Cartela
Encyclopedia
The MV Cartela is an excursion vessel operating on the Derwent River in Hobart
, Tasmania
, Australia
. She is now Australia's oldest continuously licensed passenger vessel, although there are several older vessels still in service that have been restored after lengthy periods in dereliction.
The Cartela is a motor vessel of 194 ton
s gross, 77 net register, and is 123 feet in overall length (111.0 feet keel).
name for Bull Seal) was built at Battery Point, Hobart by Purdon & Featherstone in 1912 for the Huon, Channel and Peninsula Steamship Company Pty. Ltd. to operate as a cargo and passenger vessel in the coastal and riverine trades south and south-east of the city. She was primarily constructed to replace an earlier vessel the Awittaka that had recently been sold to the Solomon Islands Government, and was especially designed to be the fastest vessel in the premier excursion trade. This was achieved by fitting the vessel with both powerful triple-expansion steam engines (500 indicated horse-power) and a large capacity boiler that allowed lengthy periods of operation at maximum speed without losing pressure - a problem faced by both her predecessor and her chief rival the 152-ton Togo. The Cartela and Togo competed in an unofficial race held on Christmas Day regularly until 1931, and both won five races each. In 1926 the two vessels collided off Battery Point and the Togo was forced aground. As the vessels had passed out of (State-controlled) harbour waters into (Federal Government-controlled) coastal waters during the course of the race, a Royal Commission
was held into whether the Marine Board of Hobart was entitled to hold an inquiry.
Most of Cartelas service until after World War II
was spent operating passenger and cargo services between Hobart, Tasman Peninsula
and ports on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel
with a proportion of excursion activities up and down the River Derwent. She occasionally performed other duties, including a voyage to Melbourne
during a seamen's strike
in 1919, and as a tug
before dedicated tug-boats were employed in Hobart after World War II. One significant tow was of the dismasted barque
Inverness-shire, a vessel more than ten times her size, from Storm Bay
to Hobart in 1915.
With improved road services connecting outlying regions of south-eastern Tasmania bringing an end to commercial river steamer services, by the 1950s the vessel was almost exclusively engaged in excursion work around Hobart for new owners Roche Brothers Pty. Ltd. Cartela was converted from a steamship to a motor vessel in 1958 and extensively altered and fitted with more powerful engines as a ferry following the Tasman Bridge
Disaster in 1975. She is still engaged in excursion work out of Hobart, run by Navigators, although infrequently used due to the large number of faster vessels now servicing the trade.
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, 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 is now Australia's oldest continuously licensed passenger vessel, although there are several older vessels still in service that have been restored after lengthy periods in dereliction.
The Cartela is a motor vessel of 194 ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s gross, 77 net register, and is 123 feet in overall length (111.0 feet keel).
History
The Cartela (Tasmanian aboriginalTasmanian Aborigines
The Tasmanian Aborigines were the indigenous people of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Before British colonisation in 1803, there were an estimated 3,000–15,000 Parlevar. A number of historians point to introduced disease as the major cause of the destruction of the full-blooded...
name for Bull Seal) was built at Battery Point, Hobart by Purdon & Featherstone in 1912 for the Huon, Channel and Peninsula Steamship Company Pty. Ltd. to operate as a cargo and passenger vessel in the coastal and riverine trades south and south-east of the city. She was primarily constructed to replace an earlier vessel the Awittaka that had recently been sold to the Solomon Islands Government, and was especially designed to be the fastest vessel in the premier excursion trade. This was achieved by fitting the vessel with both powerful triple-expansion steam engines (500 indicated horse-power) and a large capacity boiler that allowed lengthy periods of operation at maximum speed without losing pressure - a problem faced by both her predecessor and her chief rival the 152-ton Togo. The Cartela and Togo competed in an unofficial race held on Christmas Day regularly until 1931, and both won five races each. In 1926 the two vessels collided off Battery Point and the Togo was forced aground. As the vessels had passed out of (State-controlled) harbour waters into (Federal Government-controlled) coastal waters during the course of the race, a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
was held into whether the Marine Board of Hobart was entitled to hold an inquiry.
Most of Cartelas service until after World War II
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...
was spent operating passenger and cargo services between Hobart, Tasman Peninsula
Tasman Peninsula
Tasman Peninsula is located around by road south-east of Hobart, at the south east corner of Tasmania, Australia.-Description:The Tasman Peninsula lies south and west of Forestier Peninsula, to which it is connected by an isthmus called Eaglehawk Neck...
and ports on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel
D'Entrecasteaux Channel
The D'Entrecasteaux Channel is a region of water between Bruny Island and the south-east of the mainland of Tasmania. It extends between the estuaries of the Derwent, and the Huon Rivers...
with a proportion of excursion activities up and down the River Derwent. She occasionally performed other duties, including a voyage to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
during a seamen's strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
in 1919, and as a tug
Tug
Tuğ is a village in the Khojavend Rayon of Azerbaijan....
before dedicated tug-boats were employed in Hobart after World War II. One significant tow was of the dismasted barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
Inverness-shire, a vessel more than ten times her size, from Storm Bay
Storm Bay
Storm Bay is a large bay in the south-east of Tasmania, Australia. It is the entrance to the Derwent River estuary and the port of Hobart, the capital city of Tasmania.It is bordered by Bruny Island to the west and the Tasman Peninsula to the east....
to Hobart in 1915.
With improved road services connecting outlying regions of south-eastern Tasmania bringing an end to commercial river steamer services, by the 1950s the vessel was almost exclusively engaged in excursion work around Hobart for new owners Roche Brothers Pty. Ltd. Cartela was converted from a steamship to a motor vessel in 1958 and extensively altered and fitted with more powerful engines as a ferry following the Tasman Bridge
Tasman Bridge
The Tasman Bridge is a five-lane bridge crossing the Derwent River, near the CBD of Hobart, Tasmania. The bridge has a total length of 1,395 metres . It provides the main traffic route from the CBD to the eastern shore - particularly Hobart International Airport and Bellerive Oval...
Disaster in 1975. She is still engaged in excursion work out of Hobart, run by Navigators, although infrequently used due to the large number of faster vessels now servicing the trade.