ELSE formerly Albert William 1863-1900

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Iron Barquentine Selwyn Craig built 1868. photo SLSA

The Else, built under Special Survey as a 3-masted barque by James Laing and launched in May 1863, was originally named the Albert William. It had one deck, an elliptical stern, two bulkheads, two tiers of beams and was cemented. The vessel had a quarterdeck 11 m long, and a shield head instead of a figurehead.

Description

Built under Special Survey as a 3-masted barque by James Laing and launched in May 1863, was originally named the Albert William. It had one deck, an elliptical stern, two bulkheads, two tiers of beams and was cemented. The vessel had a quarterdeck 11 m long, and a shield head instead of a figurehead

Construction

Iron Hull

Size

Tonnage: 512 gross, 488 net Length: 162.5 ft (49.5 m) Breadth: 26 ft (7.9 m) Depth: 17.3 ft (5.3 m)

Built

1863 Sunderland, UK by James Lang

Owner

Wilson & Co. of Liverpool, it was sold to A. Bilborough also of Liverpool in 1869. The vessel then became the property of Smith, Bilborough & Co. in 1876.

Sunk

STRANDED 3 September 1900

Location

South side of the Jetty

Latitude/Longitude

(-, -)

Sinking

THE STRANDING About 3.00 p.m. on 2 September 1900 the Else tried to enter the harbour at Hamelin Bay, but ‘the captain mistook the entrance, and brought his vessel in over the reefs just north of the island’ (West Australian, 3 September 1900: 6c). After three times striking the reef between Peak Islet and Hamelin Island, the barquentine began to take in water and then ran aground on the south side of the Hamelin Jetty.

Underwater

INITIAL SALVAGE After a survey by Lloyd’s surveyor, Captain Webster, the wreck of the Else was sold on 29 September 1900 at an auction held in the Cleopatra Hotel, Fremantle:

Gallery

The Albert William rescued the only survivors from the steamship Dandenong (743 tons) which sank with great loss of life off Jervis Bay, NSW, during an extremely violent storm on 10 September 1876
The wreck was sold to the Adelaide Steamship Company, which had it patched up and towed to Melbourne where it was converted into a hulk. After being salvaged and used as a hulk in Melbourne, the Else was licensed by the Melbourne Harbour Trust in March 1915 for use as a coal/wool lighter. On 1 August 1933 the Adelaide Steamship Company sold the lighter to the Victorian Lighterage Pty Ltd who renewed the licence in January 1934, at the same time reverting to the vessel’s original name of Albert William. On 18 May 1955 the Albert William, under tow by the tug Swiftness from Melbourne to Geelong, parted its towline and went hard aground on Gellibrand Reef, Williamstown.

Location