserve) which he believes to be 

wreckage from the the lost steamer.

SS ALLINGA PROMPTLY STEPS IN.

Geraldton Guardian, 4 April, 1912.

THE MAIL SERVICE.

S.S. ALLINGA TAKES THE

KOOMBANA'S PLACE.

Mr. Faulkner informs us that the

Adelaide Steamship Co. have decided 

to replace the ill-fated Koombana

by the s.s. Allinga, a steamer which

for some years past has been engaged 

in the Queensland trade. She is a

twin-screw steamer of 2,342 tons

gross register, and was built by

Scott and Co. at Greenock in 1897. 

She is described as a fine, roomy 

steamer with accommodation amidships 

for about 60 saloon passengers, and 

she can also accommodate about 100 

second-class passengers. She has  a 

fine promenade deck for saloon 

passengers, whilst the second-class 

passengers will, as was the case with 

the Koombana, have the use of the poop 

deck. The Allinga will leave Fremantle on 

May 7, running as far as Derby, and her

subsequent trips will be in accordance 

with the mail contract.

The s.s. Bullarra, on her return

from the search in which she is now

engaged, will resume her running under 

the time-table fixed in continuation with 

the North-West mail steamer.

Once the saloon door had been picked up by the crew of the SS Gorgon, it was time to move on. Relatives of those lost might have viewed this decision as mercenary. It was, however, necessary. 

SS Allinga comprised 279.5 ft.length; 42.5 ft. beam and 13 ft. draught. Clearing the spring tide outer bar at Port Hedland, 19 ft., did not present the same challenge to this steamer. Powered by twin triple expansion engines driving twin screws (272 nhp) Allinga was slow, gaining her a reputation and the nickname, "Lingerer".

Given the standing fine rate of £ 5 per hour for mail delivery delays, one wonders what bill this ageing steamer racked up...

The Week, Brisbane, 12 July, 1912

STEAMER ALLINGA

Strikes an Uncharted Reef.

The Adelaide Steamship Company's

steamer Allinga, which recently was taken

off the company's east coast service to

replace the ill-fated Koombana on the

west coast, was not long in her new

sphere when she met trouble, but, 

fortunately, she escaped without serious 

damage. When on her way southward 

from Wyndham, the north-west terminus 

of her run, to Fremantle, the steamer 

struck an uncharted reef in the vicinity of 

Onslow.

She was able to resume her voyage a few

hours afterwards. The exact position of the

reef is said in be 21 degrees 36 minutes

south, and 115 degrees 31/2 minutes west. (east) 

Since her arrival on the west coast, the Allinga 

has undergone some important structural 

alterations. Most of the deck stock fittings 

have been removed. This does not, in any way, 

interfere with the stock tarrying capacity of

the vessel, but adds greatly to the comfort 

of the passengers. These alterations having 

been made permit of awnings being spread 

on the main deck, and, as in the Queensland 

trade, sleeping accommodation and shower 

baths are provided on saloon decks. Such 

appointments as these are a boon to hot 

climates, and the vessel bids fair to become 

a popular one on the coast.

courtesy Trove, Google Earth and Flotilla Australia.

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.

CAPTAIN RICHARDSON'S THEORY.

The Argus, Melbourne, 28 March, 1912.

Captain Richardson, of the s s Paroo, who

is one of the most experienced navigators

on the north-west coast, in an interview to-

day, said that if the Koombana's master

tried lo run before the wind on his way

to Broome, he should have been heard of.

As he has not been beard of the indications

are that he decided to "plug through". The

wind and tide would combine to make the

leeway so great that the vessel would 

probably "fetch up" on the Rowley Shoals, 

a treacherous coral reef some 120 miles off

Port Hedland.

The first point to note is that the Rowley Shoals are 185 miles from Port Hedland. Ironically, Captain Upjohn's coordinates for the oil patch are closer to Port Hedland at +/- 92 miles. It strikes me as odd that a master so familiar with this section of coast would get a distance so wrong.

The leeway referred to implies that the wind and tide would have to have predominated from the south in order for Koombana to drift onto the Rowley Shoals. If one examines the extent of the cyclone as per Mr. Stevens of the Commonwealth Weather Bureau (image below), there was no impact on the vast stretch of ocean between Bedout Island and Broome. 

If anything, the wind would have been coming from the northwest and west in the stretch of ocean between the north of Bedout Island and Broome - i.e. the steamer track. This would have 'blown' Koombana further towards the coast and Broome, rather than the reverse. There would have been no 'plugging through', but rather 'running with the wind'. 

It was quoted that at the time the ground swell came from the northwest, further reinforcing this leeway direction.

As it turned out, the Muriel and Gorgon thoroughly searched the vicinity of the Rowley Shoals and nothing at all was discovered. All of the wreckage discoveries were made 100 miles to the 'south'.

I believe we can confidently rule out this theory as a potential site for the wreck of Koombana.

courtesy Google Earth.

INSURANCE

Kalgoorlie Western Argus, 2 April, 1912.

The company's boats carried

one-fourth insurance.


What does this mean? Koombana was insured for 75% of her book value of £ 100,000. The one-fourth quoted I assume refers to the shortfall of 25%. Annie Boyd refers in her book, Koombana Days, to Koombana actually only being worth £ 75,000 on the open market. Given depreciation, this was probably standard practice.

It does suggest the Company had faith in Koombana's sea-going abilities which was not a 'spotted' ship; one that was over-insured with the express purpose of making money as a result of total (expected) loss. 

If properly operated, sufficient dead weight lowest down and ballast tanks full, Koombana should have been able to survive most storms at sea. But Port Hedland's bar was a bar too high to fulfill this basic requirement. 

There was never going to be a guarantee of uncomplicated, complete filling of ballast tanks at sea in gale conditions.

courtesy Trove

WHAT CHANCE WOULD THEY HAVE HAD.

Sunday Times, Perth, 4 April, 1909.

THE KOOMBANA KINK

Leaky Boats and Oilless Lamps

A rather serious allegation is made by

a passenger on the steamer Koombana

which was recently stranded on a sand-

bank in Shark's Bay. Our informant states 

that when the vessel went aground a 

dinghy was lowered to take soundings,

but as soon as it touched water it leaked

badly. Then the motor boat was got out, 

but it also leaked badly. ln each case a

man was kept busy baling, and we are 

asked to imagine what would have

happened if it had been necessary to fill

these craft with passengers. Supposing

the Koombana had been wrecked, and

leaky boats were the only means of saving 

the 60 passengers, what chance would 

they have had?

A sobering thought and a subject that was not explored in any meaningful detail at the Inquiry.

courtesy Trove.