The Cormorant

The Wreck

Popular landmark on Bribie ca1955-1990

ex-steamer Cormorant

Around 1955 the hulk of the wreck Cormorant was placed off South Esplanade, Bribie Island, on the shore in front of the building known as the AFA hut.

Ship wreck on Bribie Island, ca 1955.
Photo: Roy R. Ross
Source: Picture Queensland 261128

The hulk became known simply as The Wreck and was a popular landmark on Bribie Island. As the years rolled by The Wreck slowly rusted and by 1990 it was deemed too dangerous to be on the foreshore. In October 1990 the remains were removed from the beach.

The Bongaree wreck, Oct 1990.
Photo: Lynelle Court
Source: Bribie Times 31 Oct 1990.

1900-1930 - Q.G.S. Cormorant

The tug Cormorant, built by Messrs. Fleming and Ferguson, of Paisley Scotland for the Queensland Government (for service with the Lindon Bates dredges), left the Clyde on 10 September and arrived in Brisbane on 26 December 1900. The Cormorant was a vessel of 161 tons, drawing 6 feet of water, with a steaming rate of 10 knots, length 106 feet, breadth 21 feet and depth 8 ½ feet.

Caption: Familiar to Mariners who visit Brisbane, the
relief pilot boat Cormorant, which at present is laid up
at the northern capital. 
[publication and date unknown]
Clipping held by the State Library of Western Australia,
Collection of Jack Edward Miller

photo 1923

The Q.G.S. Cormorant which has been acting as pilot steamer and
returned to port last night as the result of the strike.
Source: Daily Standard (Brisbane) Thurs 6 Sep 1923, p. 1

photo 1926

Pilot steamer Cormorant.
Source: The Telegraph Sat 17 Apr 1926 p. 15

Masters of Q.G.S. Cormorant

George Irvine - pilot and master (circa 1903)

Captain Michael Brennan - master (circa 1910)

Captain John McVey - master (circa 1912)

Frederick Markusen - master (circa 1919)

Circa 1955 - the hulk towed to Bribie and laid on the beach at South Esplanade

Les Bax shares his knowledge of how the hulk of the Cormorant arrived on Bribie Island circa 1955: 

Les Bax in 2016: ‘I was on the fishing boat that towed the hulk of the ‘Cormorant’ to its final resting place on Bribie Island. The ‘Cormorant’ had been purchased by Bribie resident, George Sharp, with the object of using it to stop the erosion of Bongaree foreshore frontages. As planned we arrived at Bribie at 5:00pm at the top of the tide. Arrangements had been made to meet up with Council employees, who would help put the hull in place, but there was no sign of anyone from Council, after a short time, we decided to go ahead and beach the ‘Cormorant’ ourselves. We fitted ropes to the shore, attaching one to a tree and the fishing boat guided the hull into position. The ‘Cormorant’ rested on the bottom about half way up the beach. Billy Woods had been engaged for the following morning to blow a hole in the hull, ensuring it was to stay where it was placed. He arrived as planned and assuming the hull was where the Council put it, proceeded to place the explosives in the hull and detonate them. 

The ‘Cormorant’ would remain exactly where me and my mate, Ron Duell, had beached her until 1990 when its remains were removed for safety reasons.’

References:
1. Islander Extraordinaire - Les Bax by Kellyanne O'Hare. 
The Bribie Islander July 2016 page 31.
https://issuu.com/thebribieislander/docs/thebribieislander_july_2016_issue_2

2. Stories from Bribie Island - 1 [27 Aug 2016]
https://peterlud.wordpress.com/2016/08/27/stories-from-bribie-island-1/
features recollections from Les Bax . . . Also photo of s.s. Cormorant (hulk at Bongaree) . . 

Further Information:
At the June 2017 BIHS meeting our guest speaker was David Jones on Shipwrecks of Northern Moreton Bay.  One of the wrecks mentioned by David was that of the Cormorant.

Jun 2017 speaker

Shipwrecks of Northern Moreton Bay

David Jones

Guest speaker at BIHS meeting 14 June 2017

David Jones is a life-long resident of Brisbane with a keen interest in local history, particularly nautical and aviation history. David is a member of the Queensland Maritime Museum and Queensland Air Museum and his books and papers (some co-authored) reflect this interest

David commenced his talk by showing the channels in northern Moreton Bay and explaining why the route, for entering the Brisbane River, changed from the South Passage to the northern route past Cape Moreton.  

Beginning with the Norfolk, Lt. Flinder’s sloop David explained that though she wasn’t wrecked, she was laid up near White Patch (Bribie Island) for necessary repairs, caused by a bad leak during his expedition in July 1799.  Flinder's journal gave details of the sandbanks and shoals in the Pumicestone Passage and the difficulties of navigating into Moreton Bay because of strong winds and squalls. 

The history of the wrecks Avon, Cormorant, Koopa and Gayundah were detailed and photos shown of them as wrecks as well as in their prime.  The makeup of the largest group of wrecks near Tangalooma was described with David advising that the first 6 hulks were scuttled in 1963 (Maryborough, Remora, Bream, Dolphin, Kookaburra and Iceberg) followed by 10 more over the next 20 years, the last being the Echeneis in 1984. The reason for their dumping and why in 2015 the wrecks were cut down to water level, which changed the silhouette of the wrecks, was explained.

David then showed some early photos of dumped WW2 landing barges on Bribie Island and a discussion ensued on where they were positioned from the background in the photos.

The story of the grounding of the Anro Asia, a 16,336 ton roll-on/roll-off container ship off the northern tip of Bribie in 1981 was told as was the Kanimbla which in 1952 was grounded off Caloundra because of blinding rain squalls and blasts of wind. The account of the Eastern’s mishap in 1911 was then presented with David advising how she ran aground on the Salamander Bank which flanks the western side of the channel. After being 10 days aground strong winds and seas carried her over and across the Salamander Bank into the deeper water of the north-west channel. Though damaged she was repaired in Sydney.

David then detailed some early shipping catastrophes commencing with the wrecking of the Sovereign, a 119-ton paddle-steamer which plied the coast before being wrecked in the South Passage with heavy loss of life on 11th March 1847.  The Young Australia, an emigrant clipper, who broke her back on the rocks of North Point on 31st May 1872. The St Magnus a 300-ton barque that went missing after arriving off Cape Moreton, from Adelaide, on 17th March 1875, in particularly stormy weather, took a pilot on board but failed to arrive in Brisbane. Five days later a passing steamer came upon a capsized hulk, bottom-up drifting 30 miles north of Cape Moreton, she fitted the description of the St Magnus.  David spoke also about the Danish barque Aarhus which struck Smith Rock on 24th February 1894 and sank in 15 minutes with no loss of life and the Waipara a passenger ship which also struck Smith Rock, but though needing extensive repairs, survived her encounter. The St Paul, a French steamer, similarly struck Smith Rock but foundered within four minutes with a loss of life of  18.  The Marietta Dal arrived on a fine day on 15th May 1950 but ran onto Smith Rock and was firmly wedged. She broke in two and is now completely submerged and a popular, though challenging, dive site.

David closed his presentation with the story of the Kaptajn Nielsen a 1,600 ton Danish dredge brought to Moreton Bay to deepen the north-west channel.  On the evening of 18th September 1964 she was in the channel near Tangalooma when at 11.30pm she suddenly capsized trapping men inside the upturned hull.  David described how crew member Erik Poulsen raised the alarm and the harrowing race-against-time rescue by divers Joe Engwirda and Ivan Adams  as they pulled survivors out one-by-one. Captain Karl Flindt being the last survivor rescued. The three heroes were all awarded the George Medal.

Further information

David Jones' books available from Boolarong Press

http://www.boolarongpress.com.au/content/bookstore/authorDetails.asp?authorid=189

The Lady of the Water: the story of the SS Koopa 1911 to 1953

by David Jones and Colin Jones

http://www.boolarongpress.com.au/content/bookstore/bookDetails.asp?bookid=910