Spencer’s Gulf Steamship Company, later amalgamated with the Adelaide Steamship Company
Construction:
Iron; two-cylinder compound steam engine of 162 hp
Sunk:
19 April 1902
Size:
Length: 200 ft (61 m) Beam: 26.3 ft (8.02 m) Depth: 11.7 ft (3.57 m) Tonnage: 730 gross, 395 net, 703 under deck
Underwater:
The wreck of the Franklin lies 500 m offshore on a stone and weed bottom in 4–5 m of water. An inspection in January 1995 by the Western Australian Museum noted that part of the engine projects some two metres above sea level. The iron hull has largely fallen apart and lies flat on the bottom on a north-south axis. It is heavily overgrown with kelp. An inspection in 2013 noted that the propeller shaft, at least one of the propeller blades and the rudder post remain, the latter showing signs where the steering gear was cut away during initial salvage attempts.
Built:
D and W Henderson and Company, Glasgow
Location:
About one kilometre east of the track down to the beach at Point Malcolm.
Sinking:
The Franklin departed Albany for Israelite Bay via small anchorages on 15 April 1902. The steamer struck an unknown object as it entered its usual anchorage at Port Malcolm on 18 April. Water entered the ship rapidly and it settled onto a limestone bottom in 4.27 metres of water. The passengers, mails and cargo were landed. It was thought that the ship was salvageable but bad weather hampered efforts. In a later attempt various items of fittings and stores were salvaged and the Franklin was abandoned. The boiler was removed and later used in the company’s steamer Investigator.
