The MV ''Nelcebee'' is an auxiliary schooner that served the

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n coastal trade from 1883 to 1982.History SA > Nelcebee
Accessed 6 October 2014.

Operational history

''Nelcebee'' was built in at

Rutherglen Rutherglen (, sco, Ruglen, gd, An Ruadh-Ghleann) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having existed as a Lanarkshire burgh in its own ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

by T.B. Seath & Co. It was assembled and tested before being broken into parts and shipped to South Australia where it was reassembled by Thomas Cruickshank in Port Adelaide. ''Nelcebee'' commenced service as a tug and

lighter A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or ...

Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South A ...

, gradually being replaced in its tug role with improved designs, until it was sold in 1927. ''Nelcebee'' was then refitted with a diesel engine, and given two masts. It commenced operation in the South Australian coastal trade from 1928 serving Spencer Gulf and

Gulf St Vincent Gulf St Vincent, sometimes referred to as St Vincent Gulf, St Vincent's Gulf or Gulf of St Vincent, is the eastern of two large inlets of water on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, the other being the larger S ...

ports and carrying loads such as wheat, gypsum, and minerals. In 1962 the vessel was sold to R Fricker and Company and commenced working to supply

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

until it was retired in 1982. ''Nelcebee'' was the second to last ketch operating in the South Australian coastal trade along with ''

Falie ''Falie'' is a ketch that traded for many years in Australian waters. Originally built in 1919/1920 as a speculation by her builder, rigged as a schooner and named ''Hollands Trouw'' after the shipyard where she was built, she was purchased by ...

''. Upon retirement, it was the third oldest vessel on Lloyds Register of Shipping. It is now held by the

South Australian Maritime Museum The South Australian Maritime Museum is a state government museum, part of the History Trust of South Australia. The Museum opened in 1986 in a collection of historic buildings in the heart of Port Adelaide, South Australia's first heritage prec ...

. In 2017, ''Nelcebee'' was one of the ships considered in a study funded by

Renewal SA The Treasurer of South Australia is the Cabinet minister in the Government of South Australia who is responsible for the financial management of that state's budget sector. The Urban Renewal Authority, trading as Renewal SA, lies within the T ...

about "a strategy for berthing or locating historic ships and vessels within the inner harbour of Port Adelaide."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelcebee Ships of South Australia Museum ships in Australia 1883 ships History of transport in South Australia