The ''Alma Doepel'' is a three-
masted topsail schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
and is one of the oldest such ships surviving.
Early history
''Alma Doepel'' was built in 1903 in
Bellingen,
NSW, by Frederick Doepel and named after his youngest daughter Alma. Until 1915 she operated between Sydney and the northern rivers district of New South Wales. In late 1915 she was sold to Tasmanian owners and commenced operation in Tasmania, mainly carrying timber and goods between Hobart and Melbourne. She was fitted with an auxiliary engine in 1916, and again in 1936. In a 1937 refit her rig was simplified from having square topsails on the foremast to having a fore-and-after rig. In 1943 she was requisitioned by the army, refitted and renamed AK82, and used as an army supply vessel running from Townsville and Darwin to Papua New Guinea. After the war she was reverted to merchant vessel configuration, resuming operation in Tasmania in 1946. From 1961 to 1975 she was stripped of her rigging and used to carry limestone, before being sold, for the scrap value of her engines, to the Melbourne company Sail & Adventure in 1976.
This ship was also used in the opening credits of
Quigley Down Under
''Quigley Down Under'' is a 1990 western film directed by Simon Wincer and starring Tom Selleck, Alan Rickman, and Laura San Giacomo.
Plot
Matthew Quigley is an American cowboy with a specially modified rifle with which he can shoot accurately ...
in 1990.
Restoration
In July 1976 ownership was transferred to Sail and Adventure Ltd., a non-profit organisation formed to restore and use the ship as a sail training vessel. From 1976 to 1987, ''Alma Doepel'' was comprehensively restored. Stage one of the restoration had been completed by mid-1978. In mid-1978 the Port of Melbourne Authority provided berthing and storage facilities at North Wharf. By December 1979 a new deck had been fitted and lower masts had been stepped and rigged. During 1980 a new keel and rudder were fitted at a slipway constructed at Hastings. Sails were fitted in 1983. Limited sailing occurred by January 1984. She led the Parade of Sail in
Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane Cove and Parramatta River, Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or harbor, natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. T ...
in January 1988. From July 1988 she was used as a
sail training
From its modern interpretations to its antecedents when maritime nations would send young naval officer candidates to sea (e.g., see Outward Bound), sail training provides an unconventional and effective way of building many useful skills on and ...
ship, based in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...
, until 1999 when the need for work on the hull and lack of funds put a stop to this activity. In April 2001, ''Alma Doepel'' was taken to
Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Se ...
where she was berthed at Lady Nelson Wharf and open to the public as a static exhibit. In January 2009 the ''Alma Doepel'' returned to Melbourne.
From 2013, she was berthed at No 2
Victoria Dock (Melbourne)
Victoria Dock is a large excavated harbour basin located off Footscray Road and Docklands Highway, Docklands, in Melbourne. It was constructed between 1887 and 1892, under the supervision of Melbourne Harbor Trust engineer Joseph Brady, to m ...
, mounted on a submergible barge, undergoing an extensive refit to return her to survey so she can recommence sail training.
On 16 October 2021 she was lifted off the barge and back into the water by the cargo ship ''AAL Shanghai'' and was ready for re-rigging and her internal fit-out.
See also
*
List of schooners
Notes
References
*
External links
''Alma Doepel'' websiteAlma Doepel Chronicles: Photos and details of the restoration of the Melbourne tall ship the Alma DoepelAlma Doepel virtual tour
{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919)
Schooners of Australia
Ships built in New South Wales
Tall ships of Australia
Sail training ships
Three-masted ships
1903 ships
Merchant ships of Australia
Ships of Australia