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John Oxley (ship)
Encyclopedia
SS John Oxley is a former pilot boat
and lighthouse
and buoy tender in Australia
. She belongs to the Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum Ltd. and is currently undergoing restoration at Rozelle Bay, Sydney. John Oxley is the last surviving inshore steamer in Australia and is significant in maritime history as one of the few surviving inshore steamships. She also the largest steam-powered vessel in Australia
by displacement, although the former Manly Ferry South Steyne has larger dimensions.
of Paisley
in Renfrewshire
, Scotland built John Oxley in 1927. She was delivered to the Government of Queensland
Harbours and Marine Department, whom she served as a pilot boat in Moreton Bay
and buoy tender
and lighthouse tender
along the Queensland
coast.
In the Second World War
John Oxley was requisitioned for the Royal Australian Navy
and a 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun
was mounted on the stern. She was returned to her former duties in 1946, and converted from coal to oil fuel that same year. John Oxley continued to serve as a pilot tender, lighthouse and buoy tender until 1968 when she was decommissioned. In her later years she had become increasingly decrepit, such that in 1964 the Seamen's Union of Australia
's journal called her a "rust heap" with "the worst living conditions of any ship on the entire Australian coast".
, was completed. Until then John Oxleys hull had gradually deteriorated, so she was badly in need of repairs. Because another ship of the Heritage Fleet was currently under restoration, John Oxley was only drydocked for immediate and necessary repairs until 2004, when she was moved to Sydney and drydocked.
and rust
. Many components, including a number of plates of the ship's riveted hull, have required complete replication from original plans.
The decks and some of the superstructure, including the captain
's cabin and wheelhouse, are built of teak
. The ship above the waterline and her superstructure have remained in reasonably good condition.
Pilot boat
A Pilot Boat is a type of boat used to transport pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting.-History:The origins of the word pilot probably disseminates from the Latin word pilota, a variation of pedota, the plural of pēdón which translates as oar...
and lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
and buoy tender in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. She belongs to the Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum Ltd. and is currently undergoing restoration at Rozelle Bay, Sydney. John Oxley is the last surviving inshore steamer in Australia and is significant in maritime history as one of the few surviving inshore steamships. She also the largest steam-powered vessel in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
by displacement, although the former Manly Ferry South Steyne has larger dimensions.
Service career
Bow, McLachlan and CompanyBow, McLachlan and Company
Bow, McLachlan and Company was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding company that traded between 1872 and 1932.-1872-1914:In 1872 William Bow and John McLachlan founded the company at Abbotsinch, Renfrewshire, where it made steering gear and light marine steam engines. In 1900 the company...
of Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
in Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
, Scotland built John Oxley in 1927. She was delivered to the Government of Queensland
Government of Queensland
The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then...
Harbours and Marine Department, whom she served as a pilot boat in Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
and buoy tender
Buoy tender
A buoy tender is a type of vessel used to maintain and replace navigational buoys. The name is also used for someone who works on such a vessel and maintains buoys....
and lighthouse tender
Lighthouse tender
A lighthouse tender is a ship specifically designed to maintain, support, or tend to lighthouses, or lightvessels, providing supplies, fuel, mail and transportation....
along the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
coast.
In the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
John Oxley was requisitioned for the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
and a 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
was mounted on the stern. She was returned to her former duties in 1946, and converted from coal to oil fuel that same year. John Oxley continued to serve as a pilot tender, lighthouse and buoy tender until 1968 when she was decommissioned. In her later years she had become increasingly decrepit, such that in 1964 the Seamen's Union of Australia
Seamen's Union of Australia
The Seamen's Union of Australia was the principal trade union for merchant seamen in Australia from 1876 to the 1991. Australian seamen were forerunners of maritime trade unionism. Efforts to form trade unions amongst merchant seamen trading out of Australian ports can be traced back to 1874, with...
's journal called her a "rust heap" with "the worst living conditions of any ship on the entire Australian coast".
Sydney Heritage Fleet
John Oxley was given to the Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum Ltd (now the Sydney Heritage Fleet) in 1970. She saw very little use until 1997, when restoration on another ship, the James CraigJames Craig (barque)
The James Craig is a three-masted, iron-hulled barque restored and sailed by the Sydney Maritime Museum.-History:Built in 1874 in Sunderland, England, by Bartram, Haswell, & Co., she was originally named Clan Macleod. She was employed carrying cargo around the world, and rounded Cape Horn 23 times...
, was completed. Until then John Oxleys hull had gradually deteriorated, so she was badly in need of repairs. Because another ship of the Heritage Fleet was currently under restoration, John Oxley was only drydocked for immediate and necessary repairs until 2004, when she was moved to Sydney and drydocked.
Current state
John Oxley is being restored in the drydock of the Sydney Heritage Fleet. The ship, during the eighty years on the water, had incurred substantial corrosionCorrosion
Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen...
and rust
Rust
Rust is a general term for a series of iron oxides. In colloquial usage, the term is applied to red oxides, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture...
. Many components, including a number of plates of the ship's riveted hull, have required complete replication from original plans.
The decks and some of the superstructure, including the captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
's cabin and wheelhouse, are built of teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
. The ship above the waterline and her superstructure have remained in reasonably good condition.