The Wreck of the Steam Tug Nyora

I wrote “Discovery of the Wreck of the Nyora” for the July 2019 newsletter of the Scuba Divers Federation of SA. Details were repeated on the SDFSA column page in Dive Log magazine for the August 2019 issue: -

“The steam tug Nyora, sunk about 50kms off of Cape Jaffa in 1917 whilst towing the schooner Astoria. The Nyora was a single screw steamship built in 1909 by J.P. Rennoldson & Sons in South Shields (England). Whilst owned by Huddart Parker & Co Pty. Ltd, she foundered west of Kingston, SA after passing Kangaroo Island on a voyage to the eastern states with the auxiliary schooner Astoria in tow. The location for the wreck of the Nyora remained unknown until recently when Steve Saville found it.

“Video footage can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GqqHpfhmA8&feature=youtu.be  . See https://bit.ly/4py7AB7  for further details.”

The Nyora was a 306-gross ton steel steam tug 135 feet in length, was 25.1 feet wide and had a depth of 13.5 feet. It was built in 1909. “Shipwrecks of South Australia – A Data Base 1802 – 1989” says that there were 15 casualties when the ship was wrecked 19 km WSW of Cape Jaffa on 9^th July 1917.

“Wrecks on the South Coast of South Australia” by J.K. (Jack) Loney says, “The Nyora was towing an American schooner (the Astoria) from Port Pirie to Sydney when struck by a gale and heavy seas. One enormous wave struck the small tug, and she foundered a short time after, about 12 miles off Cape Jaffa, watched by those on the helpless schooner.” Lightkeepers managed to save the captain (William McBain) and an able seaman (Gordon Lansley) as their waterlogged boat was being dashed against some rocks. Jack’s later version of the same book, “Wrecks on the South Australian Coast” says that the two Margaret Brock Reef lightkeepers (John Jameson and Robert ‘Tom’ Clark) “received medals from the Royal Humane Society (of Australasia) following their rescue of the only two survivors from the lost tug Nyora.” The silver medals, the second highest honour, were presented to the two men in August 1918

“Cape Jaffa – Its Memorial to Seafarers, Fishermen and Lightkeepers”  by John Nicholson devotes a whole chapter full of details about the Nyora incident. It includes details of the 4-masted auxiliary cargo schooner Astoria, which had only been built that same year (1917) in the town of the same name (Astoria) in Oregon, USA. Its engines had broken down off Gabo Island, Victoria, and it had to be towed to Port Pirie to off-load its cargo of timber before being towed to Sydney for repairs to its engines.

A total crew of 16 men is mentioned in regard to the Nyora, of which 15 perished when the tug went down stern first. The Astoria eventually made it back to shore at Guichen Bay. There is a photo of both Captain McBain and seaman Lansley. There is also a photo of the lightkeeper Robert ‘Tom’ Clark in the book.

The Nyora’s engine room doors had been smashed in by the heavy seas, and this was determined by a Marine Board Enquiry held at Port Adelaide the following week (16^th July) to be the principle (sic) cause of the disaster.

The Nyora incident is remembered on the Memorial to Seafarers, Fishermen and Lightkeepers at King Drive, Cape Jaffa. I have had to review the number of men who died during the wrecking. I have seen figures of 15 & 16 for the crew and figures of 14 & 15 for the number that died. “Cape Jaffa – Its Memorial to Seafarers, Fishermen and Lightkeepers” lists just 14 names that are shown on the memorial. As mentioned above, a total crew of 16 men is mentioned in regard to the Nyora, of which 15 perished when the tug went down stern first. It is “Shipwrecks of South Australia – A Data Base 1802 – 1989” that says that there were 15 casualties from the wrecking, and the other books mentioned say that one of the crew was saved by the two lightkeepers. I have a cutting from an unnamed, undated (2002?) newspaper that stated that “14 crew drowned when the tug Nyora was lost off Cape Jaffa …” That is the figure given in “Cape Jaffa – Its Memorial to Seafarers, Fishermen and Lightkeepers”. The book also states that Captain William McBain “had a crew of fifteen”. If the captain himself is added to that figure, and one of the crew was saved along with the captain, then the loss of life would, indeed, be just 14 men, not 15 (if the case is as suggested here). Two further chapters in the book do not seem to clear up my query at all.

According to my article titled My Continuing "Encounter" Experiences, “The stone cairn memorial was dedicated during Encounter 2002 celebrations”. According to https://www.monumentaustralia.org/themes/disaster/maritime/display/50557-cape-jaffa-keepers-and-seafarers/photo/4 , the memorial was “Unveiled 15 - 4 – 2002”.

According to Steve Saville’s 2019, 4-minute YouTube video Nyora Steam Tug - Wreck Site Overview , “14 lives were lost. 2 crew survived”. The footage includes several images of the Nyora and an overview of the wrecksite. More details about those men that are listed on the memorial can be found at sefhg.org/index_files/jaffamem.htm.

A 2019 PowerPoint-type presentation of The Loss of the Nyora by Steve is 11.35 minutes long and it provides all of the details about the wrecking incident.