TOMMY NORTON

Statement of Significance

Physical Description
Hull Details	One deck, round stern, carvel built, 20 HP. Vessel altered in Feb 1863. Length of engine room 14.5 feet, single engine.
Propulsion	Steam - Paddle
Engine Builder	single cylinder stem engine of 20 HP
Number of Masts	1
Length / Breadth / Depth	62.9 Feet / 12.5 Feet / 5.5 Feet
History
Builder	W & G White.
Built Date	1859
Built Port / Country	Williamstown / Australia
Registration Number	13 of 1870
Registration Port / Country	Melbourne / Australia
Former Details of Registration	43 of 1858; 9 of 1861
Details	The paddle steamer Tommy Norton worked as a tug at the entrance to the Gippsland Lakes. While crossing the bar in October 1877, it struck the bottom and was forced ashore by the current. The hull filled with water and it became a total wreck.
Voyage Details
Date Lost	26/10/1877
Owner	Former Owner: 25/11/1859, Robert Dyason, Master Mariner. Owner at the time of the wreck was the Gippsland Steam Naviagtion Company
Master of Vessel	Captain Archibald McAlpine
Cause of Loss	Vessel sank from damage to the engine blowoff cock after hitting bottom.
Further Details
Number of Passengers	1
Comments on Passenger	Mrs Rigney, a lady on a visit to Bairnsdale had come from Sale on the steamer Murray and was transhipped into the Tommy Norton.
Number of Crew Members	3
Comments on Crew Members	The number of the crew needs to be confirmed from the historical records.