Our maritime history & present day news. No 59 Winter (June) 2017. $2.50 where sold. Terra Linna (1880) a gaff-rigged cutter under full sail at Cygnet. Important maritime skills needed in the restoration process were traditional rigging and sailmaking. Story page 14 Photo: Peter Higgs Maritime Arts and Skills SAILMAKING - RIGGING - HERITAGE BOAT RESTORATION - PAINTINGS SHIPS’ MODELS - FIGUREHEADS - PHOTOGRAPHY - SCRIMSHAW AND A NEW EXHIBITION AT THE MARITIME MUSEUM OF TASMANIA from the president’s log I am very pleased to report that your Museum has been Other activities include: successful in obtaining a grant from Arts Tasmania arranging school visits to to fund our staff position of Maritime Heritage the Museum and supporting Coordinator for the next four years. This position is school education programs Maritime Museum of Tasmania very ably undertaken by John Wadsley. It is particularly externally and internally, using by Kim Newstead CARNEGIE BUILDING pleasing that the funding covers a four-year period, the Museum’s collections; Cnr Davey & Argyle Streets giving us the opportunity to plan and implement a organising and hosting an annual seminar/conference Hobart, Tasmania number of initiatives with certainty and continuity. This for MHOoT members; arranging public presentations Postal Address: GPO Box 1118, significant grant will enable us to continue with our role and regular talks on maritime-related themes, and Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AUSTRALIA of delivering programs and projects on behalf of the promoting them to the general community as well Maritime Heritage Organisations of Tasmania (MHOoT), as MHOoT organisations; representing the Maritime Phone: (03) 6234 1427 which includes the following: Fax: (03) 6234 1419 Museum at Mystate Australian Wooden Boat Festival meetings and co-ordinating the Museum’s Bligh Pacific Museum of Exploration, Channel Heritage contributions to the event and recording oral email: [email protected] Centre, Wooden Boat Centre, Living Boat Trust, histories of maritime identities around the State. The www.maritimetas.org Runnymede (National Trust), Woodbridge Marine Maritime Museum is more than the presentation of Open Daily 9am–5pm Discovery Centre, Spring Bay Marine and Discovery our collection at Argyle Street, as you can see by our (except for Good Friday & Christmas Day) Centre, East Coast Heritage Museum, St Helens History support for MHOoT in developing our islands’ rich Room, Warships & Marine Corps Museum, Bass & Maritime Heritage statewide. Layout: fineline studios Flinders Centre, Low Head Pilot Station & Museum, Bass Strait Maritime Centre, Burnie Regional Museum, In this issue we acknowledge two major birthdays King Island Historical Museum, Cygnet Living History in June. Our Westward bosun, John Wedd celebrated MMT Committee Members for 2017 Museum, Ulverstone Local History Museum, The his 80th birthday and incredibly May Queen turned Moorings Museum, Esperance Discovery Centre, Stanley 150. Makes you wonder if Westward will still be Kim Newstead, President Rex Cox, Vice President Discovery Museum, Australian Wooden Boat Festival, floating in the dock when it turns 150, or by then 03) 6224 6660 03) 6234 1865 Royal Hobart Regatta Association, May Queen Trust, will it be a feature display on the hard at Macquarie [email protected] [email protected] Tasmanian Sail Training Association, Wooden Boat Guild Point as part of a Sydney Hobart hall of fame or Beth Dayton, Secretary Ross Studley, Treasurer Campbell Peter Channel Photo: in D’Entrecasteaux of Tasmania, Admiral Restoration Group, Steamship Maritime Heritage Centre? 0407 873 852 [email protected] Cartela Limited, SV Rhona H, Windeward Bound, Friends [email protected] of Mt Nelson Signal Station, Friends of Tasman Island A recent new display item at the Museum is a large model Michael Stoddart Roscoe Barnett May Queen , Friends of Mattsuyker Island, Friends of Deal Island, of Nella Dan that has 0409 854 847 0438 300 229 Cape Bruny Lighthouse, West Coast Visitor Information attracted many positive [email protected] [email protected] Centre, Deny King Heritage Museum, Tasmanian Sea comments already. Due to its size, the Chris Tassell Michelle Blake Canoeing Club, Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery, in this issue [email protected] [email protected] Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Tasmanian model has been located Archive and Heritage Office, LINC Tasmania, Parks and on the stair landing. Maritime Arts and Skills Wildlife Service, Port Arthur Historic Site Management Call in and have a look The Committee also includes representatives from image: Background external organisations: Authority, National Archives of Australia, Australian at Nella a well-known 06 Mary Blair paintings Alderman Eva Ruzicka (Hobart City Council), Maritime College, Australian Antarctic Division, CSIRO local ship. The model Scott Carlin (TMAG), and Kevin Moore (TasPorts) and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. is currently on loan, 10 Scrimshaw although longer term Our successful submission was prepared by John, you never know! 14 Terra Linna who will certainly be busy as we have committed sailmaking and traditional rigging The Maritime Museum of Tasmania acknowledges to support and enhance the MHOoT network using As we grow and the support of expand we need direct contact, email, social media, newsletters, 18 Ships’ models the City of Hobart, Murdoch Clarke Lawyers, and more volunteers to seminars and sharing of resources; offering support Flying Childers TasPorts. operate the Museum. to MHOoT members with regard to research, museum My closing comment Harriet McGregor management and conservation; and collaborating is a plea to all MARITIME TIMES OF TASMANIA WELCOMES ORIGINAL ARTICLES FOR PUBLICATION with other maritime heritage and community history members to consider 20 Varg 8-metre titles organisations on future displays where the Museum providing some 24 King Island Museum Contributions may be historical or newsworthy Ideally, your contributions will be in a Word Please submit contributions to The Editor can provide assistance. One of the first projects will volunteer assistance and with themes reflecting the Museum’s document, with embedded images and/or at the postal address above or email to photography be to update and relaunch a statewide touring leaflet and encouraging mission to promote research into, and the with separate 300dpi JPEG or TIFF files. We can [email protected] others to volunteer. Netherby model interpretation of, Tasmania’s maritime heritage. accept legible handwritten articles, with loose Alternatively, you can leave your contribution ‘Tasmanian Mariners’ Trail’ for use by visitors and Our volunteer team is They may be short notes, or articles with text photographs, which we will copy. at the front desk of the Museum at the street residents, incorporating a variety of places to visit with a happy crew, however 27 Olga ARHV about 700–1200 words, accompanied by Images should have a caption, be credited to address above. Please remember to include maritime heritage displays and content. If you are they really do need images if possible. Text may be edited, and the photographer or to the source, and have your contact details. reading this and would like to join the network please a few more crew to + book reviews and publication is at the discretion of the editor. written permission to publish. Deadline for the next edition is 15 August 2017. contact John at the Museum. spread the watches. regular features 2 | Maritime Times of Tasmania Winter 2017 Maritime Times of Tasmania Winter 2017 | 3 from the brig the carnegie gallery Nella Dan model The Museum’s graceful staircase is currently home to a THE TURNING TIDE - Australia’s War at Sea in 1942 rather impressive model of Nella Dan, complimenting the equally impressive portrait of the ship that hangs mid-July - end of October 2017 below it in the entrance lobby. The model is on loan to the Museum from the Australian Antarctic Division The next exhibition in our Carnegie Gallery will be on the and it had previously been on display in the foyer of dramatic events faced by Australia in 1942. By April, Japanese the IMAS building on Princes Wharf. Nella Dan model Photo: Maritime Museum of Tasmania Collection expansion into south-east Asia and the Pacific seemed The full size Nella Dan sailed to the Antarctic every unstoppable. But within a few months, the tide had turned The transport Zealandia landing troops in Hobart on 7 January 1941 Photo supplied by Rex Cox year of the twenty-six years it was chartered by the after some pivotal naval and land engagements, including Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions the Battle of the Coral Sea. The exhibition will also examine the Our thanks to Ian Gibson, Graeme Broxam and Neil (ANARE). Built as an ice breaker by the Aarlborg impact of the war in Tasmania, from defence against sea and Shipyard Pty Ltd, Denmark, in 1961, at the time of its Coates for the hours spent in exhibition research and air attack, to local ship building in support of the war effort. construction, Nella Dan was regarded as setting the development. standard for polar vessels. ................................................................................................................................................................................ On its last fateful voyage in December 1987, during resupply operations, Nella Dan dragged its anchor and SUBMERGED — A NATIONAL TRAVELLING EXHIBITION