The Wreck of the Ketch Elizabeth Annie
“Ketches of South Australia” by Ronald Parsons describes the two-masted wooden ketch Elizabeth Annie as having one deck, a square stern and being ‘carvel’* built.
* (‘Carvel’ is said to be the same as ‘caravel’, described as a vessel having a hull with planks made flush at the seams, or built with the planks of the hull laid edge to edge to form a smooth surface.)
According to this signage at Stansbury jetty, “The Elizabeth Annie (was) of 61 tons”: -
That statement is repeated in this sheet at the Stansbury Museum: -
All of my own references, however, state that the tonnage for the Elizabeth Annie was 64 tons.
The sheet at the Stansbury Museum, in total, reads: -
“The Elizabeth Annie of 61 tons was built in 1874 at Oyster Bay, better known as Stansbury, in the Gulf of St. Vincent by J. Taylor who was her first owner and who named the vessel after his two sisters, Elizabeth and Annie.
Her official number was 64228 and her dimensions were Length 68.1’ x Breadth 18.3’ x Depth 8.0’. She was registered at Port Adelaide in 1874, and made her first voyage in July of that year.
The Elizabeth Annie gave good service over many years trading, mainly to ports in both the Gulf of St. Vincent and Spencer Gulf, with occasional trips to the south-east coast, the west coast and to Kangaroo Island.
J. Taylor only kept the vessel for about a year when he disposed her to G. Miller. She next went to W. Glyde in 1885 (?)*, then to Robin & Hack in 1881 (?), followed by R. Honey. About the mid-1890’s D. Dinneen became involved in the ownership of the vessel, first in partnership with W.Russell and then with C.E. Hislop, but just after the turn of the century he was the sole owner. However, at the time of her loss, in 1911, she belonged to the Tainsh family, being registered in the name of James Tainsh in 1904.
When owned by R. Honey the Elizabeth Annie sank in the Port Adelaide River on 29th March 1885. She was refloated and repaired. On 15th December 1911 the vessel stranded on a reef just off Minlacowie in Spencer Gulf and was eventually abandoned.”
* (W. Glyde acquired the Elizabeth Annie in 1878.)
It was a George J. Miller who acquired the Elizabeth Annie when J. Taylor sold it after just one year. R. Honey who acquired the vessel in 1885 is Richard Honey. The D. Dinneen who became involved in the ownership of the vessel about the mid-1890’s is thought to be Daniel ‘David’ Dineen. The W. Russell who was first in partnership with D. Dineen is thought to be William Russell.
I previously wrote about the Elizabeth Annie in the May 1988 issue of the MLSSA Newsletter (No.130) and the May 1999 issue (No.255) - https://web.archive.org/web/20130510042248/http://www.mlssa.asn.au/cgi-bin/Publications.cgi?topic=nletters/MLSSA_NL_255_May_1999.htm&hash=5 ).
In 1988, I heard that the wooden ketch Elizabeth Annie had run aground near the old Port Minlacowie jetty and that the vessel’s remains were still evident. In 1989, a new boat ramp opened just north of the old jetty site at Port Minlacowie. I tried to find the wreck of the Elizabeth Annie near the new boat ramp in 1993.
I launched my boat at the new ramp and anchored in the area where I thought that the Elizabeth Annie had run aground. Despite enjoying a good 55-minute solo dive there, I didn't find any evidence of a shipwreck of any kind.
(The Elizabeth Annie has also been called the "Elizabeth Ann" and the "Elizabeth Anne", but it seems that "Elizabeth Annie" is the correct name.)
A photo in "Yorke Peninsula - A Resident's Views" by Allan Parsons shows the Elizabeth Annie the "Elizabeth Annie" aground near the Port Minlacowie jetty.
So, the "Elizabeth Annie" ran aground in December 1911, and she became stranded close to the Port Minlacowie jetty and was subsequently abandoned on 15th January 1912.
According to Peter Christopher's book "South Australian Shipwrecks - A Data Base 1802-1989", the "Elizabeth Annie" ran aground on 16th December 1911, not the 15th as suggested in the above-mentioned signage at the Stansbury jetty (also shown below).
Comments