CAPTAINS DIBBLE AND MACKENZIE.

Cairns Post, Wednesday 14 June 1911.

George Dibble, master mariner,

said he was familiar with the coast,

and had worked out a theory as to

what might have happened to the

Yongala. He thought Capt. Knight

followed the usual inside course 

between Armit and Gumbrell Islands,

because all the masters he knew took

that course in all weathers. After passing 

Cape Gloucester six or seven miles he 

probably found the weather so bad that 

he anchored in ten to twelve fathoms of 

water. After lying some time his anchors 

would have dragged till the cables parted

and she went on to Nares Rock and sank 

in a few minutes. If she was found she 

would be within a five miles radius of 

Nares Rock. 

Captain Mackay: Surely the £1000

reward offered for the location of

her should be sufficient inducement

for you to try to find her.

Captain Dibble: I have been in

the hospital for two months. I

have laid my theory and chart

before the Treasury.

Captain Mackay: should strongly

recommend you to try to find her.

Don't you intend to do anything ? 

Capt. Dibble : Not more than I 

have done. It's only my opinion.

By Mr. O'Shea : He did not think

for a moment that Captain Knight 

was guilty of negligence. He would

have done his best under the

circumstances by anchoring.

Reinforcement by experienced mariners that Captain Knight should have sought anchorage. They were not to know that he did not and neither did Yongala strike Nares Rock. But there was unambiguous confirmation that Captain Knight was likely to have used the inshore route.

Captain MacKenzie, commander of

the Wollowra, said he was in charge

of the Yongala for six months. She

was the finest sea boat he was ever

in Captain Knight was an officer of 

wide experience, and very capable. 

In 20 years on the coast he (witness) 

had never gone outside Armit and 

Gumbrell Islands more than three 

times, and he was confident Captain 

Knight took a course between the 

islands because it was agreed it was 

the safest. 

It does not necessarily follow that because most masters used the inside passage in all weathers that it was the safer option. Captain Mackenzie was defending collective actions. The Marine Board on the other hand made this point quite clear:

It has been given in evidence that several masters, including Captain Knight, when proceeding from Whitsunday Passage north, were in the habit of using the inshore route, passing between Armit and Gumbrell Islands. The Board, however, are of opinion, taking into consideration the prevailing weather conditions at the time, that Captain Knight as a careful and experienced master would not use the passage on that occasion.

There must have been risk associated with negotiating the narrow passage between the islands in weather conditions when visibility was poor!

His information, was that the storm in 

which the Yongala was lost came from 

S.W. and not N.E. He was told the wind 

was S. and S.W. all that night. He did 

not think any ill befell the Yongala in 

passing the islands, and believed she 

got past Upstart safely. He thought she 

was blown away to leeward among the

reefs.

Captain Mackay : What ? With

the wind blowing from N.E. ?

Captain MacKenzie : But I don't

agree with you as to the direction

of the storm. In further evidence

he said the passage between the 

islands was hours off the vortex of 

the storm, and if anything happened

there Captain Knight could have got

round Cape Gloucester, and lowered

his boats. He reckoned the Yongala

struck somewhere about Flinders

Passage. This cyclone was peculiar,

but there were records of cyclones

working the wrong way, namely from

the southwest.

There was confusion as to the nature of the storm system. In my previous post I even went so far as questioning whether it was a genuine cyclone or not. Both Captain Mackenzie and Captain Sim (who was present in Bowling Green Bay) claimed that the wind predominated from the south. This would be in keeping with the distribution of the wreckage discovered. The Marine Inquiry was very clear on this point - it was a cyclone originating from the northeast, moving southwest inland and uprooting large trees in the vicinity of Cape Upstart.

If one examines the image below Cape Upstart is 30 n miles southeast of Cape Bowling Green. Cyclones in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise. If the brunt of the cyclone impacted Cape Upstart and it was genuinely 30 n miles in diameter, this suggests that the winds reported by Captain Mackenzie and Captain Sim would initially have come from the southeast, shifting to the southwest (and finally northwest as the system passed). It also suggests that Captain Sim and the final position of the Yongala were on the upper, left hand fringe (right-hand side) of the cyclone moving from northeast to southwest. It also suggests that Captain Knight had steamed, safely, through the worst of the system before arriving at Yongala's final position. In fact the cyclone may very well have been a cyclone hybrid as depicted in the graphic below with a predominating gale from the south.

Even experienced mariners of the time got confused about the direction of wind originating from a cyclone and Captain Mackenzie's assertion that the cyclone moved from southwest to northeast is not possible. The only way his statement could have been true is if the system was actually a severe frontal system moving up from the south and then veering off to the northeast as it reached Cape Bowling Green.

If the hybrid cyclone theory holds how then does this explain the conditions experienced by Captain Dawson some 100 n miles south of the event at Repulse Island? 

http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/about/eastern.shtml

'Even cyclones that are located off the north or central Queensland coast can affect areas well to the south. Heavy rain can occur well to the south of the cyclone and the strong easterly winds between the cyclone and a high to the south may cause large waves over the east coast.' 

Although the facts as they stand point clearly to a cyclonic event, the alternative frontal system theory would at least offer Captain Knight some dignity in that he was justified in attempting to outrun the system - and got within 50 n miles of his destination at Townsville. Why would Captain Knight have attempted to outrun a storm system rather than seeking safe anchorage? I have a theory on this and will return to this fascinating subject in my next post.

Captain Mackay; since the offering of

the reward all reefs from Flinders Passage 

to Bowen have been thoroughly searched 

by ships and that does away with your theory.

Captain MacKenzie : She would slide back 

into deep water. She certainly would not 

have capsized. I believe she was blown to 

the N.E. onto the reefs. He added that he .

had been in cyclones in which a ship

was helpless, because no one could

do anything more than hold on. A drop 

of rain or sea water would cut the flesh 

and one could not even speak.

Captain Johnson : What would you

make your starting point of search ?

Captain MacKenzie : Broadhurst Reef.

Captain Mackay : It was well

searched for a week.

Captain MacKenzie ; It would take

six months to properly search it.

He thought a captive balloon would

be of value for such a.search.

Captain Johnson: Do you think

that part of the coast is sufficiently

lighted?

Captain-MacKenzie : There should

be a light on Cape Gloucester or 

Middle Head.

Captain Mackay mentioned that a

great many recommendations had

been made for lights, but Cape

Gloucester had never been mentioned.

Capt. Johnston ; Would additional

lights have made any difference that

night ?

Captain MacKenzie : It all depends

what the night was. It might have

cleared for a moment just when the

light would have been of use.

Captain Mackay : Would wireless

have been any help that night?

Captain MacKenzie : No. I think

not.

In answer to further questions he

said Captain Knight probably kept

on thinking he was north of the

storm.

What a fascinating parting statement by Captain Mackenzie defending my theory that Captain Knight thought he was north of a frontal system and NOT steaming into the heart of a cyclone. There is so much more to this mystery than meets the eye.

courtesy: http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/about/eastern.shtml