ヨンガラ号はサウスオーストラィアの小さな町にちなんで名づけられた。 「ヨンガラ」とはアボリジニ語で、広大な水もしくは水で満たされた広い場所などを意味する。1903年４月２９日に建造されオーストラリアへの乗客を乗せ１０月９日にサウスハンプトンを出港しシドニーに１９０３年１２月６日に到着した。

ヨンガラ号はアデレードを母港としアデレード-フリーマントル間の往復航路に就航し、２９回運行した。

１９０６年１月にヨンガラ号はブリスベン-フリーマントル間航路への変更になった。その原因となったのは金の生産量および乗客数の減少に伴い、アデレード-フリーマントル間の運行経費が非常に高くなったためである。これにより１９０６年にヨンガラ号は初めてブリスベンを訪れることになった。

ヨンガラ号はフリーマントル・ブリスベン間の当時最長となる５０００キロに渡る国内航路を直行で運航した初めての船だった。1907年6月にはシドニー・ブリスベン間をハワードスミス社のボンバラ号と競争し29時間に渡るレースの末に17分差をつけて勝った。当時のクイーンズランド州政府にとって両者の航行速度の競争は、オーストラリア南部の港とクイーンズランド州を結びつける鍵となるため重要視されていた。

1907年から1911年の冬場は、フリーマントル・ブリスベン間の閑散期となるためメルボルン・ケアンズルートに就航することになった。.

ヨンガラ号最後の航海

1911年3月14日、ヨンガラ号はオーストラリア国内で99回目となる航海へと出港した。メルボルン出港時にはケアンズまで行く予定だった2名の乗客を含む72名が乗り込んでいた。.

3月20日朝にブリスベンに到着し翌日の夕方にはケアンズに向け出港予定であった。当時62歳だったキャプテンはウイリアムナイト。ASS社に14年以上無事故で勤務していたもっとも経験のあるキャプテンであった。

乗客とタウンズビルまで輸送する競走馬”ムーンシャイン"とケアンズ行きの1頭の牛を含む一般貨物を積み終えたヨンガラ号は、点検で完璧なトリムであると確認された後出港した。

ブリスベン出港が遅れたが、マッカイへの航海を急ぐ必要がなかった。そのため、途中ヨンガラを追い抜いたクーマ号のキャプテンゲリットスミスは後ほどそのときのヨンガラの様子を「翌日までマッカイに到着する必要がなかったので非常にゆっくりと航行していた」とコメントしている。

3月23日朝、ヨンガラ号はマッカイに入港し、乗客の入れ替えと50トンの貨物を下ろし、617トンの貨物がヨンガラ号船底に適切に積まれ、午後１：４０に49名の乗客と73名の乗員の合計122名を乗せて出港した。

マッカイのFlat Top交信ステーションがタウンズビルからマッカイエリアでのサイクロン注意報を受けたときは、陸から見える範囲を航行していた。1910年にシドニーでスタートした船舶無線基地により海上を航行する船舶との交信が可能になったが、1911年にはまだ船舶無線が搭載されている船は少なかった。偶然にも、イギリスのマルコーニカンパニーからヨンガラ号へ設置するための船舶無線がこのとき郵送されたばかりであった。

それから5時間後、ウィットサンデー海峡にあるデントアイランドの燈台守が悪化する天候に向かって航行するのを目撃したのがヨンガラ号を確認した最後であった。

一方で、ブリスベン出港後いったんヨンガラを追い抜いたクーマ号はその後遅れマッカイに遅れて到着した。そのため、サイクロン注意報の連絡を受けることになり、翌日サイクロンが通過するまでの間非難することが出来た。

北部海域では、南東の風から北西に向きが変わり、ヨンガラが遭難したときには北東の向きから最大風力が最悪の角度で襲ったと考えられている。サイクロンの直径は５０KMを超えない小型のものであったが、ケープアップスタートにはサイクロンの被害の跡が残されていた。

タウンズビルで待つも・・・

The late arrival of Yongala in Townsville caused little immediate concern, although when three other ships that had been sheltering from the storm finally arrived - among them the Cooma - the alarm was raised.

Yongala was posted as missing on 26 March. It was thought to have been lost on or about the 23 March. The Premier for Queensland, the Hon. Digby Denham turned all the resources of the state over to the search, including the public service, the police force and shipping - which included seven search vessels.

News of wreckage found washed up on beaches gradually trickled in - from Hinchinbrook Island to Bowen, but there was no sign of the vessel or of those on board. Hope had been abandoned by the following Wednesday after scores of vessels had scoured the coast and found no trace. The only body ever found was that of the racehorse Moonshine, washed up at the mouth of the Gordon Creek, not far from Ross Creek, Townsville.

跡形もなく消息を絶った

Many theories were put forward regarding its possible location and reason for loss: some speculated that it had been rendered helpless due to some unknown mishap between Whitsunday Passage and Cape Bowling Green or been overpowered by the extreme force of the wind; others thought it had hit a submerged reef between Flinders Passage and Keeper Reef or run into Nares Rock, or even struck Cape Upstart.

The Queensland government offered a £1,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of the ship, but as nothing of the vessel was ever heard this was eventually withdrawn.

Communities throughout eastern and South Australia commemorated the tragedy in churches and village halls. Donations were offered to the 'Yongala distress' fund, begun in March 1911 for the relief of families in distress. It was wound up on 30 September 1914, with an amount of £900 which had not been disbursed and which was credited to the Queensland Shipwreck Society.

Marine Board of Inquiry

On 20 June, 1911, the Marine Board of Queensland met in Brisbane to finalise the inquiry into the loss of Yongala that had begun on 8 June 1911.

It was agreed that the task of determining the cause of the tragedy through eyewitness evidence was not possible, and so 'the Inquiry will chiefly lie in the direction of the ship's stability, equipment, and seaworthiness, together with the question of Captain Knight's carefulness and general efficiency as a shipmaster'.

According to evidence given by Mr Adamson, the superintendent engineer, the tests that had been carried out on the vessel after it had been built all complied with the standards and specifications supplied by the ASSCo, and that the seaworthiness and stability of the vessel had been proven during seven years continuous running on the coast without accident.

'The Board were satisfied that the vessel in construction, stability, seaworthiness was equal to any in her class.'

The competencies of Captain Knight were scrutinised, as were the sailing decisions he may have taken on that night. Witnesses called to give testimony as to the ability and character of the captain were in unison when he was described as '..a careful and experienced master…'

The Board found the ability of the captain to be beyond doubt and unimpeachable, and 'with no desire to indulge in idle speculation, simply find that after becoming lost to view by the light keeper at Dent Island, the fate of the Yongala passes beyond human ken into the realms of conjecture, to add one more to the mysteries of the sea'.

'The Board were confirmed in their opinion that the risk of navigating the Queensland coast is considerably enhanced during the hurricane months, or from December to April; and although with plenty of sea room and a well-found ship the observant master can, by heaving to on the right tack, or keeping out of the path of the storm, invariably avert disaster. But when caught inside the Barrier Reef, with the number of islands and reefs intervening, the Board think it will be generally conceded that the only element of safety is to be found in securing the best anchorage available…'

技術的情報

Yongala was built to special survey by Armstrong, Whitworth and Co. in Newcastle-on-Tyne from specifications supplied by the ASSCo at a cost of £102, 000. E. B. Adamson , the ASSCo's superintendent engineer, supervised the building , and stated that the machinery - especially the crank shaft and shafting, was 20% - 25% stronger than Lloyd's requirements.

The vessel was propelled by a large triple expansion engine, driving a single propeller. The engine was built by the Wallsend Shipway and Engineering Co. and could attain an official speed of 15.8 knots, although in the 99 trips it undertook often reached 17 knots. Five single ended steel boilers working under natural draught supplied steam of 180 pounds pressure. At 15 knots, the engines burned 67 tonnes of coal a day. A powerful direct acting steam windlass and capstan were fitted on the forecastle head and seven winches with suitable derricks and derrick-posts and two steam cranes were provided for efficient cargo handling. Electric lighting was fitted throughout with a duplicate generating plant. It had also been provided with refrigeration facilities for the carriage of frozen cargo. A specially arranged steam and hand steering gear was fitted in a house at the after end of the poop, and controlled from the bridge.

宿泊施設内容

Located amidships was a long citadel house and an island deck at the foremast. First class passenger accommodation for 110 people was located in the citadel house, and up to 126 second class passengers could be accommodated in the poop.

Around the citadel house was a promenade deck extending out to the sides of the vessel, and above this, a boat deck. The chart room, captain's cabin and wheelhouse were on the boat deck; the drawing room was in front of the boiler casing and a smoking room and state rooms behind it on the promenade deck.

The drawing room opened into a lobby that formed the companionway to the saloon and the first class staterooms. The main stairway to the upper deck also gave access to the saloon entrance. All of the fittings were the most up to date of the Edwardian era.