DUNSTER CASTLE 1909–1916
The Dunster Castle, 1909 (2) State Library of South Australia
Description
Steamer, schooner rigged
Construction
Steel; 2-cylinder, double acting, vertical, inverted compound steam engine of 31 NHP, 240 IHP
Size
Length: 95.0 ft (29.0 m) Beam: 20.1 ft (6.1 m) Depth: 7.6 ft (2.32 m) Tonnage: 155.4 gross, 61.58 net, 109.16 underdeck
Built
Garston Graving Dock and Ship Building Company Limited, Garston, England, 1909
Owner
CT Bowring of Liverpool, UK, then George Bell of Melbourne
Sunk
7 July 1916
Location
90 m off the beach in Stoke Inlet, west of Shoal Cape
Latitude/Longitude
(-32.270317, 126.045301)
Sinking
Having discharged its cargo, the Dunster Castle left Esperance for Albany on 4 July 1916. The vessel was riding high. The weather was fine and the wind moderate. At midnight the wind increased to a gale. Captain Schröder decided to return to Esperance. On 6 July the engineer reported that the bilge pumps were choked, and water had risen to the stokehole plates, so he could not keep a full head of steam. Schröder anchored close to shore with two anchors but one cable parted. The ship drifted towards the shore, so the captain beached her to save the ship and crew. No blame was attached to Schröder. Many salvage attempts were made but the ship was finally abandoned in 1919.
Underwater
The Dunster Castle lies almost parallel to the beach, with the bow to eastward. In 1995 a 20-metre section of the hull was visible above the sand. Visible were some iron frames and the top of the propeller. The engine and boiler were still in place. The stem appeared substantially intact, and the windlass and some bollards were in position. Much of the plating has been abraded away by the coarse sand, strong current and heavy surf.
Gallery
