Steel four-masted barque Hougomont is seen here moored at an unknown wharf. She was later dismasted during a storm in 1932 and after arrival in Port Adelaide was condemned by her owners. She was towed to Stenhouse Bay in January 1933 and scuttled for a breakwater.

Hougomont was owned by Gustav Eriksson of Mariehamn in Finland whose fleet of sailing ships were regular visitors to the Spencer Gulf ports during the 1920s and 1930s. Eriksson purchased the Greenock built barque in 1924. Hougomont had always been accident prone and this continued. During the voyage to South Australia in April 1932 while still in the Southern Ocean the ship was caught in a storm and was still trying to clew up the sails when a sudden gust dismasted the ship. The tangled wreckage of the masts battered the ship until the crew was able to free these.

The badly damaged ship was sighted by a steamer which wirelessed a message to Adelaide and the steam tug Wato was sent to its assistance. However Hougomont was found slowly sailing under jury rig towards Adelaide and refused the assistance of the tug. Hougomont arrived at Semaphore 8 May 1932. It was decided that repairs should not be made: salvageable gear from Hougomont was stripped and taken aboard Herzogin Cecilie, another Eriksson ship which arrived at Semaphore in December. Following this Hougomont was towed by the tug Wato to Stenhouse Bay in early January 1933, where she was scuttled for service as a breakwater.

Loney, J. K. Wrecks on the South Australian coast: including Kangaroo Island Yarram, Vic.: Lonestone Press, 1993

Cormack, Neil W. Sagas of steam and sail [Largs North, S. Aust.]: N.W. Cormack, 2002 (Yorketown, S. Aust.: Pioneer Printing Office) pp. 73-76

Ships' graveyards of South Australia: About the graveyards Scroll down to 'Sea dumping' and select Hougomont for a pdf brochure

Gustav Erikson and his shipping company

State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing exhibitions. Wooden Walls and Iron Sides August 2004-