Shipwrecks and sea rescue: Shipwrecks, 1919-1930

• Introduction
• 1802-1850
• 1851-1858
• 1859-1862
• 1863-1873
• 1874-1880
• 1881-1889
• 1890-1899
• 1900-1907
• 1908-1918
• 1919-1930
• 1931-1945
• 1946-
• River Murray

Chronological list of shipwrecks continued

1919

18 September 650 ton steel steamer Pareoa struck a rock off the Althorpe Islands. Heavy seas quickly destroyed the ship. Eleven men were lost including the captain. 21 October wooden ketch Young Foster foundered near Outer Harbor.

1920

23 February wooden cutter Buck foundered near Outer Harbor. 4 February barque Boieldieu wrecked near Corny Point. 20 March steel barque Notre Dame d'Avor, 2646 tons, in ballast for Port Victoria, grounded on south west corner of Wardang Island. The light placed on the island in 1909 was incorrectly marked on the map, and was possibly a contributory factor. The crew left the next day after unsuccessful attempts to free her. Subsequently her ballast was removed, but she was gutted by fire after a member of the salvage crew dropped a lamp and a store of paint and oil was accidentally ignited. August Iron Barge no 2 was lost near Royston Head in Spencer Gulf. 14 November iron steamer Ferret ran onto the beach near Cape Spencer, Yorke Peninsula, during fog. She was quickly battered and holed in heavy seas. Ironically she was only metres from the wreck of the Ethel, the loss of which Ferret had reported in 1904.  Ethel was used to secure a lifeline to rescue Ferret's crew, who then walked overland to Stenhouse Bay because the rescue tug Euro was unable to rescue them from the beach. Ferret was infamous as the ship that had been stolen in 1880 during a voyage from Cardiff to Marseilles. Her paintwork was altered and she was sailed to Australia, but despite changes she was recognised in Melbourne. At the time of her loss she was owned by the Adelaide Steamship Company. 31 May steamship Hwah Ping collided with SS Rena at Port Adelaide.

1921

2 January barque Eugene Schneider stranded at Port Victoria. 7 January steamship Walton Hall caught fire at Port Adelaide. 6 June wooden ketch Lillie May foundered off Cape Elizabeth in Spencer Gulf. Five lives were lost. 31 July 98 ton schooner Lemael wrecked near Cape Banks.  The mainmast was carried away in a storm and she struck a reef. All crew reached safety, but were much affected by exposure. 23 November steamship City of Milan was stranded at Largs Bay

1922

10 January steamship Nalpa stranded in the approach to Port Augusta. 30 June steamship Sydie grounded at Shoalwater Point, Eyre Peninsula.

1923

6 January wooden ketch Trucanini was lost near Port Malcolm, south of Semaphore. September ketch Alcair stranded at Marion Bay. 16 November wooden ketch Morning Star was lost at Glenelg.

1924

April City of Singapore exploded and caught fire at Port Adelaide. Three fire fighters died fighting the blaze and 13 crew and fire fighters were injured. The explosion was caused by coal gas, which had been produced as a result of the fire in the adjacent cargo hold. 26 October wooden ketch Portonian was wrecked on Troubridge Island.

1925

3 January schooner Victor was wrecked on Balgowan Reef, Yorke Peninsula. 11 April ketch Lialeeta left Balgowan for Melbourne, via Semaphore where she called for provisions. She was not seen again, disappearing with a crew of five. July schooner Helena lost near Whittelby Point, near Ceduna.

1926

9 January 18 ton steamer Fairy was destroyed by fire at Port Pirie. 29 May wooden steam tug Yulta was beached when she developed a leak near Point Turton. She was later abandoned. 20 December ketch Dashing Wave was lost in Louth Bay.

1927

1 April schooner Macintyre ran onto a reef off the southern end of Wardang Island. This vessel was a converted river boat, and had been built in Echuca in 1877. 25 May ketch Spindrift ran ashore during a storm in Port Le Hunte, Eyre Peninsula. Crew reached safety. 19 August wooden auxiliary schooner Rooganah, with a cargo that included benzine, caught fire off Whyalla when her engine backfired. Crew escaped but the vessel was destroyed.

1928

13 January wooden ketch Napperby was sunk in Port Adelaide River when her cargo of lime caught fire. 1 March auxiliary schooner Four Winds burned, off Port Adelaide. 1 April ketch Ariel disappeared with a crew of three off the Althorpe Islands. Wreckage was later found near Cape Donington. 29 May MV Minnipa was stranded on Boston Island. Passengers were taken off in the ships' life boats.

1929

2 January ketch Merle was burnt at Port Adelaide in Powder Creek. 30 April wooden auxiliary schooner Eclipse was wrecked on Wolff Reef near Balgowan, Spencer Gulf

1930

18 February schooner Eleanor was lost on a reef near Kirkby Island in the Sir Joseph Banks Group of Islands in Spencer Gulf.