Tasmanian Shipwrecks and Strandings

[Mike]

Postcards of shipwreck and strandings are very collectable so I thought I would start a new section where you can list known cards.

To kick it off I have scanned 3 cards of the stranding of the SS Oonah on the rocks at Cooee, just west of Burnie.
The following information is taken for "Gateway to Progress" by Peter Mercer. This book is the centenary history of the Marine Board of Burnie. It was published in 1969.

On the morning of 12th December 1912 at about 6.30am, the Bass Strait passenger steamer SS Oonah (1759 tons) run onto the rocks at Cooee. There was a thick fog and the captain missed the Burnie port lights. The sea was dead calm which probably saved the ship from being wrecked on the rocks and reef along the Cooee foreshore. At the next high tide the Oonah with the engines full astern and with the help of the SS Taroa, the Oonah was pulled off the rocks into deep water. The Oonah eventually berthed at Jones Pier at about 2 pm. The hull was checked by divers and was found to be undamaged with only deep scratch marks. Minor damage to the engines was reported. The Marine Board then decided to install a fog horn.

These 3 real photo postcards were taken by well known Burnie photographer, Ernest Winter of the Tasma Studio. As the stranding occurred at 6.30am and the Oonah was in harbour at about 2 pm, it did not give Winter much time to get his photographs. I guess they would of been a good seller for a few weeks after the event!








[Added by Moderator: an account of this stranding may be read in "Ferry to Tasmania: A Short History
by Peter Plowman ..... here is a link to Google Books. To return to this page please use your BACKSPACE key]
http://books.google.com/books?id=v279uR ... 12&f=false

[Mike]

The wreck of the Amy Moir.
Real photo postcard by AW Marshall, Devonport. Postally used Forth 23/7/06. See Tasmanian Shipwrecks Vol 2 by Broxam & Nash for full details of the ship and the wrecking. I think the wreck occurred on the beach between the Devonport Bluff and the mouth of the Mersey River.

[Ross Ewington]

1907 - b&w card by H.W. Grattan (Launceston) with view
"Eden Holme on Hebe Reef, Jan. 7th 1907"


I have no information about this stranding/shipwreck.

[Mike]

This ship is thought to be the "Relic" stranded on the beach at Adventure Bay, Bruny Island. The Relic must of been pulled or floated from the beach as she was eventually wrecked at Eddystone Point on about 29 March 1910. This card was posted from Hobart on 10 March 1906. There is no photographers name.
See details of the wrecking in Tasmanian Shipwrecks Vol 2 Broxam & Nash pages 57 & 57. Mike.

[Mike]

Two views of the same stranding of the SS Rosny, one at high tide and the other at low tide. I think this occurred at Rosny in July 1926. The Rosny was involved in many dramas over the years. See Tas Shipwrecks vol 2 page 241 (Broxam and Nash)





Can anyone identify this ferry which has been destroyed by fire while moored at what I think is the Bellrieve jetty ?

[Ross Ewington]

The burnt-out ferry could be the S.S. Derwent which was destroyed by fire at the Bellerive Jetty on Monday, January 11th 1915.

Here is a link to a .pdf of a report published in The Mercury on Tueday, January 12th [obtained from the NLA Newspaper Archive website]

http://tsauctions.com/bb/s.s.%20derwent ... 201915.pdf

Sorry that it's a bit "jumbled" but you have to take it "as it comes" from the NLA site.

[Malcolm Groom]

It is certainly at Bellerive Wharf as the Sorell Railway terminus is in the distance behind the Ferry

[AdeMaolain]

I have the identical postcard of the sinking of SS OONAH; postmarked on an overprint 2d Tasmania stamp, as a one penny, in Burbie on 14-Dec-12
The card was sent from Luie Mylan - whose family I would like to learn more about as she was a bosom friend of my grandmother, to whom she sent the card from Burnie.
The card I have is the 'top' pic on the page - the card has a stamp on the front pic side, somewhat marring the image although to one side - but also is an historic stamp as it is from "Doherty's Books and Fancy Shop, Mylan Bldgs, BURNIE"

anyone interested to discuss or tell me anything on Mylan clan - and a related clan was Bower I think - please do so

regards

Adrian

[Ross Ewington]

Hi Adrian,

Thanks for your post to this topic. I also have an example of the "S.S. Oonah on the Rocks" card (Ernest Winter
was a prolific producer of postcards at this time and the Oonah running aground would have been big local news at the
time so sales would probably have been strong resulting in a number of these cards surviving.

Re the "Mylan" name: I am only familiar with the name A.A. Mylan who was a newsagent in Orr Street, Queenstown from before
WWI. He produced quite a number of postcards with West Coast postcards and is believed to have been the publisher of the highly
prized North Mt Lyell Disaster series from 1912 (there is a topic on these cards in this category with lots of illustrations that you can view)

Here's an example of a card by A.A. Mylan with an overprinted advertisement:

[attachment=0]mylan ppc.jpg[/attachment]

There may be photos of the Mylan Buildings in Burnie available for viewing at the Pioneer Village Museum

http://www.burnie.net/html/981_997.htm

A request for information to the Burnie Branch of the Tasmanian Family History Society may also be fruitful.

http://www.tco.asn.au/oac/community_gro ... roupID=452

[Mike]

Hello Adrian,
I presume this is the Mylan Bldgs Burnie rubber stamp you are talking about. Not sure where the Mylan Building was but it should not be to hard to find out. Hugh F Mylan (Blacksmith) Burnie, Miss A A Mylan bookseller Queenstown and Miss M Mylan Postmistress Queenstown are all listed in the 1913 Post Office Directory. Miss Mylans bookshop is pictured in the North Mt Lyell disaster card.

A set of 12 cards is known published by Miss AA Mylan, with quite a few with the advertisement for "Improved Pump Shoe". I will list this set on a new thread soon.

[AdeMaolain]

Wow thanks Mike, and Ross - I can tell you both, your replies resonate strongly with me - i must have at least one of those old Mylan postcards of which you both kindly put a sample on the board - my grandmother was an avid collector of all her postcards from all over - especially from her very close friends and i believe cousins, the Mylans - Luie was a pet nickname of (perhaps) Miss M Mylan (one was closer than the others to old 'Gert' my g'mother - whose name I have not got to hand - so they crossed Bass strait quite a bit to visit mainland and so did many post cards. It's great to read the info from the post office directory too - many thanks.

Now I am a bit slow so please forgive - but will get back to this board with more of interest some time soon

By the way it's funny that my old Grannie as a lass was cousin to a Mylan -and later married and became a Millane - close Irish names.

regards

Adrian Millane

P.S. I am going to search for any of those old cards to share - any info also - i have a great family portrait of the Mylans or Bower clan (close friends if not related to each other) also few family pics of the Mylans

[AdeMaolain]

forgive my amateur use of this board - thanks also for the great url links Ross - much appreciate - this is my first experience on a chat group or board posting so a bit rough - cheers Adrian

[Ross Ewington]

that's OK Adrian - you're doing well. I have deleted your e-mail with the spelling correction as I have fixed it. You can edit your posts at any time - you don't have to make a new post to correct or amend a previous one. You will find the EDIT button above the text in you post.

If you plan to post some images and need assistance please do not hesitate to ask. As this particular topic is "Shipwrecks & Strandings" you may need to start a new topic if posting unrelated images as we have strayed a bit away from the sea.

regards - Ross (TPS BB Moderator)

[Mike]

The Eden Holme stranded on Hebe Reef, at the mouth of the Tamar River.Card is postmarked Jan 18th 1907 which is about 11 days after the stranding. I believe the ship was completly wrecked by a big westerly storm soon afer this photo was taken. S. Spurling is the photographer.

[Mike]

"Landing of Mail Bags at Cooee from the SS Oonah" 12/12/12.
See SS Oonah post on page 1. http://tps.org.au/bb/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=63#p170

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