The vessel
As a brigantine, Dato had two masts. The foremast had a square
rig and the mainmast was rigged fore and aft.
Dato arrived in Fremantle in 1893 with 600 tons of coal from Newcastle,
New South Wales, on consignment to the Fremantle Gas Company. Under charter
to W. D. Moore and Company, the vessel left for Quindalup to load jarrah
for London. While waiting to clear Quindalup port on 27 February 1893 a
storm from the north-east drove the brig ashore at the old jetty.
The vessel lost its mainmast and was lying over a kilometre offshore
between Quindalup and Dunsborough. It was soon condemned as a total wreck.
Dato had, however, sustained little permanent damage and was bought
by the timber merchant H. J. Yelverton in partnership with Captain Reid,
a local master mariner (Cairns & Henderson, 1995:205). After the damaged
hull was repaired, the cargo of timber paving blocks was unloaded. Thorough
examination of the hull revealed that several of the planks were smashed.
These were replaced and the vessel was ready to be sold as a hulk. Dato
was resold to W.D.Moore and Company and towed to to Fremantle bythe
tug Dolphin . Little is known of the hulk's subsequent history. There
was some discussion between the government and the owners with reference
to using it to store explosives. The government was to consider purchasing
the vessel to replace Laughing Wave which was used for the storage
of dynamite at the time. Fremantle harbour-master, Captain Russell expressed
the opinion that though Dato was suitable for such a purpose its
ownership was not a viable proposition for the government. This suggests
perhaps that the vessel was damaged in some way and could not easily be
repaired. It was recommended that the hulk be used as a temporary storage
until Moore and Company could arrange for the sale of the explosives. (Cairns
& Henderson, 1995 : 205)
Process of wrecking
There is no record of the sinking of the Dato hulk. It has been
concluded that the vessel capsized and sank at its moorings in Careening
Bay. During the latter half of the last century the bay was used to moor
ships that were no longer sound enough to go to sea.
Site location
The site is located at the southern end of Careening Bay, Garden Island.
Site description
The remains of Dato lie upside down in 14.5 metres of water on
a sea-bed of soft calcareous mud. It is approximately 45 metres long and
7.8 metres wide with the bow facing north-west on a bearing of 340°.
In profile, the site rises over 1 metre off the bottom, although the stern
section is buried in mud and there is a large hole in the starboard side
of the bow. |
Muntz metal and copper sheathing have been observed on the seaward side
of the vessel. It appears that the keel and stern-post have fallen toward
the sea. The extent of wreckage below the mud has yet to be ascertained.
Visibility on the wreck is often very poor. The planking of the hull
is covered in tube worms and marine borers.
Artefacts
Artefacts removed from the site aided in the identification of the wreck
as that of Dato. An anchor has also been removed from the site and
is now on display at Rockingham. The presence of Muntz metal on the wreck
has been recorded on a limited part of the vessel suggesting perhaps that
it was only used in repairs. The absence of this material (universally in
use after 1846) could indicate that the wreck in Careening Bay was built
prior to this period. However, length and breadth measurements correspond
closely to those registered for Dato.
Statement of significance
Recreational and educational
This site lies in Controlled Naval Waters under the administration of
the HMAS Stirling Naval Base on Garden Island and recreational diving
is not possible here. Permission to dive on the site is restricted to projects
that involve scientific or archaeological investigation. Written permission
from the Commanding officer, HMAS Stirling, is required and access
is limited to professional maritime scientists on an 'as needs' basis.
The site often has low visibility and therefore an overall impression
of the site is not easily gained. Interpretation of the site and dissemination
of information on the wreck can reveal aspects of scantily documented aspects
of colonial ship use. It could also foster an appreciation of the importance
of wreck protection.
References
Wolfe, A., 1988, Management of the historic shipwrecks Day Dawn and Dato at Careening Bay, Garden Island, Western Australia, unpub. Consultant's Report, HMAS Stirling Environmental Working Paper No. 6.
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