WATER RUSHING IN ON FURNACES.

Morning Bulletin, Rockhampton, 2 July, 1947.

People at Inkerman reported hearing 

what sounded like an explosion on 

the fateful night and that possibly it 

would be  consistent with a ship under 

steam being caught up in such a track of

wind. With the velocity of a tornado, 

a vessel would have no resistance 

and water rushing in on furnaces 

while she was making steam would 

send her up.

Yongala was on course and foundered 11.5 miles off Cape Bowling Green Light. She had not time to drift and averaged 15.6 knots from Dent Island ---> 11.45 p.m., 23 March.

It makes sense that as she turned over and sank, the active furnaces would react in such a way to cold sea water.

Grantala was safely anchored 7 miles NWN of the Cape Bowling Green Light which placed her 17.75 miles due west of the wreck site.

Inkerman is about 25 miles SSW of the wreck site.

Inquiry:

"At Cape Bowling Green, however, the wind commenced at S.S.E., veering to S., S.W., W., and thence to N.W. The "Grantala," bound South, anchored about 7 miles W.N.W. from the Cape, experienced the same weather conditions"

After he had anchored it  gradually got worse, 

and the wind veered  round by west from 

south-east to north-west.  He then knew he 

was on the right-hand  semi-circle of the cyclone.

The wind was heaviest between 11 pm. and 3 am.

One assumes that the crew on board Grantala would also have heard the 'explosion'. 

From Captain Sim's description, i.e. the right-hand semi-circle, we know that Grantala escaped the full force of the cyclone, but Yongala not so, foundering a few miles to the east of the eye. 

Cyclone, 30 miles in diameter - see image below.

It makes sense that the sound of an explosion would be carried towards the south rather than westward due to the rotational nature of the system.

Max Gleeson tells me that all of Yongala's boilers are intact which dispels the theory that boilers might have exploded. 

But there again the author refers to 'water rushing in on furnaces' which would certainly 'send her up', creating explosion/s.

courtesy Google Earth

There is another angle to this:

The Argus (Melbourne) Thursday 30 March, 1911.

The story told by a settler at Ayr of

having heard a whistle and an

explosion is discredited by Mr. 

Wareham, the Brisbane manager 

of the Adelaide Steamship Company, 

he states that the Grantala was also 

in the vicinity at the time, and that 

those on board would have been 

sure to have known of it.

The Courier Mail, 19 July, 1954

At 9 am on the day the

ship was reported missing,

Mr. T. Mitton and I were

shifting some of his cattle to

high ground when we heard

three loud blasts of a ship's

whistle and a shot 'like a dis

tress signal.' I swam the

Hannah branch of the lower

Burdekin and went to Ayr,

about 10 or 12 miles, and 

reported this to the Post Office, 

from where a message

was sent to Harbour Master at

Townsville.

From where we were, the

direction would be east of

-Cape Bowling Green. — 

E. Tappenden, 31 Manson Parade,

Fix this text

Yeronga.

In this instance, the explosion was accompanied by the sound of a 'whistle' which could have been a distress rocket. 

Either way the crew of Grantala would not necessarily have heard anything.


courtesy Trove