{{Short description|Sydney K-class ferry, burned in 1911}} {{Infobox ship |display_title=''Kaludah'' |section1={{Infobox ship/image |image=Sydney ferry KALUDAH at Circular Quay.jpg |image_caption={{nowrap|''Kaludah'' in [[Sydney Cove]]}} }}
|section2={{Infobox ship/career |hide_header= |flag={{shipboxflag|Australia|civil}} |name=''Kaludah'' |owner= |operator=[[Sydney Ferries Limited]] |registry= |namesake= |route= |ordered= |builder=Morrison and Sinclair, [[Balmain, New South Wales|Balmain]] |original_cost=£12,000<ref name="Burning of Kaludah">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article114140550 |title=Burning of the Kaludah. |newspaper=[[The Evening News (Sydney)]] |issue=13,674 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=6 April 1911 |accessdate=30 August 2021 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |yard_number= |way_number= |laid_down= |launched=1908 as ''Kuranda''<ref name="DailyTelegraph1909" /> |completed= |christened= |acquired= |maiden_voyage= |in_service=1909 as ''Kaludah'' |out_of_service=22 March 1911 |identification= |fate=Burnt out and sank |notes= }}
|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics |hide_header= |header_caption= |class= [[Sydney K-class ferry|K-class]] double-ended ferry |tonnage=137 tons{{Clarify|date=July 2024|reason=Is it metric or imperial tons? }} |displacement= |length= {{convert|35.1|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |beam= {{convert|7.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |height= |draught= |draft= |depth= |decks= |deck_clearance= |ramps= |ice_class= |sail_plan= |power={{convert|50|hp|kW|abbr=on}} [[Steam engine#Multiple expansion engines|triple expansion steam]] |propulsion=[[Ferry#Double-ended|Double-ended]] [[Propeller|screw]] |speed={{convert|12|knots|km/h mph|abbr=on}} |capacity=600 (est)<ref name="DailyTelegraph1909" /> |crew= |notes= }} }}
'''''Kaludah''''' (launched as '''''Kuranda''''') was a [[Sydney K-class ferries|K-class ferry]] on [[Sydney Harbour]], Australia. Commissioned in 1909, the timber-[[Hull (watercraft)|hull]]ed steamer was built for [[Sydney Ferries Limited]] during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the 1932 opening of the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]]. Like the other "K-class" ferries, she was double-deck, double-ended, [[Steam engine#Multiple expansion engines|steam-powered]] [[propeller|screw]] ferry. However, she and the larger but otherwise similar ''[[Kookooburra]]'' (1907), were the only two K-class ferries designed by naval architect [[Walter Reeks]] and not Sydney Ferries Limited's Captain Summerbell.
''Kaludah'' was built by [[Morrison & Sinclair|Morrison and Sinclair Limited]] of [[Balmain, New South Wales|Balmain]]. She was launched in late 1908 as ''Kuranda'' and commissioned the following year and her name changed to ''Kaludah''.
''Kaludah'' burnt out and sank near [[Gladesville, New South Wales|Gladesville]] in 1911 when she was still the newest ferry in the Sydney Ferries Limited fleet.<ref name="ON FIRE AND ADRIFT">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221576604 |title=On Fire and Adrift. |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=227 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=22 March 1911 |accessdate=29 August 2021 |page=1 (Final Extra) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She is one of the shortest lived of Sydney's ferries.
==Background, design and construction== ''Kaludah'' was built for [[Sydney Ferries Limited]] during the early twentieth century boom in cross-Harbour travel prior to the 1932 opening of the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]].<ref>Andrews (1982), page 104</ref> She was one of a broader type of timber [[Ferry#Double-ended|double-ended]] [[propeller|screw]] ferries known as the [[Sydney K-class ferries|K-class]]. The company built 25 of these vessels between the 1890s and early 1920s to meet the booming demand. The K-class were all propelled by [[triple expansion steam engine]]s and, like ''Kaludah'', were predominantly timber-hulled (four later K-class had steel hulls).<ref>Prescott (1984), pages 67–72</ref>
[[File:Morrison & Sinclair shipyard White Bay Balmain, with KALUDAH being built circa 1909.tif|left|thumb|''Kaludah'' (partly obscured, right) under construction at Morrison & Sinclair yards, White Bay [[Balmain, New South Wales|Balmain]]]]
''Kaludah's'' design was similar to that of the Sydney Ferries Limited's larger 1907 steamer ''[[Kookooburra]]''. The two ferries were a response to Sydney Ferries Limited's need for new vessels on the longer-distance [[Parramatta River]] service and a ruling from the Maritime Services Board that from 1912, all vessels using Circular Quay must be of a double-ended nature because of congestion in the Quay. All the vessels operating on the Parramatta River service to that point were single-ended vessels.<ref name="Bill Allen Mosman Council"/>
Rather than using Captain Summerbell who had designed Sydney Ferries Limited's deep draft, round-ended steamers, the company engaged renowned naval architect, [[Walter Reeks]], to design high speed, shallow draft vessels for the Parramatta River service. Reeks, who had designed the Balmain New Ferry Company ferries and also the Port Jackson Manly Steamship Company's ''[[SS Manly|Manly (II)]]'' and ''[[SS Kuring-gai|Kuring-gai]]'', insisted on pointed bows for the ferries to achieve the speed necessary for the river. The company board had, to that point, a policy that all vessel bows were to be a rounded shape to give a tradition at a time when the Balmain New Ferry Company had pointed bows on their vessels (such as on the Lady class ferries).<ref name="Bill Allen Mosman Council"/> Also unique among the 25 K-class ferries, ''Kookooburra'' and ''Kaludah'' were built with short funnels, with [[forced draft]], to pass under low bridges on Parramatta River service.<ref>Prescott (1984), pp 15 and 16</ref><ref name="Bill Allen Mosman Council"/>
''Kookooburra'' did not perform well on the Parramatta River service creating too much wash which was the source of much resident complaints. She was later placed on the [[Mosman]], [[Neutral Bay]] and [[Taronga Zoo]] services and a taller funnel provided.<ref name="Bill Allen Mosman Council"/> With ''Kaludah'', designed and built approximately two years after ''Kookooburra'', Reeks was able to refine the design. ''Kaludah'' was a more successful boat, reaching speeds of up to 13 knots while creating minimal wash.<ref name="Bill Allen Mosman Council"/> Sydney Ferries Limited did not build more pointed-bow ferries, continuing their rounded bow tradition until their final K-class ferries in the early 1920s.<ref name="Bill Allen Mosman Council">{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Bill |title=Mosman Historical Society presentation by Bill Allen on Sydney Harbour Ferries, 17 September 1984. |url=http://images.mosman.nsw.gov.au/localstudies/detailpage/33006 |website=Mosman Council |publisher=Mosman Historical Society |access-date=4 September 2021 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
''Kaludah'' was built of hardwood and [[kauri]] with bent frames. She had five bulk heads, four of which were iron.<ref name="DailyTelegraph1909"/> The ladies cabin was lined with [[Queensland maple]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article235344577 |title=Constructional. |newspaper=[[Weekly Supplement to Building]] |volume=4 |issue=63 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=27 April 1909 |accessdate=4 September 2021 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Chapman and Co installed the machinery which was imported from Campbell & Calderwood in Scotland. The [[triple expansion steam engine]]s had cylinders of diameter 12-inch, 20-inch, and 32.5 inch, with stroke length of 18-inches. She had two boilers each 18 feet long and 6 feet 9 inches in diameters with a working pressure of 180 lb.<ref name="DailyTelegraph1909"/> Her engines produced 50 hp and propelled her to 12 knots.
==Service history== ''Kaludah'' was launched, and named as ''Kuranda'', on 9 December 1908 by Miss Enid Russell.<ref name="DailyTelegraph1909">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article238193684 |title=New Steamer for the Sydney Ferries. |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] |issue=9214 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=10 December 1908 |accessdate=29 August 2021 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The press at the time of the launch noted she was built for Sydney Ferry Limited's semi-sea service around [[Middle Head]].<ref name="DailyTelegraph1909"/>
At 10pm on Christmas Eve 1908, the Balmain New Ferry Company ferry, ''Lady Rawson'', struck heavily against Stephen Street wharf at Bald Rock, [[Balmain, New South Wales|Balmain]], and continued on colliding with the hull of ferry '' Kuranda'' that had been launched a few weeks before. ''Lady Rawson'' suffered considerable damage but completed her trip to Sydney.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15013399 |title=Still the Post OFfice. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=22,135 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=25 December 1908 |accessdate=4 September 2021 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}} Courtesy of Mori Flapan: Register of Australian and New Zealand Ships and Boats 2021 www.boatregister.net boatregister.net</ref>
The ferry's use of the name ''Kuranda'' appears to have been short lived; a larger interstate steamer already carried the name.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article177211206 |title=Sreamer Kuranda. |newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph]] |issue=13169 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=4 February 1915 |accessdate=4 September 2021 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173971830 |title=Shipping. |newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph]] |issue=9,156 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=26 March 1902 |accessdate=4 September 2021 |page=2 (Second Edition) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> In May 1909, "''Kaludah''" was reported to have been recently handed over to her new owners,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228075461 |title=Shipbuilding at Sydney. |newspaper=[[The Star (Sydney)|The Star]] |issue=57 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=17 May 1909 |accessdate=4 September 2021 |page=13 (First Edition) |via=National Library of Australia}} Courtesy of Mori Flapan: Register of Australian and New Zealand Ships and Boats 2021 www.boatregister.net boatregister.net</ref> and a July 1909 Sydney Morning Herald article noted "The ''Kaludah'', formerly ''Kuranda'', commenced running in the Parramatta River service in May."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15097920 |title=The Ferry Services. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=22,321 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=30 July 1909 |accessdate=29 August 2021 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140"> File:Sydney ferry KALUDAH on the Parramatta River circa 1910.jpg|On the [[Parramatta River]], circa 1910 File:Kaludah Ferry.jpg|''Kaludah'' at [[Balmoral Beach]], 18 days before her March 1911 fire, on a Grand Union of Free Gardeners picnic at [[Balmoral Beach]]. File:Sydney ferry KALUDAH 1911.jpg|Image accompanying newspaper report of the fire </gallery>
==Fire== When she was still the newest vessel in the Sydney Ferries fleet, ''Kaludah'' caught fire at the [[Gladesville, New South Wales|Gladesville]] bridge wharf on 22 March 1911.<ref name="ON FIRE AND ADRIFT" /> Burnt almost to the waterline, she was one of the shortest lived of any Sydney ferry. The night before the fire, the vessel had been moored to the Gladesville Bridge wharf after her final trip for the day. A deck hand slept aboard as usual. At 5.17 am, Andrew Adams, a passing tramway starter on a tram in Drummoyne Avenue [[Drummoyne, New South Wales|Drummoyne]] noticed flames issuing from the vessel about amidships. He and William Fisher, the night bridge-keeper, rushed down to the ''Kaludah''.<ref name="ON FIRE AND ADRIFT"/> The two called out waking the deckhand sleeping aboard. With flames preventing him leaving his cabin through the door, he climbed out a window and escaped onto the wharf along a rope.<ref name="Kaludah Fire">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221589382 |title=Kaludah Fire. |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=234 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=30 March 1911 |accessdate=29 August 2021 |page=8 (Latest Edition) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref name="ON FIRE AND ADRIFT"/>
The fire burnt through the ferry's lines and she drifted downstream after which flames were reported to have broken out in several locations.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article152371601 |title=Steamer Kaudah |newspaper=[[Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|Daily Telegraph]] |volume=XXXI |issue=70 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=23 March 1911 |accessdate=30 August 2021 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She was taken under tow by the fire boat ''[[Pluvius (1902)|Pluvius]]'' which doused her with water. She burnt to the water line, and was beached at low tide in [[Tarban Creek]] near Villa Maria, being submerged on the high tide.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gunter |first1=John |title=Across the harbour: the story of Sydney's ferries |publisher=Rigby |date=1978|isbn=0727007157 }}</ref><ref name="ON FIRE AND ADRIFT"/>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140"> File:Sydney ferry KALUDAH on fire at Gladesville in 1911.jpg|''Kaludah'' alight at [[Gladesville, New South Wales|Gladesville]] File:Sydney ferry KALUDAH sunken in Tarban Creek after being gutted by fire.jpg|''Kaludah'' on the mud flats at Tarban Creek File:Sydney ferry KALUDAH in Kerosene Bay after being raised and towed after burning and sinking in Tarban Creek.jpg|''Kaludah'' after being raised and towed to Kerosene Bay </gallery>
==Enquiry==
An enquiry into the incident was held at the City Coroner's Court during late March and early April 1911.<ref name="Kaludah Fire"/> WG Todd, manager of Sydney Ferries Limited, represented the ferry company, while insurers, Norwich Union Insurance Company, who had insured the vessel for £9,000 were represented by Mr Rooke.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158548829 |title=The Kaludah Inquiry. |newspaper=[[Daily Commercial News And Shipping List]] |issue=6348 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=7 April 1911 |accessdate=30 August 2021 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
The deckhand noted that the fire appeared to be coming from the stokehold and that subsequently there were two or three explosions in quick succession, apparently from the engine room. A witness suggested that the explosions may have been caused by the tank in the ladies saloon. Other witnesses said that it may have been emergency detonators kept on board.<ref name="Kaludah Fire"/>
Sydney Ferries Limited's superintendent for the Parramatta River service said that the master of the ferry had ensured the boat was properly moored, the steam had been shut-off, the electric lighting turned off, and the fires had been banked. The deckhand reported that he saw to the removal of the ashes from the steamer.<ref name="Kaludah Fire"/> A witness said there had previously been a small fire on ''Kaludah'' that had broken out under one of the boilers. It had caused minimal damage, but its cause was not known, and special instructions had since been given as a precaution against subsequent fire.<ref name="Kaludah Fire"/>
The Coroner Hawkins closed the case without inspecting the vessel,<ref name="Kaludah Disaster">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article45142247 |title=The Kaludah Disaster. |newspaper=[[Barrier Miner]] |volume=XXIV |issue=7080 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=10 April 1911 |accessdate=29 August 2021 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> returning a verdict confirming that ''Kaludah'' was totally destroyed by fire but was unable to confirm the cause of the fire, either accidental or otherwise.<ref name="Kaludah Disaster"/> The insurer noted they were satisfied the fire was accidental.<ref name="Burning of Kaludah"/>
==Salvage and ''Kamiri''== [[File:Sydney Ferry KAMIRI leaving Circular Quay 1912.jpg|thumb|''[[Kamiri]]'', shown in the year of her launch (1912), took ''Kaludah's'' refurbished engines and [[dynamo]]. Some reports say ''Kamiri'' also took ''Kaludah's'' remaining timbers, while others say ''Kamiri'' was built on the remains of ''Kaludah's'' hull]]
''Kaludah'' was raised on 4 April 1911 by Einerson Bros of Balmain using a series of lighters and towed to Kerosene Bay in North Sydney.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article239088272 |title=Kaludah Raised. |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] |issue=9939 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=5 April 1911 |accessdate=29 August 2021 |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221586307 |title=The Burnt Kaludah. |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=241 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=7 April 1911 |accessdate=29 August 2021 |page=1 (Final Extra) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> It had taken two weeks preparatory work before the raising, with a failed attempt on 2 April before the successful attempt two days later.<ref name="Burning of Kaludah Sun">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221577087 |title=Burning of the Kaludah. |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=238 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=4 April 1911 |accessdate=29 August 2021 |page=7 (Final Extra) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
The hull was sold in-situ at Kerosene Bay by auction on 16 May 1911 by Frazer Uther & Co to Einerson Bros for £40.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221577699 |title=The Kaludah Sold. |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=274 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=16 May 1911 |accessdate=30 August 2021 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The engine and [[dynamo]] were used in Sydney Ferries Limited's next new ferry, ''[[Kamiri]]'', which was a more conventional version of a K-class ferry.<ref name=:168>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article234755168 |title=Morrison & Sinclair. |newspaper=[[Construction : Weekly Supplement To Building]] |volume=10 |issue=224 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=27 May 1912 |accessdate=1 September 2021 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Press at the time of ''Kamiri's'' 1912 launch and construction, noted that she was intended to replace ''Kaludah'' on the Parramatta River service and that she was built from ''Kaludah's'' plans.<ref name=:168/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article238759145 |title=New Steamer for Sydney Ferries. |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] |issue=10281 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=8 May 1912 |accessdate=4 September 2021 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15329968 |title=New Steamer. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=23,269 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=9 August 1912 |accessdate=4 September 2021 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15325525 |title=New Ferry Steamer. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=23,189 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=8 May 1912 |accessdate=4 September 2021 |page=20 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article114810027 |title=Another Ferry Steamer. |newspaper=[[The Evening News (Sydney)|Evening News]] |issue=14,014 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=8 May 1912 |accessdate=4 September 2021 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> In subsequent years, reports described closer links between ''Kaludah'' and ''Kamiri''. A 1919 report on the Royal Commission into Sydney ferries stated that the burnt out ''Kaludah'' was rebuilt and renamed ''Kamiri'',<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221988328 |title=Sydney Ferries |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=2853 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=25 August 1919 |accessdate=4 September 2021 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15849218 |title=Sydney Ferries. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=25,451 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=1 August 1919 |accessdate=4 September 2021 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> while Graeme Andrews (1994) recounts a story from a shipwright involved in the construction of both ''Kaludah'' and ''Kamiri'', whereby the shipwright said he found tools engraved "Kaludah" inside ''Kamiri's'' hull.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Andrews |first1=Graeme |year=1994 |title=The Ferries of Sydney |publisher=Sydney University Press|isbn=0424002027 |page= 161}}</ref>
==See also== * [[List of Sydney Harbour ferries]] * [[Timeline of Sydney Harbour ferries]] * [[Sydney K-class ferries]]
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==References== * {{cite web |url=http://boatregister.net/index.htm |website=The Register of Australian and New Zealand Ships and Boats |publisher=Mori Flapan |title=Kaludah |access-date=3 September 2021}} * {{cite book |last1=Andrews |first1=Graeme |year=1975 |title=The Ferries of Sydney |publisher=A.H. & A.W. Reed Pty Ltd |isbn=0589071726 |page= }} * {{cite book |last1=Andrews |first1=Graeme |year=1994 |title=The Ferries of Sydney |publisher=Sydney University Press|isbn=0424002027 |page= }} * {{cite book |last1=Prescott |first1=A M |title=Sydney Ferry Fleets |date=1984 |publisher=Ronald H Parsons |location=Magill, South Australia |isbn=0-909418-30-6 }}
==External links== *{{commons category-inline|Kaludah (ship, 1909)|'''''Kaludah'''''}}
{{Sydneyferries|state=collapsed}} {{1911 shipwrecks|state=collapsed}}
[[Category:Sydney K-class ferries]] [[Category:Ferries of New South Wales]] [[Category:Ferry transport in Sydney]] [[Category:Ships built in New South Wales]] [[Category:Maritime incidents in 1911]] [[Category:1909 ships]] [[Category:Ship fires]]