Project Objective:
To locate, positively identify and report on the SS Alert.
After being built in Scotland in 1877 for Huddart Paker, the SS Alert sailed to Australia as a three-masted schooner with her funnel and propeller stowed in the hold . The Alert was used primarily for carrying passengers and cargo between Melbourne and Geelong and provided 16 years of reliable service. Replacing the SS Despatch on the Gippsland to Melbourne run, the ship foundered in stormy seas near Cape Schanck on the 28th December 1893 with fifteen lives lost.
The ships cook, Robert Ponting, was the only survivor when he grasped portion of a cabin door and clung to it for sixteen hours before staggering on to the beach about 15 km from where the Alert foundered. That morning he was found unconscious and half buried in the sand on the back beach of Sorrento by four young ladies. They sheltered him as best they could with their cloaks and umbrellas until a man, Austin Stanton and his St. Bernard dog, Victor Hugo, appeared and rendered first aid. The dog nestled close to Ponting keeping him warm while further assistance was sought. The loss of the vessel saw not only a Court of Marine Inquiry but also civil action against owners Huddart Parker by the wife of the second engineer who had been lost in the disaster. She eventually won her case.
The wreck of the SS Alert was discovered by Southern Ocean Exploration on the 27th June 2007 after many years of research. The ship lies 75m deep approximately 10kms south of Cape Schank Victoria.
Channel 10 news report
Channel 9 news report
Channel 7 news report
Channel 2 news report
The Alert was built at Port Glasgow, Scotland in 1877 under the direction and supervision of Captain Thomas Webb, a partner in the firm Huddart & Parker.The vessel was built of iron by Robert Duncan as a screwed Barque, with 6 bulkheads. The engine was built by Rankin & Blackmore, Greenock. The Lloyds Register of 1878 – 79 states that she had one engine being a Compound Inverted type. Cylinders 24″ & 46″ – 26″ stroke. 70lbs. 90h.p. The weight of Engines and Boiler = 150 tons. The vessel was of 243 gross tons, 116 net, and 207 under deck. She had a raised quarter deck of 40′. The Alert’s overall dimensions were; 169′ length x 19.6′ breadth x 9.8′ depth.The Alert initially had 2 boilers but these were replaced by a single boiler in February 1893 of equivalent in size to the initial 2. The single boiler stood approximately 4 feet above the main deck. A new engine was also supplied at this time and mounted aft of the boiler. The Alert has 2 lifeboats, 1 x 20′ and 1 x 14′.1 was slung in the starboard davits on the foreside of the bridge. The other was on the top of the engine room skylight. The rig was Single Foremast.
Survey
The ship was surveyed and classed 90 A1 by Lloyds. The last known survey was a shipwright surveyors declaration 4th November 1893. Vic Gov Ports and Harbors Surveyor Alexander Wilson -states that from at least 1881 the Alert was surveyed every 6 months – This is believed to be the standard for the time.
Other details
Insured at the time of sinking for 4,000₤
Cost to Build 12,000 ₤
Cost of refit 7,000 – 1893₤
Insured for 12,000 on the voyage from England to Melbourne.
Huddart Parker Limited was an Australian shipping company trading in various forms between 1876 and 1961 . The company was founded on August 1 , 1876 in Geelong as Huddart, Parker & Co. Pty. Ltd, by James Huddart , T.J. Parker, John. Traill, and Captain T. Webb. Captain Webb oversaw the construction of SS Alert in Scotland. It appears that the SS Alert was purposely constructed for its intended role within Port Phillip Bay. Some media reports indicated that the Alert was designed for Scottish lakes but this is incorrect.Mr. T.J.Parker, was a merchant who arrived in Geelong from London in 1853 . Captain Thomas Webb had an extensive career in Melbourne shipping and had commanded many ships including the Alert, Express, Despatch, Luna and Excelsior. It was estimated that he had made 6000 trips between Melbourne and Geelong.
Huddart Parker was one of the seven major coastal shippers in Australia at a time when shipping was the principal means of interstate and trans-tasman transport. Huddart Parker was finally taken over by Bitumen and Oil Refineries Australia Limited in October 1961.
For the initial voyage out from Scotland to Melbourne the Alert was converted to a 3 masted schooner. The ships funnels were stowed in the hold. The Alert left Scotland on the 3rd January 1878 and after only one week out the crew was having great difficulty sailing her. So much so that they decided to mutiny and the ship was forced to put in to St. Tudwell Roads Cardigan Bay, Wales. The crew was jailed for several weeks until a surveyor assessed the ship as un-seaworthy and the men were released. The crew of eight demanded and were paid 3.15s per month, then highest wages out of port for any coaster. Over a period of 3 weeks, 15 attempts were made to get the Alert out of the bay and 15 times she had to go back to her anchorage due to the wind not being fair enough. Finally on the 16th attempt the Alert got out of port and commenced on her journey to Melbourne.₤The Alert continued its voyage and arrived in Melbourne on the 30th May 1878. The long journey had taken its toll and the ship required a major overhaul, cleaning and repainting. The ship also required a major refit as it had to be converted back to a steamer.The Alert continued to provide good service to her owners for 16 years as she plied her trade from Melbourne, Port Arlington and Geelong.
The SS Alert left Melbourne for Gippsland on December 23rd and arrived on Christmas day. The return journey commenced from Bairnsdale at 2pm Dec 27th, with the following cargo; 25 tons wattle bark, 55 sheep skins, One box of tools, 20 packages of Furniture, 14 empty casks, 40 bales wool, 20 bags maize; Total Cargo 44 TonsThe seas were very calm for the initial part of the journey and eventually the Alert was forced to hove to off Wilsons Promontory as the crew could not see the light from Cliffy Island due to fog. Once the fog lifted the journey recommenced and on passing Cape Liptrap a large south westerly swell was encountered with a strong south easterly wind. When the Alert rounded Cape Schank the wind had swung around to the south west at full gale force. Captain Mathieson maintained a southwest heading keeping the Alerts bow into the oncoming storm and to be clear of the land. At approximately 4:00pm Captain Mathieson decided to turn the Alert towards the north west, in the direction of Port Phillip heads. As the Alert started to come around a large wave crashed over the port side and ship lay low to starboard. Water poured in through stoke hole covers and through a pantry door in the galley. Attempts to bring the ship around back into the sea failed as she was high at the bow due to light load. Another wave crashed over and the ship started to sink. The fires were put out by the rising water in the ships boiler room and it was then that Captain Mathieson ordered abandon ship. All of the crew leapt into the water and grabbed whatever floating debris they could find. Ponting found a few planks of wood and hung on for his life. He was separated from the rest of the crew and after 16 hours at sea was finally washed ashore at Jubilee point on Sorrento back beaches. He was found and rescued by holiday makers and eventually returned to England.Ponting’s survival was notable due to the fact that he had survived for 16 hours adrift at sea and upon reaching land was kept warm by a large dog that lay on top of him until further help arrived.
Marine Enquiry and Court Action
On 2nd February 1894 a Court of Marine Inquiry found that in view of her construction and with only 44 tons of Cargo, the Alert had insufficient stability and too much freeboard for the conditions encountered. They believed that the Captain Mathieson should have sought shelter in Westernport Bay. However there was no evidence that the master did not use every precaution in handling the vessel therefore the inquiry could not express an opinion as to the cause of the sinking.
A series of court actions occurred after the sinking of the SS Alert. The actions were brought about by the families of the deceased against the owners of the ship – Huddart, Parker and Co Ltd. The main argument was that the Alert, being a very long and narrow ship, was of a design totally unsuited for ocean conditions and it was gross negligence of the owners to send her to sea on the voyage between Melbourne and Lakes Entrance.
Kilpatrick v Huddart, Parker and Co Ltd. Monday 11th February 1895; Plaintiff Miss Lucy Kilpatrick, widow of John Kennedy Kilpatrick sued defendents to recover 3000 pounds damages for the loss of her husband. Final settlement May 20 1897. Settlement was for , legal expenses were Balance to the plaintiffs. Mrs Mathieson also sued the owners.
Total Crew & Passengers: 13 crew and 3 passengers. 15 deceased, 1 survivor.Deceased
1. Albert Mathieson – Captain – 35 married no children. – South Melbourne
2. J. G Hodges – Chief Officer – 32 married no children – Yarraville
3. J Mattison – Second Officer – 43 Single – South Melbourne
4. J Thompson – Chief Engineer – 48 Single – South Melbourne
5. J Kilpatrick, Second Engineer- 33 married 1 child – Williamstown
6. J Dodd, Steward, 32 Married one child, Carlton
7. T Thompson, AB, 45 married 2 children, South Melbourne
8. J Williamson, AB, 27, single, South Melbourne
9. J Arthurson, AB, 25, single South Melbourne
10. J Couttson, AB, 42, married 3 children South Melbourne
11. W Thompson, Fireman, 30 single, Williamstown
12. D McIvor, Fireman, 28 Single, Balaclava.
13. J Newton, Salloon Passenger, 29 Single, Beechworth.
14. W Stewart, Steerage Passenger, 60 married 7 children, Collingwood
15. Page, Steerage Passenger, Steiglitz.(AB = Able Bodied Seaman)Saved
1. Robert Ponting, Cook, 30, Married, no children, South Melbourne.Bodies Recovered
1. J Williamson – Sailor
2. Mr Page – Passenger
3. D McIvor – Fireman
4. W Thompson – Fireman
5. W Stewart – Passenger
6. J Thompson – Chief Engineer
7. Captain Mathieson – Captain
Historical Photos:
Project Photos:
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Spike Cripps on deco – Photo Mark Ryan
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Timber Panel – Photo Mark Ryan
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Spike swimming through prop – Photo Mark Ryan
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Ships Bell – Photo Mark Ryan
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Seal – Photo Mark Ryan
The Alert lies in 75 metres of water roughly 10km’s south west of Cape Schank. She sits upright resting evenly on her keel.
The canter lever stern is still clearly intact with the rudder post and prop hub visible. The prop is missing all of its blades and further investigation is required to try to ascertain why this is. The stern section of the hull is largely full of sand and there is some pieces of tangled wreckage here but you cannot see any further into the aft of the ship.Port holes lay littered across both sides of the aft section of the ship, as much of the hull plating has collapsed where the portholes once were. On the port side there is a section of the hull plating with iron knees sticking up of the sand. Many other debris lay off to the sides, including bottles, plates lamps and other crockery and utensils. This is where the galley would have been.On the starboard side there is metal grating objects that would appear to be the railings on the side of the ship. There is also a collection of plates. Inspection of one of the plates revealed the logo of Huddart and Parker. The hull has collapsed down to the waterline in some sections.
Engine and Boilers
The next prominent feature is the ships engine. Sitting directly aft of the boiler. There are many pipes and fittings lying tangled around the engine.The single boiler is the largest feature on the wreck and sits just forward of the engine. Replaced shortly before the sinking, the boiler is quite large for the size of the ships and there is less than a metres clearance on either side of the ships hull. The ships funnel lies off the port side of the wreck and not far from the boiler.
Forward Sections
Moving forward from the boiler, the ships holds have completely collapsed outwards with lots of steel plating lying over on either side. This area is quite flattened and the ships internal structure of ribs and spars is visible. Off to the port side of the boiler there appears to be an Air Intake duct.Off to the starboard side is the ships binnacle, the actual compass has not been located. Other objects can be seen lying around this area.Moving further forward the forecastle sits upright several metres above the hold. Part of the wooden decking can be seen which is remarkable after 113 years submerged. The anchor winch and chains is still attached to the foredeck as well as some bollards. The Anchor davit sits upright and is a prominent feature of the bow. An anchor has been located on the port side of the bow just aft of the davit.In the hold towards the bow there appears to be a small steam engine which could have been used to power the winch. There are gauges and dials that can be seen here. Also in the forward hold are 3 signal lanterns, port and starboard lights as well as a stern or centre light. This looks likely to be an all round white light. Additionally there are plates and bottles in this section.A large chain from the main winch lies forward and over the starboard side to a hawse pipe. Further investigation is required to ascertain how the Anchor system works as from what we have seen, the Anchor is on the port side with the davit, but the winch and anchor chain appear to be on the starboard side. Two toilets are still attached to the starboard deck, although most of the deck has fallen away. The mast lies off to the starboard side and requires a further research to ascertain the condition of this object.
SOE have completed further dives to explore the wreck in more detail and to record basic measurements of the hull. This phase
involved taking some measurements of the bow to the boiler, the length of the boiler and the engine. The width of the wreck will also be required to be measured. The ships mast lies off to the starboard side of the wreck and requires further investigation.
Additional research by SOE into the SS Alert revealed some interesting finds on land. In looking for the graves of some of the sailors washed ashore, previously unmarked graves were identified at the local Sorrento cemetery. Steps have now being taken to recognize the Sailors graves and their tragic story.
On Sunday 7th July 2019 a team of SOE divers doing a routine inspection of the Alert discovered that the site had been completely looted. Every artefact on the site had been stolen.
Channel Seven news report.
Southern Ocean Team Members
Peter Taylor – Research Coordinator & Search Planning.
Mark Ryan – Search & Dive Coordinator, Diver.
Martin Tozer – Researcher & Diver.
Jonathon Tandy – Boat Driver & Diver.
John Munro – Boat Driver.
George Theodorovics- Diver.
Takis Scordas – Diver
Other Supporters
Peter Harvey – Director Maritime Heritage Unit Victoria.
David Hirst – Diver Photographer.
Liam Allan – Diver Videographer
Russell Calley – Sorrento Cemetery Trust
Battling Waves & Lawyers J Arbuckle Reid -1900
Australian Steamships Past & Present – Dickson Gregory 1928
Argus Newspaper 1876 – 1893
