Dolphin (1930)

On the Eastern side of Penguin Island, 100 m offshore

Dolphin was originally built as a 2-masted schooner rigged screw steamer by A. & E. Brown at Birkenhead in South Australia. It was carvel built on iron frames with one deck (with a break), and a round stern. It was powered by a 49 HP 2-cylinder compound steam engine. The first owner was The South Australian Fishing Company. In January 1888 it was purchased by David Symon, Cecil Henry Hammond and George Yorke Hubble, all of Fremantle, joint owners, but retained its Adelaide registration. The steamer was later bought by the WA Lighterage Stevedoring & Transport Co. Ltd who stripped it for use as a lighter. The lighter Dolphin was moored in Koombana Bay at the time of its loss.
THE LOSS
The newspapers reported that on the night of Friday 13 May 1904 the first of the winter gales struck the coast, bringing with it driving rain and very high seas. On the Saturday morning it blew even stronger, veering to the west:
The lighter Dolphin dragged till opposite the Solglyt wreck, where she parted her moorings and was driven high and dry on the north beach, from which position efforts will be made to dislodge her (Bunbury Herald, 16 May 1904: 2c).
INITIAL SALVAGE
The newspaper reported on 23 May that to that date no efforts had been made to get the Dolphin off the beach. The Register of British Ships for Port Adelaide has the notation that the vessel’s register was closed on 4 March 1913: ‘Vessel removed from Register at Owners’ request. Vessel still in existence—dismantled and used as a lighter.’ The Dolphin was salvaged and taken to Fremantle, where it was used as a Sea Scout training vessel for some years before being abandoned near Penguin Island. It sank in 1930, the remains lying 100 m from the north-west corner of that island.