8 minute read
‘The Swap’
Historic vessels John Oxley and Kanangra trade places
The Sydney Heritage Fleet says it only gets to launch one of its restoration projects every 20 years. That’s why events in early April at the fleet’s overcrowded shipyard in a small corner of Sydney Harbour were such a big deal for the volunteer-run organisation, writes Geoff Pow.
John Oxley bow in the rain, heading for Garden Island dock. Image Daniel Linnet
Seventy years in the hostile saltwater environment had left John Oxley in a bad way and riddled with corrosion
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AFTER MORE THAN TWO DECADES and a full hull replacement, the 1927 coastal steamer John Oxley was ready in April for its long-anticipated launch. However, the planners and logistics experts at the Sydney Heritage Fleet (SHF) wanted to outdo themselves this time. Yes, they were planning a major turning point in the long-term restoration of Australia’s last coastal steamer. But at the same time, they would be aiming to get the historic 1912 Sydney Harbour ferry Kanangra out of the water for the first time since 1987, for a desperately needed new hull. The one-in-one-out manoeuvre quickly became known as ‘The Swap’. A lot was riding on its success. Both vessels are intimately linked to the future viability of the SHF, which operates and maintains the restored 1874 square rigger James Craig, and one of the largest fleets of historic vessels in the world, on Sydney Harbour. Late on 29 March, frantic efforts were still under way to make sure the first stage of the swap would begin the following morning. The deadline had already been brought forward two days to avoid the sort of bad weather that could sink even the notion of towing a 760-tonne ship down the harbour while it sat high on a floating pontoon. Volunteers and staff had put in all sorts of crazy hours in previous days on the planned tow. Shipyard Operations Manager, Tim Drinkwater, was the last to leave at 1.30 am that night after painting the draught marks in roman numerals on John Oxley’s bow. Tim would be back just a few hours later to help get the ship under way. At 7 am on 30 March, tides and weather had been checked, two tugs were standing by, and the order was given to cast off the shorelines and fenders that had kept the fleet’s floating pontoon, known as the Sea Heritage Dock, moored. Ahead was a squeeze through the waterway adjoining Sydney’s disused Glebe Island Bridge, with only a metre to spare on each side of the pontoon. Then under the Harbour Bridge, past the Opera House and on to the dry dock at the Garden Island Naval Base.
So why is this relic from a past era of shipping worth saving? John Oxley is typical of vessels that were very common in Australian waters in the early part of the 20th century – ships that were the only way of moving cargo and passengers along the coast before road and rail links took over. When restoration is finished, it will be the largest operational steamship in the country, and one that can instantly transport Australians back to a bygone era of coastal travel by ship.
01 Kanangra floating above the sunken pontoon in the Garden Island dock. Image Brett Smith 02 John Oxley dead slow under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Image Daniel Linnet
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01 Kanangra propped in the drained Garden Island dock. Image Tim Drinkwater 02 Kanangra leaving dry dock. The barnacle-covered hull had been in water since 1987. Image Geoff Eastwood Both John Oxley and Kanangra are intimately linked to the future viability of the Sydney Heritage Fleet
John Oxley was built in 1927 near Glasgow, in an era when Scotland was world famous for quality marine technology, as well as for the sheer number of ships it could turn out. John Oxley’s riveted hull, teak decks, two Scotch boilers and triple-expansion engine were typical of the day, although Queensland maple timber had been sent specially from Australia to be included in the ship’s cabins. The Queensland Harbours and Marine Department put it to work as a pilot steamer and a maintenance ship servicing navigation beacons and lighthouses along the coast. Naming the ship was easy, as it would be sailing in waters explored by early colonial adventurer and surveyor John Oxley, between the Brisbane River and present-day Gladstone. During World War II, John Oxley was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy, returning to civilian pilot duties in 1946, when it was converted from coal to oil-fired propulsion. That ended the messy process of dumping ash from the boilers in a trail behind the stern.
John Oxley originally had a crew of 15 and could carry up to 14 pilots, who would be rowed to ships arriving in, or leaving, the Port of Brisbane. A good turn of speed, up to 14 knots, allowed it to keep up with the much bigger ships wanting help in unfamiliar surroundings. The pilots, who had to clamber up ladders from the clinker rowing boats dispatched from John Oxley, told some shocking stories of what was being thrown from those visiting ships. They had many discharge points. Ron Thiele was one of those crewing the row boats in 1950. He said the hazards they faced included condenser water, oily bilge water being cleared before the ship entered port and, worst of all, the numerous galley refuse chutes. Going alongside one large passenger ship one night, he told of being covered in an avalanche of leftovers from passengers’ tables. Row boat and crew alike were left in a sticky, greasy mess. The pilot’s gabardine coat was covered in a mixture of sauces and gravy and as he grabbed the ladder and began to climb, he was already rehearsing what he was going to say when he reached the bridge of that ship! John Oxley was decommissioned in 1968. Maritime work and accommodation conditions were changing, and in its later years the vessel had become increasingly decrepit. In 1964 the Seamen’s Union of Australia called it a ‘rust heap’ with the worst living conditions of any Australian ship. The ship was donated to the Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum (a precursor of the Sydney Heritage Fleet) and it arrived in Sydney Harbour under its own steam in August 1970. But it would be another 27 years before it could be taken out of the water and placed on the fleet’s Heritage Dock, and a further five years before restoration work could begin in earnest in 2004.
Seventy years in the hostile saltwater environment had left the ship in a bad way and riddled with corrosion. The restoration became a huge task, as volunteers revived old skills and invented new ways to repair machinery. All but two of the ship’s hull plates have been replaced and fastened with hot metal rivets. The mechanics of the swap, getting John Oxley back in the water and then placing Kanangra on the fleet’s Heritage Dock, involved a complicated sequence of precise steps. Defence contractor Thales, which operates the Captain Cook Graving Dock at Garden Island, had found a two-week window in its schedule, for both vessels.
02 John Oxley is typical of vessels that were very common in Australian waters in the early part of the 20th century
01 John Oxley afloat in Sydney Harbour. Image benlee.com.au 02 Relieved Sydney Heritage Fleet personnel waving from the stern of John Oxley after the tow home. Image benlee.com.au
John Oxley was floated into the dock on a pontoon. With the caissons (gates) closed behind it, seawater was then pumped out until the ship and the pontoon were sitting as one unit on the floor of the dry dock. After John Oxley was inspected, hatches on the pontoon were then left open and the dock refilled. As the water rose again, the pontoon stayed where it was and John Oxley floated free. The delicate operation included checking for leaks and ensuring the rudder would not be damaged during lift-off.
With the ship safely back in the harbour, the sequence was repeated. The dock was pumped out and the pontoon prepared to take Kanangra. The whole operation could not have been achieved without the support of Thales and tug operator Ausbarge. Even so, the swap and finishing work on John Oxley will total about $1.4 million. Donations from supporters and sponsors have reduced the amount still needed to $850,000. Restoration of Kanangra is estimated at $4–5 million over five years, so there are many challenges for the fleet’s fundraisers. The organisation receives some specific grant money, but no ongoing government funding. The Sydney Heritage Fleet believes John Oxley will be attractive to visitors as both a static display and for voyages in Sydney Harbour and along the New South Wales coast. Kanangra’s passenger-carrying potential, too, could make it a real revenue-earner for the fleet in the years to come. Since the fleet began in 1965, more than 7,500 volunteers have provided over 2.5 million hours of service, while crewing, repairing and restoring the fleet’s vessels. Those with existing skills are as welcome as those who wish to learn new ones.
With plans for a new workshop onshore, the fleet is hoping to create a base that can display many vessels in its collection, under the umbrella of a new Museum of Sydney Harbour.
Geoff Pow is a volunteer at the Sydney Heritage Fleet.
For more information on Sydney Heritage Fleet voyages, volunteering or donations, see shf.org.au or phone 02 9298 3888.
