THE 'WHEEL' IN THE CARGO HOLD

courtesy Max Gleeson.

GROK

The SS Yongala had two steering wheels:

• The primary wheel — on the open bridge (typical for early 20th-century steamships).
• The secondary (hand/emergency) steering wheel — part of the "steam and hand steering gear" housed in a dedicated structure at the after end of the fantail (the overhanging stern deck).

This secondary gear connected directly to the rudder quadrant or steering engine in the stern compartment, below the main deck and above or adjacent to the propeller shaft tunnel.
The lower holds (cargo areas) ran much of the ship's length, including aft sections beneath the passenger accommodations and stern superstructure. The wreck lies on its starboard side at ~30m depth, remaining remarkably intact overall, but the violent 1911 cyclone (combined with the ship's heavy rolling, flooding, and impact on the seabed) caused significant internal disruption.
How the wheel likely ended up in the lower hold

1. Structural failure during sinking — Extreme waves and winds tore away parts of the upper decks and superstructure. The fantail housing could have partially collapsed or ruptured, allowing the heavy brass/iron wheel (or its assembly) to drop downward through damaged decking into the adjacent cargo hold below.
2. Internal shifting and flooding — As the ship listed heavily and took on water rapidly, loose or dislodged fittings shifted violently inside. Access ladders, bulkheads, or gratings between the steering compartment and hold areas may have given way, letting the wheel fall into the lower space.
3. Post-sinking movement — Over 100+ years, corrosion weakened plates, and later cyclones (e.g., Althea in 1971 and Yasi in 2011) scoured the wreck, stripping growth and shifting debris internally—potentially moving artifacts deeper into the holds.

Historical dive reports and artifact recoveries (portholes, fittings, etc.) from the cargo holds support that items from upper/rear areas ended up there due to this chaos. Your blurry photo's location aligns with early penetration dives (now banned) spotting such relics amid cargo remnants in the lower aft hold.
It's a poignant reminder of how quickly everything went wrong that night—no distress signals, no survivors, just the cyclone overwhelming a sturdy ship. Fascinating detail about the dual wheels—thanks for sharing!