Kepler (1910/08/08)

Hopetoun Harbour

Kepler (1886-1910)

Official Number: 88956
Port of Building: Footscray, Victoria
Year built: 1886
Port of Registration: Fremantle
Rig Type: Steamer, schooner-rigged
Hull: Wood
Length: 91.0 ft (27.74 m)
Breadth: 18.5 ft (5.64 m)
Depth: 5.8 ft (1.77 m)
Tonnage: 64.42 gross, 45.08 net, 63.71 under deck
Engine: Single cylinder steam engine, 25 HP
Port from: Albany
Port to: Hopetoun
Date lost: 8 August 1910
Location: Mary Ann Haven
Chart Number: WA 1104, AUS 116 & BA 2973
Protection: The site when found will be protected under the general provisions of the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976
Significance criteria: 1

THE VESSEL
The Kepler was built by Marcus Erling at Footscray, Victoria, with one deck, a straight stem and a square stern, and was rigged as a 3-masted schooner. The steam engine had been manufactured in 1885 by Matthew Paul & Son, Glasgow, and delivered 25 HP. This enabled the Kepler to steam a distance of 5 miles on 8 tons of coal. The first owner was J.J. White, and the vessel was registered at Melbourne. In 1880 it was bought by D. Munro & Co. Ltd, and sold to E. Walsh, T. May and W. Cowper in 1895. A subsequent purchaser in 1897 was Edward (or Edwin) Frank Millar who registered it at Fremantle (No. 4/1897). On 5 March 1909 it was purchased by The Adelaide Steamship Company Limited ‘for lighterage work in Western Australia’ (Register, 14 September 1909: 5d).

The Kepler was towed from Fremantle to Albany by the tug Uraidla, departing Fremantle on 26 March 1909. From there it was towed to Hopetoun by the steamer Ferret, arriving at 7.30 a.m. on 2 April. For the next 15 months the Kepler appears to have made fairly regular voyages between Albany and Hopetoun.

THE LOSS
In August 1910 an Albany newspaper reported on the sinking of the Kepler at Hopetoun:
The Adelaide Steamship Co.’s lighter Kepler sank at Hopetoun on Monday morning. She was fully laden with cargo brought by the steamer Ferret from Albany. The cargo included 50 tons of Government coal and considerable quantities of iron, kerosene, oil, tar, matches, and cyanide. A strong westerly gale was blowing at the time and the sea was very rough (Albany Advertiser, 13 August 1910: 2h).

At the time the Kepler was under the command of A.B. Pascall with a crew of three.

INITIAL SALVAGE
On 3 October 1910 the Kepler together with all the cargo on board was offered for sale at a public auction held in the Cleopatra Hotel, Fremantle. The cargo was said to comprise:
About 40 tons coal, 28 cases kerosene, 5 cases vestas [matches], 5 cases cyanide, 1 case nitric acid, 10 drums and cwt tar, quantity tram rails, bar iron, and steel (West Australian, 28 September 1910: 2g).

EXCAVATION AND ARTEFACTS
An anchor from the Kepler is on display at the Esperance Museum. It is iron stocked with short thick arms and wide flukes.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
HISTORIC (1)
The bulk of cargo which the Kepler was carrying was almost certainly destined for the goldfields. At this time Mary Ann Haven was an important port for the offloading of material used in the mining industry.

REFERENCES
Dickson, R., 1996, Ships Registered in Western Australia from 1856 to 1969: Their Details, Their Owners and Their Fate. Report - Department of Maritime Archaeology, Western Australian Maritime Museum, No. 80.

Loney, J., 1994, Wrecks on the Western Australian Coast. Ocean Enterprises, Yarram, Victoria.

McKenna, R., 1959, Vessels Registered with the British Register of Ships at the Port of Fremantle, WA. Unpublished manuscript, McKenna Collection, Western Australian Museum.

McKenna, R., 1967, Record of Wrecks, Strandings, Mishaps etc. on or Near the WA Coast. Unpublished manuscript, McKenna Collection, Western Australian Museum.

Page, M., 1975, Fitted for the Voyage: The Adelaide Steamship Company Limited 1875-1975. Rigby Ltd, Adelaide.

Parsons, R., 1975, The Adelaide Line: A Centenary History of the Adelaide Steamship Company Limited 1875-1975. Self published.

The Albany Advertiser, 13 August 1910: 2h.

The Register, 14 September 1909: 5d.

The West Australian, 27 March 1909: 10a, 3 April 1909: 10a, 3 December 1909: 6a 9 August 1910: 5h & 28 September 1910: 2g.

Edwin Millar first owner