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ALERT
LocationBass Strait, between Cape Schanck and Port Phillip Heads VHR NumberS17 Date lost28/12/1893 Year of construction1877 Official number76169 |
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Statement of Significance
SS Alert is historically significant as one of the worst maritime wrecks in Victorian history, with the deaths of 15 of the 16 people on board the vessel. It is archaeologically significant as no official salvage has taken place and the ship still contains the crew and passengers? personal effects, enabling an understanding of life at sea on a coastal trading vessel. It also carried a small but varied cargo which may provide information about general coastal trading at the end of the 1800s. ... more
| Physical Description | |
|---|---|
| Construction Material | Iron |
| Hull Details | Built for Huddart Parker Ltd. 1 Single deck, 3 masted, barque rigged,elliptical stern, clincher built, iron framed, 6 bulkheads, easy bilge,fine lines, very narrow for its length. |
| Propulsion | Steam - Screw |
| Engine Specification | Rankin & Blackmore of Greenock, Scotland. |
| Engine Builder | (D love 2006) 90 n.h.p compound steam with 24 & 26 inch cylindersand 26 inch stroke |
| Number of Masts | 1 |
| Length / Breadth / Depth | 169.0 Feet / 19.6 Feet / 9.85 Feet |
| History | |
| Builder | Robert Duncan & Co |
| Built Date | 1877 |
| Built Port / Country | Renfrew, Port Glasgow / Scotland |
| Registration Port / Country | Melbourne / Australia |
| Details |
The Scottish-built Alert was a small iron steamer that was used for many years in Port Phillip Bay, running general cargo between Melbourne and Geelong. SS Alert?s owners, Huddart Parker and Co., ... more |
| Uses of Vessel | |
| Primary Use | Services |
| Secondary Use | Cargo - Coastal |
| Voyage Details | |
| Date Lost | 28/12/1893 |
| Voyage | from Lakes Entrance via Port Albert to Melbourne |
| Cargo |
25 tons wattlebark, 40 bales wool, 20 bags maize, 14 empty casks, 55 sheepskins, one box tools and 20 packages of furniture. In all estimated 44 tons (from J Arbuckle Reid 1896). |
| Owner | Huddart Parker Ltd |
| Master of Vessel | Captain Mathieson |
| Weather conditions |
Alert faced a large south west swell and a strong south east wind as it rounded Cape Liptrap. By the time the ship rounded Cape Schank the wind was gale force from the south west. Heavy squalls and ... more |
| Cause of Loss |
As Alert rounded Cape Liptrap the ship encountered a large south west swell and a strong south east wind. By the time Alert rounded Cape Schank the wind was gale force from the south west. Captain ... more |
| Further Details | |
| Number of Passengers | 3 |
| Comments on Passenger |
J Newton (saloon passenger) W Stewart (steerage passenger) - Page (steerage passenger) |
| Number of Crew Members | 13 |
| Comments on Crew Members |
Albert Mathieson (Captain) J Mattison (second officer) J Thompson (chief engineer) JG Hodges (chief engineer) W Thompson (fireman) J Kilpatrick (second engineer) J Dodd (Steward) J Williamson ... more |