1913: Despite Rainy Weather, an Australian Ferry is Skillfully and Successfully Launched

April 8, 1913

In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), the steam-powered ferry Karingal was launched at the shipyard of the company Morrison & Sinclair Ltd. in the Sydney suburb of Balmain. This wooden vessel was built by Morrison & Sinclair for Sydney Ferries Ltd., which operated ferry services in that region of NSW.

Karingal, measuring 104 feet (31.7 meters) in length and having the capacity to carry up to 608 passengers, became the smallest of Sydney Ferries’ K-class ferries. The names of these ferries each began with the letter K and most of the names were derived from Australian Aboriginal words. (“Karingal” is an Australian Aboriginal phrase for “happy home.”)

The Tuesday launch of Karingal was “successfully performed in the rain,” according to the next day’s edition of the Sydney-based Evening News. The ferry was christened by Annie Burnett Duncan. She was the daughter of John Duncan, the outdoor superintendent of Sydney Ferries. “Miss Duncan performed her duty skillfully,” confirmed the Evening News.

On August 15 of that year, the trial trip of Karingal took place. She began passenger service early the following month on the Parramatta River, which is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour. Over the next 15 years, Karingal operated on the Parramatta River before being used for other local water routes as well. Another major milestone for Karingal occurred in 1937, when she was converted from steam to diesel power.

In 1951, Karingal became one of the 15 vessels of Sydney Ferries’ fleet to be acquired by the NSW state government. The government, in turn, hired the Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company to operate these vessels for ferry services.

By the 1980s, Karingal was one of the few remaining K-class ferries still in use. She was finally taken out of service in 1984. The following year, Karingal was sold to new owners in the city of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. During her delivery voyage to Melbourne, however, the vessel sprang a large leak and sank off Cape Conron on Victoria’s southeastern coast. The seven crew members on board Karingal were rescued via helicopter. (The accompanying photo of Karingal was taken during her early years as a steam ferry.)

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Additional information on the K-class ferries of Sydney Ferries Ltd. is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_K-class_ferry