The Solglyt was launched in 1888 for OR Føreid of Grimstad. The Solglyt was described as having a shapely appearance. Little is known of its history. The masters were M. Andersen (?–1889), A Rasmussen (1890–1901) and Reinertsen (1894).
Captain A Rasmussen was the master and there was with a crew of 13 and three passengers when the Solglyt arrived in Koombana Bay from Port Natal on 18 May 1901. It loaded a cargo of jarrah for the Port Natal Harbour Board and the Port Natal Railway. This consisted of 10,935 pieces, including 81 piles 12.2–16.8 m long, plus sleepers and other timber. The cargo was shipped by George Baxter, who had gone to great lengths to select ‘the best samples ever shipped at this port’. The cargo was valued at £2,500.
The bell from the Solglyt used to hang at the Bunbury High School before it was stolen.
Description
Barque; one deck, two tiers of beams and sheathed with yellow metal
Size
Length: 176.5 ft (53.8 m) Beam: 34.6 ft (10.55 m) Draft: 20 ft (6.1 m) Tonnage: 869 gross, 797 net, 760 underdeck
Built
M. Svensen, Grimstad, Norway
Owner
Rasmussen and Brother
Latitude/Longitude
(-33.319807, 115.642101)
Sinking
The Solglyt was anchored at Koombana Bay in July 1901 with two anchors down. The weather was described as heavy, and the wind was blowing strongly from the north and north-east, accompanied by squalls and strong tides, which lasted nearly all day. Captain Rasmussen tried to kedge out to a heavy mooring buoy, but a squall struck and one of the anchor cables parted. During the afternoon the barque grounded in shallow water. It started bumping heavily and soon began filling with water. By the following day the vessel had completely filled. On Friday 12 July 1901 the Lloyd’s surveyor, Captain Webster, arrived and pronounced the vessel a total wreck. Some of the timber had been off-loaded and lightered ashore before the Solglyt finally settled on the sea bed. On 18 July 1901 the wreck of the Solglyt, all its gear and the remaining cargo was sold by auction.
Underwater
The Solglyt is buried near the channel between Koombana Bay and the Leschenault Inlet. It was uncovered during excavations for the channel at Point McLeod in 1973. The remains were badly damaged by bulldozers and were buried nearby.
