Cambria wreck
The Cambria left Fremantle at 4pm with eight crew and one passenger bound for southwest ports with a general cargo and machinery. After departing Fremantle the the ship ran into a southwest gale with heavy seas, so Captain Colstadt headed for the South Passage of Garden Island to seek shelter at Rockingham. However on reaching the South Channel at 8.30pm a heavy swell lifted the ship to leeward and it struck a reef on the southwest of Garden Island. The ship was put full astern but the propeller broke and it started taking on water. The pumps could not cope and at 10pm it filled with water and sank with the masts and funnel showing. The crew spent the night clinging to the rigging. The next day they launched the lifeboat and all of the crew, passenger Mr Reid and ship’s cat made it to a sandy beach on Garden Island. They found some old sails and rigged the lifeboat and sailed back to Fremantle arriving at 3pm. Good hopes were held out for salvage but no records have as yet been found to indicate it was successfully salvaged. Fremantle Water Police Constable Clarke visited the wreck site in the tug Dunskey on 5 March and reported the site lying in 14ft of water and cargo washing up on Garden Island. Captain Colstadt's certificate was suspended for six months.
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Country Built TAS
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Port Built Emu Point
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When Built 1885
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Length 26.10
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Beam 5.50
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Draft 2.20
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Engine screw steamer, 25 HP compound engine by Ross & Duncan, Glasgow
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TONA 59.00
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TONB 86.00
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When Lost 1900/03/04
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Where Lost 400m from shore southwest end Garden Island
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Sinking Attempted South Passage and anchor inside. Struck Reef sunk in 14 ft water W point Garden Island (numerous reefs in area)
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Sunk Code Wrecked and sunk
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Port From Fremantle
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Port To Bunbury
Museum Reference
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wreck Cambria
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Protected Federal
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Found Y
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Inspected Y
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Official Number 79276
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Registration Number 3 of 1896
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Chart Number 117
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Confidential NO
Artefact information
| wreck | Cambria |
|---|---|
| When Lost | 1900/03/04 |
| Protected | Federal |
| Found | Y |
| Inspected | Y |
| Where Lost | 400m from shore southwest end Garden Island |
| Latitude Max | -32.25 |
| Longitude Max | 115.68 |
| Engine | screw steamer, 25 HP compound engine by Ross & Duncan, Glasgow |
| TONA | 59.00 |
| TONB | 86.00 |
| Country Built | TAS |
| Port Built | Emu Point |
| When Built | 1885 |
| Port Registered | Fremantle |
| Official Number | 79276 |
| Registration Number | 3 of 1896 |
| Length | 26.10 |
| Beam | 5.50 |
| Draft | 2.20 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Sinking | Attempted South Passage and anchor inside. Struck Reef sunk in 14 ft water W point Garden Island (numerous reefs in area) |
| Sunk Code | Wrecked and sunk |
| Port From | Fremantle |
| Port To | Bunbury |
| Cargo | General groceries for Busselton, 86 tons groceries, kerosene, wine, beer, hardware for Bunbury, 56 tons machinery for the Imperial Jarrah Timber and Wood Farming Co., 30 tons hardware, bicycles, bran, pollard, rope and tar for Hamelin. |
| Master | Charles Coalstead (Colstadt) |
| Owner | James Cornish, Port of Bunbury, timber merchant |
| Builder | William Mollison, Emu Point, Tasmania |
| Chart Number | 117 |
| Comments | The Cambria left Fremantle at 4pm with eight crew and one passenger bound for southwest ports with a general cargo and machinery. After departing Fremantle the the ship ran into a southwest gale with heavy seas, so Captain Colstadt headed for the South Passage of Garden Island to seek shelter at Rockingham. However on reaching the South Channel at 8.30pm a heavy swell lifted the ship to leeward and it struck a reef on the southwest of Garden Island. The ship was put full astern but the propeller broke and it started taking on water. The pumps could not cope and at 10pm it filled with water and sank with the masts and funnel showing. The crew spent the night clinging to the rigging. The next day they launched the lifeboat and all of the crew, passenger Mr Reid and ship’s cat made it to a sandy beach on Garden Island. They found some old sails and rigged the lifeboat and sailed back to Fremantle arriving at 3pm. Good hopes were held out for salvage but no records have as yet been found to indicate it was successfully salvaged. Fremantle Water Police Constable Clarke visited the wreck site in the tug Dunskey on 5 March and reported the site lying in 14ft of water and cargo washing up on Garden Island. Captain Colstadt's certificate was suspended for six months. |
| Sources | SRO 430 ITEM 900/1900 Report, WPC Clarke, 5 March 1900, Police Records Western Mail, Christmas Ed. 1900, p. 89 Inquirer, 9 September 1898, p. 5g West Australian, 1 January to 2 March 1900 Inquirer, 9 March 1900, p. 8d Telegram, PC Murphy to Inspector Back, 5 March 1900, Police Records 900/1900 West Australian, 10 March 1900, p. 5d |
| Confidential | NO |
| URL | http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/wrecks/cambria-1 |