The vessel
Day Dawn was originally built as Thomas Nye in 1851. It
was a ship-rigged vessel of the New Bedford whaler design. The tonnage was
461 tons but this was later reduced to 355 tons when the vessel was cut
down to a barque.
As a whaler, Thomas Nye completed three successful voyages after
being launched in June 1851. In 1862 the vessel was sold to H. A. Pierce,
a prominent Boston ship merchant. It then reappears in Lloyd's Register
for 1867 under the new name of Day Dawn, registered to the Port of
Sydney and owned by P. Jones. In 1872, ownership changed to H. Barne, and
by 1877 the ship had been re-registered in South Australia to a master mariner.
In 1885 Day Dawn is mentioned in the Bureau Veritas as having
been converted to one deck with two sets of deck beams, but by 1887 the
Lloyd's entry noted the vessel as 'wrecked'. Construction details indicate
a square stern, no galleries, billet head and carvel build. The construction
materials included timbers of oak, pitch pine and fir. Copper and iron fastenings
were used, with yellow metal sheathing.
The wreck event
The career of Day Dawn is well documented from 1884 onwards. It
made a number of trips to Western Australia including one to Quindalup.
On 14 August 1886 the vessel was wrecked in South Australia while loading
sleepers for the Silverton Railway. According to the Adelaide Observer it
was 'the best vessel in the colonies' (quoted in McCarthy, 1980:30). It
had gone ashore on a long shelving rocky bottom and was last reported 'lying
on her bilge, hogged with 40 feet of her keel gone and full of water' (quoted
in McCarthy, 1980:30). The crew were paid off and returned to Fremantle.
The vessel was condemned as a wreck although the hull was in good condition
and was sold as a hulk for over £1 000. Archaeological evidence from
the excavation of the site in Careening Bay suggests that the hulk was taken
to Garden Island, to an area used at the time for mooring coal hulks and
for ship repairs.
Identification and excavation
In the 1970s a wreck was uncovered in Careening Bay following dredging
work in the area for development of a new naval facility. The wreck was
moved to deeper water and was later excavated.
The hull appeared to have been stripped and burnt, but among the excavated
material were four jarrah planks bearing the name 'Day Dawn' burnt into
them. Also a capstan with the words 'D. A. Taylor, Boston', helped to confirm
the identity of the wreck. |
Continuing deterioration of the wreck led to various in situ wreck
protection measures involving the dumping of sand to prevent further teredo
worm damage. In 1988 the Navy planned to redevelop the small boat harbour
which prompted the Museum to explore options for the removal of the wreck.
It was once again lifted off the sea-bed and towed to deeper waters (Kimpton
& Henderson, 1991).
Site location
The vessel lies at the southern end of Careening Bay.
Site description
The plan shows the shipwreck prior to its various relocations, with the
major features in situ. However, recent wreck inspection reports suggest
that the site requires further stabilisation work to prevent the movement
of sand down the slope from crushing the hull flat. It currently lies in
1 to 4 metres of water.
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 demonstrates an in situ attempt at wreck site stabilisation
and protection methods. Interpretation of the site could demonstrate the
importance of wreck site protection and scientific methods that allow this
to take place. The vessel's history is a reminder of the importance of the
timber industry to the development of Western Australia.
References
Kimpton, G. & Henderson, G., 1991, 'The last voyage of the Day Dawn wreck',
Bulletin of the Australian Institute of Maritime Archaeology, 15.2:25-8.
McCarthy, M., 1980, Excavation of the barque Day Dawn, Western Australian Maritime Museum, Perth.
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