Wrecks 1 - 22 in the Garden Island Ships' Graveyard

In December 2025, I attempted to photograph each wreck in the Garden Island Ships' Graveyard in the North Arm of the Port River. My aim was to be able to capture the current state of each individual wreck. Separating the wrecks from each other, however, can be tricky at best. I thought that, if I just took one photo of each wreck that I came across, I would achive my aim. Putting that into practice was harder than it sounds, especially when it came to attempting to identify each of my photos. I cannot claim to have been able to identify each wreck accurately. There are quite likely some discrepancies with my identifications, but it is the best that I could do. Let us see how it turned out.

The first photo taken features the site of some of the artefacts from the Seminole: -

The Seminole was a woodsen-hulled, three-masted barque of 1511 gross tons. It was built in 1865.

These next two photos are my attempts to photograph the Seminole wreck site, although the wreck is completely submerged : -

I had another go at photographing the Seminole wreck site on my return: -

I was also able to photograph some of the artefacts from the Seminole again on my return: -

The Sunbeam wreck and boiler came next: -

The Sunbeam  was an iron-hulled, three-masted barque of 443 tons gross and built in 1857.

Next came the 'Unidentified Wooden Barge': -

The 'Unidentified Wooden Barge' was followed by the 'Unidentified Hopper Barge/Dredge' (behind the 'Unidentified Wooden Barge') : -

It was followed by the Killarney and its boiler: -

The Killarney was a wooden-hulled screw steamer built circa. 1910.

I photographed the Enterprise after the Killarney: -

The Enterprise was an iron-hulled screw steamer  of 36 tons gross built in 1868.

This 'Unidentified Iron Pontoon' (next to the Lady Daly) came next: -

The Lady Daly should be the next wreck on the list, but I seem to have jumped to what I am calling the Gem in these next three photos: -

The Gem was a composite-hulled paddle steamer of 145 tons gross and built in 1868.

The Sarnia is behind the Gem. I am suggesting that both of these two photos are of the Sarnia: -

The Sarnia was a composite-hulled dredge of 180 tons gross built in 1878.

The Moe comes next: -

The Moe was an iron-hulled three-masted barque of 765 tons gross built in 1876.

Next was another 'Unidentified Iron Pontoon' which sits on top of the Moe: -

The 'Unidentified Iron Pontoon' was placed on top of the Moe to prevent it from drifting any more: -

I believe that I photographed the Grace Darling in these next two photos: -

The Grace Darling was a steel-hulled screw steamer of 622 tons gross buiolt in 1907.

The next wreck was the Flinders: -

The Flinders was an iron-hulled screw steamer of 948 tons gross built in 1878.

The Juno wreck came next: -

The Juno was asteel-hulled screw steamer of 241 tons gross built in 1903.

Next wreck was the Mangana: -

The Mangana was an iron-hulled screw steamer of 752 tons gross built in 1876. 

The Garthneill wreck came next: -

The Garthneill was a steel-hulled, three masted barque of 1470 tons gross built in 1895.

The Glaucus wreck was next: -

The Glaucus was an iron-hulled screw steamer of 1363 tons gross built in 1878.

These next two photos feature the 'Unidentified Iron Dredge': -

I didn't know just what this last item was at all: -

I was not intending to include the Santiago and Dorothy H Sterling in this exercise where I aimed to separate the jumble of wrecks in the main two groups.

I missed one of the pontoons on the way, so I photographed it on my return: -

I think that this pontoon is the one next to the Flinders.

I photographed some of the wrecks during my return, but I was losing my way a little by then. I have, however, identified this wreck as the Glaucus: -

These next four photos show some 'group' shots of some of the wrecks: -

I now had to leave my kayak to search in the mangroves for the Thomas and Annie wreck: -

Although I continued to take a few more photographs, I had completed my aims at this stage. I had hoped that I had managed to document each of the wrecks, pontoons and boilers in the main two groups (the main accumulation) of wrecks in the graveyard. The one obvious omission was that of the Lady Daly, something that I hope to be able to rectify another time.

Sir Wilfred Lawson wreck

The two-masted wooden ketch Sir Wilfred Lawson was wrecked on Gilbert Reef at Port Moorowie on 20^th March 1908. The ketch had been built by James Eden Heron at Southport in Tasmania in 1878. Its Official Number was 57588. Its dimensions are given as having been 72.2 feet x 20.2 feet x 5.8 feet, and either 47 or 52-ton.

As I wrote in the MLSSA Newsletter for May 1999, “Both books (Peter Christopher's book " South Australian Shipwrecks - A Data Base 1802-1989" and Ron Parson's book "Ketches of South Australia") give her measurements and tonnage, although Parsons gives 52 tons (measured tonnage) whilst Christopher gives 47 tons which he describes as a "measure of volume, not weight, with one ton equalling 100 cubic feet". Parsons describes tonnage as "Measurement, not displacement or deadweight but calculated upon all enclosed space, less certain legal deductions, and worked out at an arbitrary rate of so many cubic feet to a ton (originally 'tun')". For more details on this topic refer to my article "More About the Tonnage Of Ships" in our November 1998 Newsletter (No.250).”

Jack Loney says ‘41 tons’ in “Wrecks on the South Australian Coast”.

Port Moorowie was once considered to be the best site for a deep seaport (instead of Giles Point) but this was probably decided against because it is subject to southerly gales. It had always been a “nightmare” port due to exposure to the rough seas of the Southern Ocean.

Around 1995, a team of divers recovered the bell from the Sir Wilfred Lawson at Port Moorowie.

 

Three divers and the bell from the Sir Wilfred Lawson

(Photo courtesy of Greg Adams, The Advertiser & DEWNR)

The Sir Wilfred Lawson Wreck

The two-masted wooden ketch Sir Wilfred Lawson was wrecked on Gilbert Reef at Port Moorowie on 20^th March 1908. The ketch had been built by James Eden Heron at Southport in Tasmania in 1878. Its Official Number was 57588. Its dimensions are given as having been 72.2 feet x 20.2 feet x 5.8 feet, and either 47 or 52-ton.

As I wrote in the MLSSA Newsletter for May 1999, “Both books (Peter Christopher's book " South Australian Shipwrecks - A Data Base 1802-1989" and Ron Parson's book "Ketches of South Australia") give her measurements and tonnage, although Parsons gives 52 tons (measured tonnage) whilst Christopher gives 47 tons which he describes as a "measure of volume, not weight, with one ton equalling 100 cubic feet". Parsons describes tonnage as "Measurement, not displacement or deadweight but calculated upon all enclosed space, less certain legal deductions, and worked out at an arbitrary rate of so many cubic feet to a ton (originally 'tun')". For more details on this topic refer to my article "More About the Tonnage Of Ships" in our November 1998 Newsletter (No.250).”

Jack Loney says ‘41 tons’ in “Wrecks on the South Australian Coast”.

Port Moorowie was once considered to be the best site for a deep seaport (instead of Giles Point) but this was probably decided against because it is subject to southerly gales. It had always been a “nightmare” port due to exposure to the rough seas of the Southern Ocean.

Around 1995, a team of divers recovered the bell from the Sir Wilfred Lawson at Port Moorowie.

 

Three divers and the bell from the Sir Wilfred Lawson

(Photo courtesy of Greg Adams, The Advertiser & DEWNR)

The Cromdale Wreck

 The 3-masted iron barque Cromdale was an identical twin sister ship to the Mount Stewart. According to “Sail in the South” by Ronald Parsons, they were both the last two sailing ships to be built for specially for the wool trade from Australia. Both of the 1903-gross ton vessels were built in Glasgow in 1891. Both vessels carried ‘skysails’, and “were completed with short poops and long sweeping main decks”. Both vessels feature in “Sail in the South”.

Garry Keywood’s “Wedge Island – An Unexpected History” features these photos of the Cromdale: -

 

Photos of the wrecking of the Cromdale feature in “Sail in the South” , which states that “in 1913, while she was bound for Falmouth for orders with nitrate from South America .. she ran on to Bass Point, near the Lizard Light on the Cornish coast. Her crew were saved but she was in a hopeless position and soon broke up.”

A photo of the wrecking of the Cromdale can be found at http://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/06/02/46282-3-2/2 with the comments “A British built iron sailing barque, The Cromdale, ran into Lizard Point, the most southerly point of British mainland, in thick fog. The three-masted ship was on a voyage from Taltal, Chile to Fowey, Cornwall with a cargo of nitrates.”

Although there were no casualties from the wrecking, the ship was completely broken up by the sea within a week.

The Governor Musgrave Hulk

Little was known about the demise of a former South Australian vessel with a long history. It turns out that the steamship Governor Musgrave built in 1874 was made a coal hulk in Sydney in 1925.

According to the Australian National Maritime Museum, “The Governor Musgrave was a steamship built in 1874 by Mort's Dock & Engineering Co for the Marine Board of South Australia. It was known for its extensive coastal service, including repairs to jetties, investigating and attending wrecks, delivering stores to lighthouses, and special government commissions. After the Federation of Australia, the vessel was transferred to the Commonwealth and hulked in Sydney. The ship's tonnage was 266 gross, with dimensions of 130 feet in length, 21 feet in breadth, and a draught of 11 feet. It was notable for its jury rudder and was employed for various coastal services for many years.”

According to The Express and Telegraph 14th Apr 1915 on Trove, “The Marine Board steamer, Governor Musgrave, which left Port Adelaide on Friday for Cape Thevenard, with the hulk Endeavor in tow. reached her destination on Wednesday morning. Usually, the trip occupies only a few bours, but the steamer had to contend with stormy seas, which greatly impeded her progress.”

The State Library of South Australia web page features this photograph of the Governor Musgrave circa 1907: -

"Governor Musgrave" [B 10948]

(Source: https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+10948 )

According to the caption for the photograph, “The "Governor Musgrave" stranded on a sand bar near Port Germein. She was built at Mort's Dock in Sydney in 1874. Registry was cancelled in 1925 when she was converted to a coal hulk.”

A museum web page features a photo of “The Marine Board's SS GOVERNOR MUSGRAVE now a hulk in Sydney, 30 August 1933 (Object numberANMS1431[005])

According to the Microsoft Copilot AI Assistant, the Governor Musgrave spent “Her later years as a coal hulk in Sydney Harbour and eventual abandonment at Port Stephens.”

Further, “The Governor Musgrave’s remains are reported to still lie in the Duckhole area of Port Stephens, New South Wales, where she was abandoned in 1925. The wreck is listed in the Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database and is protected under the NSW Heritage Act. However, she is not a popular recreational dive site today—her remains are considered scattered and largely uninspected, with no formal surveys confirming intact structure.”

And, “Protection: Covered by the NSW Heritage Act 1977, meaning disturbance or salvage is prohibited.

Condition: The wreck has not been formally inspected; reports suggest she was used as a lighter for timber storage before being abandoned.

Visibility Today: Unlike well-known dive wrecks (e.g., SS Adelaide or Macleay), the Governor Musgrave is not charted as a recreational dive site. Her remains are likely scattered, buried, or degraded, making her more of an archival wreck than a visible heritage attraction.”

A museum web page features a “Half block model of the vessel GOVERNOR MUSGRAVE, Maker Mort's Dock and Engineering Company (Australian, 1855 - 1968), Date1870s (Object number00037244)

This photo featured in a post on the Eyre Peninsula Yarns and Family History’s Facebook page by William Hudson is thought to show the SS Governor Musgrave at the Tumby Bay jetty: -

Garry Keywood’s “Wedge Island – An Unexpected History” features this photo of the Governor Musgrave: -

 

The Alcairo Wreck

I hadn’t heard about the wreck of the auxiliary schooner Alcairo until I stumbled across the fact that it was wrecked at Marion Bay. When I investigated the wrecking, I found that it was listed in “Shipwrecks of South Australia – A Data Base (1802-1989)” by Peter Christopher as ‘Alcaird’. Mind you, the only other reference that I could find in my book collection was the single one that I had stumbled across by accident – “Australasian Shipping Record Vol.4, No.6” (1973). It doesn’t seem to show up in any of my other books at all. The only way to find out more about the wreck was to go online.

I found that Heritage South Australia had posted about the wreck on its Facebook page in 2019 as part of its #shipwreckfriday posts. The post stated described the Alcairo as a ‘timber auxiliary schooner’ “built in 1911 by John Wilson & Sons at Port Cygnet, Tasmania.”

The post included this photograph of the Alcairo: -

 

(The photo can also be found on the State Library of South Australia’s web page as “Beached schooner at Marion Bay [PRG 280/1/36/316]”)

The Facebook post then described the wrecking as, “On the evening of 10 October 1923, Alcairo was anchored at Marion Bay with a cargo of gypsum bound for a plasterworks at Port Adelaide. Heavy gales lashed the coast causing widespread damage, and Alcairo dragged its two anchors. The crew attempted to beat out of the bay, but was driven ashore about 4 km east of the Marion Bay jetty. The tide was extremely high at the time, and the vessel drove high on the beach where it remained.”

It the described the salvage as, “There were initial thoughts that it could be refloated, but this never eventuated and the vessel was gradually stripped of all timbers by locals. Today the remains consisting of the keel and some frames are located in the shallows, and are occasionally uncovered.”

(Please remember: the site is protected under the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018; it is an offence to damage, destroy, interfere with, or remove any part of the shipwreck or its associated artefacts.)

The Wrecksite web page for the Alcairo gives its location as being Latmax: -35.22 Lonmax: 137.03. 

The “Australasian Shipping Record Vol.4, No.6” (1973) also included a photograph of the Alcairo, along with details about the vessel and its wrecking. Its dimensions are given as being 72 gross tons, 80.7 x 22.9 x 6.3 feet (25 x 7 x 1.9m). Its Official Number was O/N 124547.

The crew of three managed to get to shore and survived the wrecking. With this in mind, I added that there were no casualties to my copy of “Shipwrecks of South Australia – A Data Base (1802-1989)”. I also noted that the vessel was not salvaged, since it could be refloated, the vessel was gradually stripped of all timbers by locals and the remains consisting of the keel and some frames are located in the shallows. I also noted that the vessel is a schooner and not a ketch as suggested in the book. It does not get listed in “Ketches of South Australia” by Ronald Parsons at all.

According to the “Australasian Shipping Record Vol.4, No.6” (by Ronald Parsons), “The Alcairo was a pretty schooner …. She had been engaged in the same trade for Bell & Co. Previously she had been employed in the Commonwealth Lighthouse service and had been originally employed in conveying materials for the service around the northern Queensland coast and to Darwin.”

It also states that its auxiliary engine was 30hp, details of which can be found on Trove: -

“THE ALCAIRO WITH A SKANDIA ENGINE.

The 3-masted schooner Alcairo, which was purchased by the Commonwealth Government some months ago for use in connection with the lights and lighthouses on the Australian coast, is now at Rountrees dock, being fitted with a 30/38 b.h.p. Skandia engine. Messrs. Nelson and Robertson, the agents for the Skandia engine, expect that the Alcairo will be taken for a trial trip in a few days, after which she will load stores for some of the lighthouses.”

The Log Book of the vessel’s master, Captain Jack Sheridan can be found on the History Trust of South Australia web page.

The Broken Remains of the Fides (1918-1933)

The 4-masted, 430-gross ton, wooden  auxiliary schooner Fides was built in Norway in 1918. The 140-foot-long vessel was broken up in the Jervois Basin in 1933. Some of its remains can still be seen along the Port River bank at New Port, although land reclamation now hides some of the remains. This photo of the wreck site comes from the Jervois Basin Ships' Graveyard Maritime Heritage Trail web page : -

 

This Fides should not be confused with the wooden barque of the same name that was wrecked at Snug Cove, Kangaroo Island in 1860.

According to Nathan Richards’ 1997 thesis “The History and Archaeology of the Garden Island Ships’ Graveyard, North Arm of the Port Adelaide River, Port Adelaide, South Australia”, “Fides was four masted Norwegian barque of 430 gross tons burden and built in 1918 at a cost of £35,000. …..By 1931, …..the Reverend T.P Williason of the Port Adelaide central Methodist Mission and the Captain of Fides, J.A. Olsen embarked upon a plan to recondition the vessel and crew it with the unemployed of Port Adelaide to conduct fishing operations off the West Coast of South Australia and in the Great Australian Bight. …..which did not get off the ground.  The reasons for this were the unsuitability of the vessel for fishing and the unsound nature of the vessel.  Finally, Fides was given to the Methodist mission and broken up for firewood and some spars reportedly went to the manufacture of other ships.   The firewood was then given free to the unemployed and destitute.  The vessel was to be stripped in the Jervois Basin, but allowed to remain in a floating condition so that it could be transported to the North Arm Ships’ Graveyard.  Instead, the vessel was broken down too much and was left were it lay, abandoned in the Jervois Basin in 1933, only thirteen years after its construction.”

Here are some of my 2025 photos of remains to be found at New Port: -