ST Leo & ST Burunda of Newcastle NSW

Above: Thought to be the SS Leo tugboat berthed at Kings Wharf Newcastle. Note the large box paddles either side of the hull.

Above: article from Newcastle Herald 2007 - SS Leo

 Above: article from Newcastle herald 14-4-2012 - SS Leo

PRESS PLAY for a radio interview about Captain George Phillips White and the discovery of the S.S.Leo which was a ship buried under the sands near Honeysuckle Newcastle. The S.S.Leo was one of the ships he captained. In 1882 when he was married he listed the ship as his place of residence. George married Charlotte Sophia Ahern. George Phillips White was son-in-law of William Ahern Lifeboat Coxswain.

This is an audio track only.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ABOUT THE SS LEO

A BIT OF TOM'S FAMILY HISTORY
Captain George Phillips White was one of my ancestors who came to Australia from Sussex England in the 1870s and settled in Newcastle NSW. He came from a long line of sailing and maritime families. His brothers were Royal Naval officers, coastguards and lifeboat officers stationed around the shores of the UK. His parents were from distinguished sea-going families. His father James White was a coastguard who was born at Milford on Sea near Hurst Castle (opposite the Isle of White) and his mother was Elizabeth Phillips whose father Griffith Phillips was from a famous sea-going family of New Quay, Wales. The Phillips family were responsible for the development of the town and port at New Quay and there are many historical references to this family.

Press play:
The following episode of "The Worst Jobs In History" hosted by Tony Robinson, has a segment (starting at the 32 minute mark), on what it was like to work as a coastguard, or lifeboat crewman in the time of my ancestor James White. 


Captain George Phillips White trained and worked on the HMS Warrior

stationed nowadays in Portsmouth England 

and as an officer he trained sailors on the HMS Trincomalee

 nowadays stationed in Hartlepool England. 

Press play:
In the following episode of "The Worst Jobs In History" hosted by Tony Robinson, forward to the 22 minute mark to see a segment about life aboard the HMS Trincomalee and see what it would have been like for my great grandfather Cap.G.P.White to train aboard.

George Phillips White was married 1882 in Newcastle NSW Australia, and not surprisingly listed his then tug the SS Leo as his residence. He was "married to the sea" by all accounts and rarely ventured on-land. Although he did manage to find the time to produce a family of 9 children with his wife Charlotte (nee Ahern).

Above: George and Charlotte White and 8 of their 9 children - one son was absent with chickenpox.

 Below: George's retirement watch which was presented to him at age 50. George never really took retirement seriously and was on secondment to the Port of Newcastle when he died at age 54.

In 1902, one of the first Australian-built tugboats ST Burunda, was sent to Newcastle and my ancestor George was its captain for a few years prior to his untimely death at age 54. George died from pneumonia while on active service in 1909. After his passing, the tug Burunda was re-named ST Waratah. 

The Waratah worked in Newcastle up to the Second World War then sat derelict for a while before being lovingly restored by public donation by the Sydney Maritime Fleet on the foreshore of Darling Harbour. Nowadays George's old tug is a tourist attraction in Sydney and takes part in daily excursion around the harbour. 

The Burunda, launched on 21st May, 1902 is 108ft long, 20ft wide and weighs 165 tons. It is the oldest working steam tugboat in Australia. Below are some YouTube videos of her engines in action - I know a few steam enthusiasts who are drooling as we speak!

Captain George Phillips White died in July 1910 and the following articles would have been some of the last of his reported exploits:

Article: The Northern Star Wednesday 23 March 1910, page 4.

THE STRANDED DREDGE ULYSSES

EVANS HEAD NSW Tuesday

The active work of preparing to salvage the dredge Ulysses was commenced on Monday and was being carried, on today. Teams from Woodburn brought out tents and a lot of salvage gear. Today a gang of 28 men under Mr. Brookes, supervising engineer, and Captain White were employed.  The work is confined to removing the upper deck and any movable machinery of heavy weight.

This has to be rolled to a terrace 13 or 14 feet high and hauled up by a derrick. It is to be taken into Woodburn by team. The dredge's position is practically unchanged. She lies broadside on, about 28 feet from a terrace, which has been formed by the sand being washed out to a depth of 12 feet by the recent heavy weather. A nasty choppy sea has been running for the past few days and has washed, from three to four feet of sand round it, leaving her on a black rock, which, fortunately, is not jagged. The low tide just comes up to her, and the seas at high tide cause her to bump slightly.

Tomorrow the tugs Rhea and Burunda are expected, when two anchors of two tons each will be laid out from the shore, and, with cables to these and the dredge's winches, and possibly two or three  tugs,  Engineer Brookes expects to get off next Sunday, which will be the highest tide.

There has been strong wind and a few showers the last few days, and the salvage of the dredge now depends upon the weather conditions. Engineer Parker, from Lismore, who is working on the dredge, thinks that it will be got off, but not without great injury to the vessel's bottom. Most of the damage so far is confined to the machinery, which is being ruined by the action of the sand and sea water.

Article: The Argus Monday 14 March 1910 page 6.

PERILS OF THE SEA

DREDGE BBEAKS ADRIFT

WASHED SAFELY ASHORE

SYDNEY, Sunday. An exciting experience was that of the nine men on board the dredge Ulysses, which, at midnight on Thursday, lost her tow, and found herself at the mercy of the sea. Eventually she was washed safely ashore. The Ulysses a heavy iron craft of the pump-ladder description, valued at £9,000 left Newcastle in tow of the Government tugboat Rhea, for Richmond River, and according to information received yesterday, cast adrift at midnight on Thursday, owing to the parting of the tow rope There was a heavy sea running, and the strain on the rope proved too great. The dredge was in charge of Mr. W. White, chief engineer and master, and there were eight others onboard. Considerable anxiety was felt for their safety, as the Ulysses had no steam propelling power of her own and the course she might take would entirely depend upon the current and the state or the weather. A telegram received later in the day contained the reassuring information that the dredge was washed ashore, with all hands safe, five miles south of the Evans Ewer.

COXSWAIN MISSING.

Following the dredge was a hopper barge, in tow of the small steamer Burunda. A telegram from the master of the steamer at Byron Bay stated that a punt was lost off Clarence River on Thursday night with the coxswain on board. The steamer was unable to render assistance. Interviews with the masters of the Government tugs Burunda and Rhea, at Byron Bay show that Thursday night was very stormy, with blinding rain and intense darkness The punt, which was manned by two men astern of the Burunda, could not be seen. The decks of the tug were continually swept and those on the punt must have had a dreadful experience.  The towline between the Rhea and the dredge parted twice but the steamer succeeded in connecting with the dredge each time. Finally, the hook on the tug to which the line was fastened, straightened out and broke and the dredge carrying the line with it, disappeared. Owing to the darkness it could not be recovered.