''Kanangra'' is a retired ferry on

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...

. She was launched in 1912 during the early-twentieth century pre-

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...

boom years of

Sydney Ferries Limited Sydney Ferries Limited operated ferry services on Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from 1900 until June 1951. The company grew out of the North Shore Steam Ferry Company and took over smaller ferry operators to become the largest ferry operator i ...

. She and her close "sister" ferry, ''

Kirawa ''Kirawa'' was a ferry on Sydney Harbour. She was a near identical sister vessel with '' Kanangra'' both of which were launched in 1912 during the early-twentieth pre-Sydney Harbour Bridge boom years of Sydney Ferries Limited. They were the fir ...

'' (also 1912), were the first of four steel-hulled " K-class" ferries, the majority of which were timber-hulled. Both 45 metres in length and with passenger capacities of over 1,000 passengers each, the two were among the largest of the Sydney Ferries Limited fleet and they mainly served the busy Cremorne and

Mosman Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governm ...

routes. ''Kanangra'' was retired as a ferry in 1985 and is moored at

Rozelle Bay Rozelle Bay is a bay located to the south of Glebe Island and the west of Blackwattle Bay, on Sydney Harbour. The naming of the bay is derived from either the Rosella, Rosella bird or the Roselle (plant), Rosella plant, with the latter being m ...

as part of the Sydney Heritage Fleet and is undergoing restoration. It is the last remaining ferry built for Sydney Ferries Limited in the early twentieth century pre-

peak. Sydney Ferries Limited generally chose Australian Aboriginal names for the early twentieth "K-class" steamers. "Kanangra" is thought to mean "beautiful view".

Background

''Kanangra'' was built for

during the early twentieth century boom in cross-Harbour travel prior to the 1932 opening of the

. At the time, the company ran one of the largest ferry fleets in the world. The two ferries were part of a broader type of around 25 double-ended timber screw ferries - the

Sydney K-class ferries The K-class ferries were a group of double-ended screw steam ferries run by Sydney Ferries Limited and its government successors on Sydney Harbour. The company introduced more than two dozen of the vessels from the 1890s through to the early 20th ...

- that the company commissioned between the 1890s and early 1920s to meet the booming demand. She was one of five 1,000-passenger vessels built for Sydney ferries between 1910 and 1912 for the busy Cremorne and

routes. The other four being near identical sister ''Kirawa'' and the three timber-hulled, but otherwise similar, Kirrule-type ferries, namely ''Kirrule'' (1910), ''Kiandra'' (1911), and ''Kubu'' (1912). ''Kanangra'' followed the Sydney Ferries Limited convention of naming their vessels after Australian Aboriginal words starting with "K". "Kanangra" is thought to mean "beautiful view".

Design and construction

''Kanangra'', and sister ''Kirawa'', were built by Mort's Dock at their

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

yard for

for a cost of £17,873 each. Unlike the previous K-class ferries that were timber-hulled, the two had riveted steel hulls, although their decks and superstructures were timber. They were built with five watertight bulkheads. As built, ''Kanangra'' was 47.2 m in length and had a beam of 9.5 m. Her original triple expansion team engines had cylinders of 14, 22¼ and 37 inches in diameter respectively with a stroke of 21 inches. Steam was supplied by two large navy type boilers, fitted with corrugated furnaces and a working pressure of 180lb. Among the auxiliaries were an independent centrifugal circulating pump, automatic feed pump, feed heater filter. The indicated horsepower was about 650. ''Kanangra'' was launched on 14 August 1912 and christened by Dorothea Walker, daughter of FW Walker of the Illawarra and South Coast Company. She was towed to the company's Balmain yard where, at the time of launch, sister ''Kirawa'', which had been launched in July, was nearby being fitted out. Her official trials were held on 24 January 1913 where she achieved a speed of over 13 knots. File:Sydney Ferries KIRAWA KANANGRA BALGOWLAH under construction Morts Dock May 1912.jpg, ''Kanangra'' under construction with Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company ferry, '' Balgowlah'' (right) and sister ''Kirawa'', May 1912 File:Steam Ferry Kanangra.jpg, ''Kanangra'' as built on Sydney Harbour, 1910s

Steam ferry (1912 - 1959)

''Kanangra'' and ''Kirawa'' were primarily used on the

and Cremorne services. Demand for ferry services across the harbour were booming in the early 20th century, and in 1911, Sydney Ferries Limited had begun services to the new Cremorne Wharf with new tram connection. Prior to the 1932 opening of the

, Sydney Ferries Limited had transported 40 million passengers a year. This dropped to 15 million after the bridge opening. Both ''Kanangra'' and ''Kirawa'' were kept in service after the 1932 opening of the

whereas many vessels were decommissioned due to the drop in demand. The drop in demand for the remaining ferry fleet, including ''Kanangra'' and ''Kirawa'', was somewhat mitigated as many could not afford their own transport in the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

of the 1930s and rationing of fuel during World War 2 made the coal required for the steam ferries relatively cheap. File:Sydney Ferry KANANGRA at Mosman Bay wharf 1917.tif, At Mosman Bay, circa 1917 File:Sydney ferry KANANGRA approaches Circular Quay.tif, Approaching Circular Quay, 1910s or 1920s File:Sydney Ferry KANANGRA rounding Cremorne Point ca 1930.jpg, Rounding Cremorne Point late 1920s or early 1930s In 1951, as the demand for ferry services dropped further to 9 million following the end of the war, the NSW State Government took over Sydney Ferries Limited and its remaining fleet and assets. The Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company, which ran the Manly service, was paid to run the services. The services and fleet were quickly rationalised with most of the larger remaining timber K-class steamers being decommissioned. A number of the smaller coal burners were converted to diesel (including '' Kameruka'' and '' Kosciusko''). ''Kirawa'' was laid up at the time in need of a new boiler. As there was no longer need for two large ferries, she was sold to be broken up in 1953. ''Kanangra'' was taken out of service in 1951 for a major refit and was returned to service in 1953. She was too costly to replace, indeed, many other surplus ferries were being scrapped. ''Kanangra's'' master of 30 years, Captain William Martin, collapsed and died of a cerebral haemorrhage at the helm of ''Kubu'' in 1953 while ''Kanangra'' was undergoing her refit. File:Sydney Ferries KUBU and KANANGRA at CIRCULAR QUAY 1951.jpg, At Circular Quay with '' Kubu'', photo by

Max Dupain Maxwell Spencer Dupain AC OBE (22 April 191127 July 1992) was an Australian modernist photographer. Early life Dupain received his first camera as a gift in 1924, spurring his interest in photography. He later joined the Photographic Society ...

File:Sydney steam ferry KANANGRA early 1950s.jpg File:Sydney Ferry KANANGRA McMahons Point.jpg, In her 1930s yellow and green scheme

Diesel ferry (1959 - 1985)

On 1 May 1959, she made her last trip as a steamer on the 5:35 pm Circular Quay - Mosman - Cremorne run. She was converted to diesel power with a single direct coupled eight cylinder

Crossley Crossley, based in Manchester, United Kingdom, was a pioneering company in the production of internal combustion engines. Since 1989, it has been part of the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering group. More than 100,000 Crossley oil and gas engin ...

engine driving a fore and aft propeller. Her tall smoke stack was replaced with a smaller exhaust funnel, and the boilers became the fuel tanks. She was the last of the Sydney Harbour steam ferries to be converted to diesel. Her re-entry to service allowed the last of the coal-fired steamers, '' Kubu'', to be retired. ''Kanangra'' participated in the "Great Ferry Boat Race" during the early and mid 1980s coming second in the inaugural 1980 event. File:Sydney ferry KANANGRA 1962.tif, In her 1930s/40s colour scheme following conversion to diesel, 1960 File:Sydney Ferry KANANGRA 1971.jpg, ''Kanangra'' as a diesel vessel and in her 1960s green and cream

Public Transport Commission The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia from October 1972 until June 1980. Upon dissolution, respons ...

colours, 1971 File:Sydney ferry KANANGRA on Harbour Cruise in Main Harbour after leaving Middle Harbour off Sydney Heads.jpg, ''Kanangra'' in her blue Public Transport Commission colours on a Harbour Cruise, 1970s File:Sydney Ferry KANANGRA 1979.jpg, ''Kanangra'' in Mosman Bay near Cremorne Point post conversion to diesel (note smaller funnel) and in

Urban Transit Authority The Urban Transit Authority, a former statutory authority of the Government of New South Wales, was responsible for the operation and maintenance of buses and ferries in Sydney and Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle from July 1980 until Janu ...

colours, 1979

Retirement (1985 - )

One of the longest serving ferries on Sydney Harbour, ''Kanangra'' was withdrawn from service in 1985 and moored adjacent to the

Pyrmont Bridge The Pyrmont Bridge, a heritage-listed swing bridge across Cockle Bay, is located in Darling Harbour, part of Port Jackson, west of the central business district in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Opened ...

Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is a harbour and neighborhood adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central busines ...

. After plans to restore her as a steam powered vessel as a

Bicentennial __NOTOC__ A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to: Europe * French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...

project were dropped due to high expense, she was donated to the Sydney Heritage Fleet in 1987. The Kanangra Restoration Committee was established in 2001. The Fleet plan a full restoration of ''Kanangra'' to her 1960s period retaining the diesel configuration. An ultrasound hull survey was conducted in 2002. An urgent program of hull stabilisation has been completed. In 2009, she was placed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels. In April 2022 she was towed to Captain Cook Graving Dock at

Garden Island A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

to be re-floated on the Sea Heritage Dock in place of ''John Oxley''. She returned to

on 14 April 2022, to commence the next phase in her restoration by Sydney Heritage Fleet volunteers and staff. The restoration has a projected completion date of 2032. File:Sydney Ferry KANANGRA in the Great Ferry Boat Race 1980.jpg, 68 years into her service career and five years from retirement, ''Kanangra'' came second in the inaugural Great Ferry Boat Race, 1980 File:Sydney Ferry KANANGRA at Darling Harbour 1988.tif, ''Kanangra'' as an exhibition vessel in

from late 1980s, with restored 1930s livery. File:Vessels of Sydney Heritage Fleet left to right LADY HOPETOUN - JOHN OXLEY - KANANGRA - WARATAH.tif, With Sydney Heritage Fleet vessels, ''Lady Hopetoun'', ''John Oxley'', and ''Waratah''

Incidents

Sydney Ferry KANANGRA damaged in collision with Japanese freighter Awata Maru June 1964

* 9 December 1922 - While in Mosman Bay, ''Kanangra's'' roof caught on fire but extinguished by the crew. * July 1923, ''Kanangra'' crashed into a wharf. * 1924 - ''Kanangra'' was one of the first boats and the scene of ferry '' Kareela's'' fatal collision at east Circular Quay and offloaded the latter's passengers. * March 1926, ''Kanangra'' collided with ferry ''Lady Carrington''. * 9 December 1927 - ''Kirawa'' collided with sister ''Kanangra'' off Cremorne Point. Several women fainted, but the excitement was reported to have died down when it was determined that little damage had been done. * 30 January 1935 - ''Kanangra'' collided with '' Kubu'' at Circular Quay. Both ferries were empty and suffered damage. * 1936 - During an excursion trip to Clifton Gardens, newly launched luxury cruiser, ''Waroo'', caught fire. The cabin was a mass of flames and the two men on board were powerless to stop the flames. The ''Kanangra's'' crew pulled the ferry alongside the cruiser to assist extinguish the fierce fire, throwing buckets and a fire extinguisher to the men. The ferry's hoses took 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze, and the cruiser was badly damaged. Neither of the ''Waroo's'' two crew were injured and master of the ''Kanangra'', Mr John Whetton, described the incident as a very lucky escape. * June 1964, Leaving Circular Quay on an evening run with several hundred passengers, ''Kanangra'' collided with the 7,000 tonne Japanese freighter ''Awata Maru'' off

Kirribilli Kirribilli is a Suburb (Australia), suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. One of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods, it is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the Local governm ...

. The ferry suffered significant damage and a passenger was cut by glass, however, it was still able to travel to Cremorne Wharf well all passengers were discharged. * 30 August 1970 - 600 passengers were taken off ''Kanangra'' by '' Kosciusko'' after she went adrift and threatened to go aground following engine failure during a harbour cruise near Chinamans Beach. * November 1984, she collided with the '' North Head'' off the

Opera House An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

.Passengers in panic as ferries collide
''Sydney Morning Herald'' 6 November 1984

References

* Register of Australian and New Zealand Ships and Boats compiled by Mori Flapan; www.boatregister.net

External links

*
Australian Register of Historic Vessels
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanangra Ferries of New South Wales Ferry transport in Sydney Ships built in New South Wales 1912 ships Sydney K-class ferries