‘Dandenong’, 1876

The ‘Dandenong’ was a 743-ton, 291-ft iron steamer built in 1867. She was described as ‘being of sturdy build, with all equipment of the highest standard’ and she regularly sailed between Melbourne and Sydney.

She left Melbourne in calm weather on 8th September 1867 with 53 passengers and 52 crew aboard.

Rounding Wilsons Promontory she started to encounter foul weather, and as she travelled further up the coast the winds reached gale force, the sea rose and then became violent.

Early on the morning of 10th September, when the ‘Dandenong’ was off the coast of Jervis Bay, her propeller shaft broke, tearing a large hole in her hull. She immediately began taking water.

Attempts by the crew to stem the inflow of water by using mattresses and bedding proved to be ineffective, and soon thereafter the rising water inside the ship extinguished the ship’s boiler fires. This led to the ship’s bilge pumps failing.

All hope of saving the ship then disappeared. So, the lifeboats were readied.

Fortuitously another ship, the ‘Albert William’ was nearby. At first it did not notice the distress flags being flown by the ‘Dandenong’, but eventually it came to the ship’s aid.

The first lifeboat launched from the ‘Dandenong’ was manned by the ship’s Chief Officer and four others, and carried around 18 of the passengers, mostly women and children. There was jubilation aboard the sinking ‘Dandenong’ that the lifeboat had successfully departed.

However, as the lifeboat drew alongside, the ‘Albert William’ rolled on to it, splitting the lifeboat in two and throwing all aboard into the sea. One child, two men and the Chief Officer were saved. The rest drowned.

A second boat successfully carried many to safety. But then a collision between this and a third boat cost more lives, and when darkness fell more than 30 still remained aboard the doomed vessel.

By the end of the day, the ‘Albert William’ had rescued 28 passengers and 12 crew, but the ‘Albert William’ lost sight of the ‘Dandenong’ that evening. No more lives were saved.

A subsequent Court of Inquiry found that the captain, officers and crew did all in their power to attempt to save the ship. The wreck of the ‘Dandenong’ has never been found.

(Nine ships were lost off the NSW coast between 6th and 14th September, 1876. This included four vessels on 11th September (‘Dandenong’,’ Brothers’, ‘Hawke’ and ‘Kate’) during what became known as the Dandenong Gale.)

(A folk song, ‘The Wreck of the Dandenong’, tells the story of this shipwreck. A performance of it can be viewed on the internet.)

Image: ‘The Wreck of the Steamship Dandenong’