A bit more information has come to light since I wrote THE STRANDING OF THE STEAMER SORATA in May 2021.
The stranded Sorata at Cape Jervis
(Photo B17814/1 from the State Library of South Australia)
Although the SS Sorata features in many ‘shipwreck’ books, the vessel was only grounded at Cape Jervis and eventually towed away. The funny thing is that a barge (Hopper Barge No. 3) that sank at the site during salvage work does not rate as a shipwreck.
The Government barge had been towed down to Cape Jervis loaded with 150 tons of clay (or silt) to pack the Sorata’s hull. A salvage diver called Ericson had decided to fill the hull with bags of clay alternated with layers of seaweed and covered with an internal wooden deck. It took four divers to pack the hull. Unfortunately, the barge hit the side of the Sorata and sank during a storm.
The water was pumped out of the Sorata’s hull, and the vessel was towed to Adelaide by the tug Albatross (said to be a paddle steamer). Just one pump was used for the tow back to Adelaide.
The late Doug Seton holding a plate recovered from the Sorata
(Photo from the Sunday Mail of 29th June 1968)
The plate that the late Doug Seton is holding in this photo had been recovered from the Sorata site. It bears the insignia of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company. As I wrote in THE STRANDING OF THE STEAMER SORATA, “Although (the Sorata) was registered to the Pacific Steam Navigation Co., it was chartered to the Orient Steam Navigator Co. Ltd. at the time of its stranding. It reverted back to the Pacific Steam Navigation Co.’s service in 1886.”
Mara Seton, Doug’s widow, donated the plate to me for passing on to the most relevant organisation. The plate is now in storage at the Department of Environment & Water’s Heritage Branch (Heritage SA) at Netley.
There were said to be more than 500 passengers and crew onboard the Sorata when it became stranded at Cape Jervis, including the Duke of Manchester (Sunday Mail of 29th June 1968). Only 240 passengers, however, were said to have been landed ashore. There surely weren’t more than 260 crew!
“Shipwrecks in South Australia – Book Two, 1876 - 1899” by the late Ronald Parsons says that “Most of the passengers were landed or spent the night aboard the collier SS Woonoona. ….. They ALL returned to the Sorata the next day.” When it became clear that the vessel would not refloat on the high tide, the passengers were then landed ashore.
The Sunday Mail of 29th June 1968 stated that the 240 passengers were landed in the ship’s boats. “Before being sent to Adelaide, passengers were billeted ashore at the lighthouse by Mr Fowles, and others by Mr A. Christie, a local farmer ….”
The Sunday Mail of 29th June 1968
It seems that Doug Seton received a letter from a Mr JV Whyte who wrote that Mr Fowles was the lighthouse keeper. It seems that Mr Fowles piloted the passengers to the lighthouse as it was the nearest landing place for them. Everyone was landed safely.
According to https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/cape-jervis-sa#:~:text=This%20was%20a%20century%20after%20the%20first%20lighthouse,visible%20in%20front%20of%20the%20current%20concrete%20building, “The foundation of the original 1871 lighthouse is still visible in front of the current concrete building”.
Whyte wrote that Mr Christie and his son-in-law, Tom Jones, “were the only people resident in the locality, and the two homes had to house 600 passengers (including crew perhaps) until the tug came round from Port Adelaide the next day.”
He went on to explain that “We land-lubbers had to entertain them in various ways, chiefly horseback riding and dancing.”
It seems that some passengers would return to the Sorata and entertain their hosts there. Whyte recalls them sending a diver down in to the hold to get some cool drinks for them.
Further, Whyte says that both the tug Euro and “the paddle tug Albatross, towed the Sorata to Semaphore anchorage for temporary repairs before she was towed on to Melbourne.
According to https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=6128 , the Sorata was “taken to Adelaide then Melbourne graving dock for repairs.”
Captain Jock Osborne was in charge of the Euro and Mr E. Smith chief engineer.” A Mr Thomas H Bagshaw of Port Noarlunga wrote to say that he was second engineer in the tug Euro.
According to Doug Seton, this painting is a “photo-copy of a replica copy of Sorata painting of original held by SA Art Gallery”: -
“photo-copy of a replica copy of Sorata painting of original held by SA Art Gallery”
The "Sorata" aground at Cape Jervis
(Photo B17814/2 from the State Library of South Australia)
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