Shipwreck

Ξ June 29th, 2007 | → | ∇ history |

 

The excitement of shipwreck is a universal emotion.

Spectators are rarely callous, curiously and empathically staring at some stricken lady of the sea torn upon rocks, or straddling the endless waves that would, if they impossibly could, carry her to dry sand.

The cruel sea, pounding the fragile carcass of this artificial ocean-dweller, is merely extracting the ultimate penalty for imperiling its care and cargo.  

With no lives lost, a sea wreck at close range is an imposing, awe-inspiring, and exciting experience, stirring a child’s fascination with large damaged toys.

Image left: Pasha Bulker is fully two football fields long, dwarfing the beach and its suddenly-tiny Beach Pavilion at center-left.

Then, in broken pride, comes sorrow that a magnificent creation be so cruelly and serendipitously wasted.

If shipwreck can be distilled to positive and fascinating elements, thus was the Pasha Bulker that arrived so dramatically and, well, so tidily, upon the smooth white sands of Nobbys Beach, Newcastle, Australia, in the teeth of a ferocious, punishing winter cyclone.

None were injured - except crew’s pride and captain’s career - with the vessel mildly crumpled and bent beneath the Plimsoll. And when the drama faded the City of Newcastle was presented with the most magnificent statuesque icon, freshly painted, shiny and not necessarily undignified in her chosen respite.

With all the air of a grand ocean-going vessel deliberately resting at her chosen port - but on  terms of her choosing, the storm simply a means, not a cause.

It’s not the first shipwreck to visit Newcastle’s port or beaches, nor will it be the last - while ever stuff-ups remain immutable laws of nature expressed through humankind’s faltering endeavours, and misfortune stands a simple given.

In 1974, during an identical winter rain depression, the 600-foot Sygna floundered in Stockton Bight, then was driven ashore in gale-force winds and high seas. During salvage Sygna stuck fast and broke in half.

Image right: Identical circumstances led the Norwegian carrier Sygna to an identical, yet permanent, fate on Stockton Beach, north of Newcastle Harbour, in 1974.

All manner of schooners, cutters, barquentine, brigantine, paddle and screw steamer, dredge, barge, sloop, ketch, launch, and .. err, ship, have prostrated themselves upon Newcastle’s beaches, rocks, cliffs, breakwaters, bights, bars, and banks - or sadly simply disappeared without trace.

In its first century (1800 - 1900) port traffic comprised a steady stream of typically small ocean-going vessels loaded with timber gained from the shores of the Hunter, Patterson, and Williams Rivers, and many of these tiny ships were built in small shipyards up the river.

Larger ships, to thousands of tons, bore Newcastle’s high-grade coal to Sydney and far-flung ports around Australia, Asia and the Indian Ocean.

In its short life of 200 years Newcastle has hosted an average of one shipwreck a year.

Image left: Oyster Bank, now overlaid by the northern breakwater of Port Hunter entrance

Testimony to improvements in weather forecasting, navigational aids, and maritime procedures, the last four decades have seen only a handful losses.

First honours went to a 25-ton sloop called “Norfolk” that ran aground at Pirate Point in 1800, sailing from the Hawkesbury River to climes unknown. Pirate Point indeed, as the Norfolk - which Bass and Flinders famously used to circumnavigate Tasmania - had been commandeered by a bunch of convicts who made for Port Hunter when spooked by a wild storm.

About 32 vessels have come to grief at Stockton, most on the Beach, a few on the western side, many of them  significant-sized boats, including 14 steamers, two motor vessels, and a swag of schooners and large sailing ships.

Twenty-six more floundered and died on Oyster Bank on the northern side of the entrance channel, where the northern breakwater was later built..

Thirty two steam and sail ships ended their careers on the south side of the channel, which is of course Nobbys, originally “Coal Island” and later joined to the mainland by a breakwater that created Nobbys Beach.

Adolphe, a beautiful four-masted, two-year old, 32/2400 tonne, steel barquentine had foul luck to be wrecked on Oyster Bank near the entrance when a tow line to one of two tugs failed in huge pounding waves.

Interesting, but till the Posha Spicer threw itself upon these golden sands, only one other similar event is recorded, that of the Maianbar, a twin-prop steam ship one tenth the size of Pasha B., but equally impressive beside the pavilion walkway (see image below).

The Maianbar, a 490 gwt 30-year old steamer, ended its life on Nobbys beach after a tow line snapped in 1940, and it drifted ashore to sit high and dry in scenes  reminiscent of the Playboy Balker drama.

Crews were miraculously rescued time and again from such situations - not by Westpac Choppers, as Ole Sydney Cove had none spare for King’s Town, but -  by a crew of very brave men in a giant row-boat and deviously clever rocket-fired ropes.

At least 26 vessels met their sad end in this infamous spot around the turn of the 18th to 19th century, forming a breakwater in their own right, one upon t’other. No wonder the oysters loved it!

 Berbice, a 20-year old, 50-meter triple-masted sailing ship of 700 tons, washed ashore at the foot of Stockton Beach by the usual suspect, a south-east gale and huge seas on 5th June 1888.

The classically-lined 1200-ton sail ship Susan Gilmore (Gilmour) lay like a beached whale, another victim to that ultimately wasteful maritime incident, the all-too-common “parting tow rope.”

Starting to sound like an insurance scam.

Our good captain of the Poncha Bjelka is only the second commanding officer in a hundred years to lob one on the wrong side of the lighthouse (correct me if I’m wrong).

Misfortune seems the be the common theme, either the bad luck to be caught in unusually severe wind and swell, or fickle fate parting a tow.

As size goes, this latest misadventure is the largest, being a standard Panamax, second largest the Sygna at 53/35500 tonne  (NT/GT).

Polka Dulka seems more likely to remain than float away, a truly most awesome but unwelcome guest in this totally inconvenient landing spot.