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SS Riverina

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SS Riverina
SS Riverina.jpg
SS Riverina 1.jpg
Aground at Mallacoota, Victoria
History
Name SS Riverina
Owner Huddart, Parker & Co. Melbourne
Builder James Laing & Sons Ltd., Sunderland, England
Launched 1905
In service 1905
Out of service 1927
Fate ran aground (Wrecked)
General characteristics
Type coastal shipping
Tonnage 4,793 tons
Length 112.8m
Beam 15.2m
Depth 8.2m
Propulsion single screw
Speed 17 knots (31.48 km/h)
Capacity 142 passengers



Remarks

The SS Riverina was built in 1905 in Sunderland, England. The ship operated on the Australian coastline until grounding off Mallacoota on the Victorian coastline in 1927. On 17 Apr 1927, the vessel was driven ashore in a squall & wrecked 1.5 miles west of Gabo Island, Victoria, on a voyage from Hobart to Sydney with 142 passengers. The grounding and wreck became a focal point for the region and remains an important event in the region’s history. Lifeboats were used to ferry passengers ashore from the vessel. Unsuccessful salvage attempts were made (but teak & other materials were scavenged). A tourist attraction for many years & could be boarded in good weather. During WW2, the wreck was bombed & strafed by the R.A.A.F. Little is left today apart from bow & stern posts visible at low tide.


Men who were enroute to England in late 1918 aboard the SS Carpentaria were off loaded, due to the conclusion of hostilities, presumably in Fremantle, and they returned to Sydney aboard SS Riverina, arriving there on 28 Nov 1918.

Soldiers carried

Fremantle to Sydney ? - 28 November 1918