# TSS Kanowna

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[39°18′36″S 146°07′48″E / 39.31000°S 146.13000°E / -39.31000; 146.13000](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=TSS_Kanowna&params=39_18_36_S_146_07_48_E_)

An undated photograph of Kanowna History Australia Name Kanowna Operator Australian United Steam Navigation Company Route Sydney to Fremantle Builder William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton, Scotland Fate Ran aground and sank, 19 February 1929 General characteristics Tonnage 6,993 tons Length 126 metres (413 ft)

**TSS *Kanowna***, was an Australian [steamer](/source/Steamboat) built during 1902. The 6,993-ton, 126-metre (413 ft) long *Kanowna* was constructed by [William Denny and Brothers](/source/William_Denny_and_Brothers) of [Dumbarton](/source/Dumbarton), [Scotland](/source/Scotland), and had a [twin screw](/source/Twin_screw_steamer) design.[1]

## Operational history

*Kanowna* was operated by the [Australian United Steam Navigation Company](/source/Australian_United_Steam_Navigation_Company) (AUSNC), and it served the [Sydney](/source/Sydney) to [Fremantle](/source/Fremantle%2C_Western_Australia) route.[1]

A 1914 photograph of *Kanowna* in [Cairns](/source/Cairns)

During August and September 1914, *Kanowna* was requisitioned by the Australian military to [transport](/source/Troopship) 1,000 soldiers to [German New Guinea](/source/German_New_Guinea) as part of the [Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force](/source/Australian_Naval_and_Military_Expeditionary_Force).[2] Sailing late from Townsville on 8 August, the ship was forced to anchor off [Thursday Island](/source/Thursday_Island) until 16 August, and did not arrive off [Port Moresby](/source/Port_Moresby) until 6 September.[2] The expeditionary force sailed the next day for Rabaul, but *Kanowna* fell behind the rest of the convoy, with the ship's master signalling to [HMAS *Sydney*](/source/HMAS_Sydney_(1912)) that his crew had [mutinied](/source/Mutiny): the boiler stokers and firemen had stopped work.[3] In [Arthur Jose](/source/Arthur_Wilberforce_Jose)'s [Royal Australian Navy](/source/Royal_Australian_Navy)-focused volume of the *[Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918](/source/Official_History_of_Australia_in_the_War_of_1914%E2%80%931918)*, he claims that the mutiny was because these men refused to leave Australian waters, but [Tom Frame](/source/Tom_Frame_(bishop)) and Kevin Baker state in *Mutiny!* that this is incorrect; the troopship was on short rations of food and water because of the delays sailing north and only minimal resupply in Port Moresby, but the stokers and firemen were requesting more water to remain hydrated in the hot boilerrooms and to wash off coal grime, and refused to work until this demand was met.[4][5] The workers were taken into the custody of a party of soldiers, and the force's commander ordered *Kanowna* to return to Townsville, with soldiers volunteering to keep the ship running.[5][3] The [Australian Commonwealth Naval Board](/source/Australian_Commonwealth_Naval_Board) conducted an inquiry into the mutiny, even though as a civilian vessel, *Kanowna* technically wasn't under their jurisdiction.[3] The state of the supplies was seen as a major contributing factor to the sailors' actions.[3] *Kanowna* was returned to her owners on 21 September.[6]

*Kanowna* in hospital ship livery

On 1 June 1915, the vessel was requisitioned again for military service.[6] *Kanowna* transported soldiers and supplies to Egypt, then made for England, where she was modified for use as a hospital ship.[6] After completion, *Kanowna* could carry 452 wounded in cots, along with a medical staff of 88 in addition to her regular crew.[7] Sailing in September, *Kanowna* was used to transport [Royal Army Medical Corps](/source/Royal_Army_Medical_Corps) personnel to locations throughout the Mediterranean, then collected wounded Australian personnel and transported them home.[7] She would make a total of 10 voyages between Australia and England in the next three years,[8] although some runs were made to England with British wounded.[7] In May 1917, the [unrestricted submarine warfare](/source/Unrestricted_submarine_warfare) campaign forced the ship to sail around Africa instead of through the Mediterranean: the nurses and medical staff were transported overland from Durban to London, and used to supplement hospital personnel until *Kanowna* arrived in July.[7] In October 1918, after the war's end, the hospital ship was sent to collect 900 British and Commonwealth prisoners-of-war that had been interred in Turkey.[7] *Kanowna* was returned to the AUSNC on 29 July 1919, and she resumed passenger and cargo service.[1][7][8]

## Fate

Twelve nurses aboard *Kanowna*, to service the hospital ship

On 18 February 1929, *Kanowna* ran into rocks near [Cleft Island](/source/Cleft_Island_(Victoria)) while on a voyage between Sydney and Melbourne.[1][9] Passengers were transferred to [SS *Mackarra*](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SS_Mackarra&action=edit&redlink=1).[1] Although it was initially thought that *Kanowna* could be saved by beaching, the ship's boilers had gone out.[1] The crew were taken aboard [SS *Dumosa*](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SS_Dumosa&action=edit&redlink=1), and *Kanowna* sank the following morning.[1] A court of inquiry found the ship's master at fault for the loss, as he did not slow his ship or exercise due caution in the foggy conditions.[1]

The exact location of the shipwreck was unknown until 2005.[1] On 23 April, four divers found a shipwreck 50 kilometres (31 mi) into [Bass Strait](/source/Bass_Strait) and submerged in approximately 80 metres (260 ft) of water, which was believed to be the former merchant ship.[1] A more detailed inspection of the wreck site on 8 May allowed the divers to match the wreck with [drawings](/source/Technical_drawing) of *Kanowna*.[1][10]

## See also

- [List of ships built by William Denny and Brothers](/source/List_of_ships_built_by_William_Denny_and_Brothers)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-SOE_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-SOE_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-SOE_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-SOE_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-SOE_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-SOE_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-SOE_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-SOE_1-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-SOE_1-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-SOE_1-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-SOE_1-10) ["TSS Kanowna"](https://soe.org.au/projects/tss-kanowana/). Southern Ocean Exploration Incorporated. Retrieved 16 July 2021.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FrameBaker72_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FrameBaker72_2-1) Frame & Baker, *Mutiny!*, p. 72

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FrameBaker73_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FrameBaker73_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FrameBaker73_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FrameBaker73_3-3) Frame & Baker, *Mutiny!*, p. 73

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Frame & Baker, *Mutiny!*, pp. 72–3

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Jose78_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Jose78_5-1) Jose, *The Royal Australian Navy 1914–1918*, p. 78

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Jose488_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Jose488_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Jose488_6-2) Jose, *The Royal Australian Navy 1914–1918*, p. 488

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Jose489_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Jose489_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Jose489_7-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Jose489_7-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Jose489_7-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Jose489_7-5) Jose, *The Royal Australian Navy 1914–1918*, p. 489

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-AWMdeparture_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-AWMdeparture_8-1) ["Departure of the last Australian hospital ship from Southampton, England"](http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C176739). [Australian War Memorial](/source/Australian_War_Memorial). Retrieved 1 May 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-VHD_9-0)** ["SS Kanowna Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number S389"](https://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/vhd/heritagevic#detail_ships;389). *Victorian Heritage Database*. Heritage Victoria.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Report for Alcatel Submarine Networks- Indigo Central, 2126628"](http://epbcnotices.environment.gov.au/_entity/annotation/03a0e34e-eefb-e711-b305-005056ba00a7/a71d58ad-4cba-48b6-8dab-f3091fc31cd5?t=1533600000337). [GHD Group](/source/GHD_Group). 14 December 2017. p. 20. Retrieved 17 July 2021.

## Other sources

- Frame, Tom; Baker, Kevin (2000). *Mutiny! Naval Insurrections in Australia and New Zealand*. St. Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-86508-351-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-86508-351-8). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [46882022](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/46882022).

- Jose, Arthur W. (1941) [1928]. [*The Royal Australian Navy 1914–1918*](https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1069926/). The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918. Vol. IX (9th ed.). Sydney, NSW: Angus and Robertson. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [215763279](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/215763279).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Kanowna (ship, 1902)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Kanowna_(ship,_1902)).

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1929 Shipwrecks 2 Jan: Malakoff 16 Jan: Hsin Wah 12 Feb: Alloway 19 Feb: Kanowna 22 Mar: I'm Alone 25 Mar: Muggia 29 Mar: Selje 26 May: Aleutian 9 Jul: HMS H47 17 Jul: USS General Alava 1 Aug: Asakaze 30 Aug: San Juan 7 Sep: Kuru 9 Sep: Andaste 11 Sep: Acielle 2 Oct: Commandant Bultinck 22 Oct: Milwaukee 29 Oct: Wisconsin 31 Oct: Senator 4 Nov: Gilbert San 29 Nov: Norwich City 7 Dec: Ägir 18 Dec: Fort Victoria Unknown date: San Antonio Other incidents 5 Jan: Siboney 20 Jan: President Garfield 29 Jan: City of Cairo 28 Feb: Liberty Glo 7 Mar: Thétis 10 Mar: Pengreep 22 Mar: USCGC Dexter 25 Mar: Germaine L D 26 Mar: Europa 28 Mar: Libia 30 Mar: Naïade 6 Apr USS Childs 7 Apr Paris 18 Apr Paris 27 Apr: Duchess of Richmond April (unknown date) Franconia 15 May: Irwell May (unknown date): Duke of Lancaster, Duke of Rothesay 9 Jul: HMS L12 11 Jul: I-55, Kinugasa 3 Aug: Medway Queen 9 Aug: Viceroy of India 20 Aug Paris September (unknown date): Binnendijk, Eider 5 Oct: NRP Adamastor 12 Oct: USFS Widgeon 13 Oct: Empress of Canada 19 Oct: Bowes Castle 20 Oct: USAT Liberty 6 Nov: Barbana G 13 Nov: Ro-63 22 Nov: Parizhskaya Kommuna 7 Dec: Aba 18 Dec: Algonquin 24 Dec: Roosevelt 1928 1930

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [TSS Kanowna](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSS_Kanowna) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSS_Kanowna?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.