SS Wyola

SS Wyola was a 306 GRT steam tug built in 1912 by JT Eltringham & Co of South Shields, England[1] for the Swan River Shipping Company of Western Australia.[2][3] Wyola was 125 ft (38 m) long between perpendiculars, had a beam of 24.7 ft (7.5 m), a depth of 13.1 ft (4.0 m) and a draught of 14 ft 0 in (4.3 m).[4] Her 179 NHP (1,200 horsepower) triple-expansion engine gave Wyola a speed of 11.5 kn (21.3 km/h). She was also fitted with a powerful salvage pump, making her one of the most powerful tugs in Australia at that time.[5]

Remains of the hull of Wyola on O'Connor beach 2013
History
Name: SS Wyola
Owner: Swan River Shipping Company, Fremantle
Builder: JT Eltringham & Co, South Shields
Yard number: 288
Launched: 1 May 1912
Completed: July 1912
Fate: Scrapped in 1970
General characteristics
Tonnage:
Length: 125 ft (38 m)
Beam: 24.7 ft (7.5 m)
Depth: 13.1 ft (4.0 m)
Installed power:
Propulsion: Triple expansion steam engine

While being delivered to Fremantle, Wyola was sent to rescue the barque Concordia, which had been grounded by a cyclone that hit Depuch Island in early 1912.[6]

On 13 June 1920 Wyola sailed from Fremantle Harbour into a storm to rescue the steamship Kingsmere, which had lost her rudder while crossing the Great Australian Bight.[7]

On 5 January 1921 Wyola arrived in Carnarvon, WA to rescue the State Shipping Service of Western Australia steamship Kwinana, which was on fire. The tug's crew sank Kwinana in shallow water at her moorings to extinguish the fire, and then raised her by pumping her out with the tug's pump.[8]

In 1933 Wyola underwent repairs on the Fremantle slips, when some of her plates were so worn that a hole was accidentally knocked through one.[9][10]

In 1970 Wyola was dismantled at Robb Jetty, south of Fremantle. Her remains are buried in the sand at CY O'Connor Beach in North Coogee, with some of her stern still visible.[1]

References
  1. Visit the Fremantle Wreck Trail (PDF), Western Australian Museum, retrieved 29 May 2013
  2. "New Tug for Fremantle". The West Australian. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 8 October 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  3. "The S.S. Wyola". The Daily News. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 22 July 1912. p. 5 Edition: Third. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  4. Lloyd's Register, Steamers & Motorships (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1930. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  5. "New Tug for Fremantle". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 16 July 1912. p. 10. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  6. "Engineer Torry Returning". Williamstown Chronicle. Williamstown, VIC: National Library of Australia. 12 October 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  7. "The Tug Wyola". Daily News. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 14 June 1920. p. 6 Edition: Third. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  8. "The Kwinana Fire". Western Mail. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 3 February 1921. p. 25. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  9. "Repairing the Wyola". The Sunday Times. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 8 October 1933. p. 20 Section: First. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  10. "A Lucky "Break"". The Mirror. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 7 October 1933. p. 1. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  • Media related to SS Wyola at Wikimedia Commons
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