Polly Woodside
Encyclopedia
Polly Woodside is a Belfast built, three-masted, iron-hulled barque
, preserved in Melbourne, Australia and forming the central feature of the South Wharf precinct. The ship was originally built in Belfast
by William J. Woodside and was launched in 1885. Polly Woodside is typical of thousands of smaller iron barques built in the last days of sail, intended for deep water trade around the world and designed to be operated as economically as possible.
during 1885, for William J. Woodside and Co. She was launched on 7 November 1885; the christening performed by the owner’s wife, Mrs Marian (“Polly”) Woodside, after whom the ship was named. Polly Woodside operated as a cargo vessel carrying coal, nitrate, and wheat between British ports and the ports of South America
, such as Montevideo
, Valparaiso
and Buenos Aires
. In sixteen voyages between December 1885 and August 1903 she made a number of arduous passages around Cape Horn
. The Polly Woodside’s operating crew, including Master and Mate was generally less than 20.
–Australian run, carrying timber, salt, cement, grain and coal. The ship changed hands in 1911 for £3000 to Captain Harrison Douglas, of New Zealand
and again in 1916 to the George H. Scales Company. Because of the heavy loss of shipping in the 1914–1918 war, Rona also traded between New Zealand
ports and San Francisco, carrying case oil and copra. Two mishaps occurred in the last years of the ship’s sailing career. In March 1920 the schooner W.J.Pirie, under-tow in San Francisco harbour, collided with Rona at anchor, carrying away her headgear. Then in June 1921 the Rona, carrying a cargo of coal, grounded on Steeple Rock
, off Wellington
Heads. Fortunately, the shingle bottom caused little damage and she was able to be towed into Wellington
harbour. However, some slight stress fractures to the hull plating could still be seen when the ship was dry-docked in 1974.
has described the early 1920s as the final abandonment of sail by most of the world’s maritime nations. “In the hectic economic climate of the great war there had been no question of scrap prices [for sailing ships]”. However, by 1922 this had changed. “World freight rates were sliding in the post war slump; what had been marginal before was now uneconomic”. A few larger sailing ships defied this trend, but not the relatively small Rona. In September 1921 the ship was laid up, then sold to Adelaide Steamship Company
for service as a coal hulk
in Australia
. She arrived in Sydney
on 8 October 1922, and by early 1923 had been stripped down. In March 1925 the Lammeroo towed Rona to Melbourne
for this purpose. She spent the next 40 years quite unremarkably, bunkering coal-burning ships in the Port of Melbourne. An exception was her war service; during the Second World War
. In 1943 she was requisitioned as a dumb lighter by the Royal Australian Navy
for service with other hulks in New Guinea
waters. Captain Douglas Strath described her thus; “queen of this dumb (ie lacking self propulsion) but mighty workforce was Rona. She was big enough to supply, unload, store, repair, construct and function in so many ways... she was an integral part of the vital servicing fleet.” She was towed back to Melbourne
in 1946, resuming her career as a coal hulk.
in Recherche Bay
, Tasmania
; the Santiago
in the Port River
, near Adelaide
. The Polly Woodside’s restoration owes much to the efforts of Karl Kortum, former director of the San Francisco Maritime Museum, who inspired Dr. Graeme Robertson of the National Trust of Australia
(Victoria) to put up a proposal to save the ship in 1962. In the context of the time, this proposal was quite risky but showed extraordinary vision. The National Trust of Australia
relied entirely on volunteer labour, and it had no experience in restoring a sailing ship, even for static display. The restoration of the Rona/Polly Woodside would be a massive task. A long campaign led to the National Trust of Australia
purchasing her from Howard Smith Industries for one cent in 1968.
An estimated 60,000 hours of painstaking voluntary labour saw the ship refurbished close to its original state. The project received strong support from businesses, unions, former crewmembers and several Captains. The first Master of Restoration, Captain G.H.Heyen was a master in sail. Polly Woodside’s chief rigger for 27 years of restoration was Tor Lindqvist, a former able seaman and sailmaker on Lawhill
, Passat
and Viking
. In 1978 she was opened under her original name to the public, and is now permanently moored at the old Duke and Orr's Dry Dock
on the Yarra River
near Melbourne
. Now landlocked by a nearby roadbridge, she cannot take to sea like the restored barque James Craig
, of Sydney.
In 1988 the World Ship Trust awarded their seventh maritime heritage award to Polly Woodside, for "supreme achievement in the preservation of maritime heritage" — a first for a restored merchant ship. In March 2007, Polly Woodside was added to the Victorian Heritage Register
.
's southern bank. The $1.4 billion redevelopment, announced by the Victorian Government in February 2006, included construction works for the new Melbourne Convention Centre immediately next to the Polly Woodside. The ship was temporarily relocated approximately 50 metres away to a mooring on the adjacent Yarra River
on 26 August 2008 – its first move in 33 years – for a $13 million operational refurbishment and restoration of its dry dock home, board walk, and adjacent former wharf sheds. Between this time and May 2009 the water within the Duke and Orr's Dry Dock was pumped out and a gated dam wall built at the entrance. The bottom of the dry dock was excavated and permanent keel supports built into the concrete base for Polly Woodside to sit upon, allowing the ship to be periodically dry docked for repairs. On 19 May 2009 the dam wall gates were opened allowing water to flow into the dry dock and Polly Woodside was returned to the Duke and Orr's Dry Dock. Polly Woodside was re-opened to the public on 23 December 2010.
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...
, preserved in Melbourne, Australia and forming the central feature of the South Wharf precinct. The ship was originally built in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
by William J. Woodside and was launched in 1885. Polly Woodside is typical of thousands of smaller iron barques built in the last days of sail, intended for deep water trade around the world and designed to be operated as economically as possible.
Voyages 1885–1904
Polly Woodside was built at the north shipbuilding yard of Workman, Clark and Co, Queen’s Island, BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
during 1885, for William J. Woodside and Co. She was launched on 7 November 1885; the christening performed by the owner’s wife, Mrs Marian (“Polly”) Woodside, after whom the ship was named. Polly Woodside operated as a cargo vessel carrying coal, nitrate, and wheat between British ports and the ports of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, such as Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
and Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. In sixteen voyages between December 1885 and August 1903 she made a number of arduous passages around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
. The Polly Woodside’s operating crew, including Master and Mate was generally less than 20.
Voyages 1904–1922
In 1904 Polly Woodside was sold to A.H. Turnbull of New Zealand and renamed Rona after Miss Rona Monro, daughter of a shareholder in the company. Valued in 1906 at £4300, Rona then generally operated on the New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
–Australian run, carrying timber, salt, cement, grain and coal. The ship changed hands in 1911 for £3000 to Captain Harrison Douglas, of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and again in 1916 to the George H. Scales Company. Because of the heavy loss of shipping in the 1914–1918 war, Rona also traded between New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
ports and San Francisco, carrying case oil and copra. Two mishaps occurred in the last years of the ship’s sailing career. In March 1920 the schooner W.J.Pirie, under-tow in San Francisco harbour, collided with Rona at anchor, carrying away her headgear. Then in June 1921 the Rona, carrying a cargo of coal, grounded on Steeple Rock
Steeple Rock
Steeple Rock is the largest rock of Barrett Reef at the west of the entrance to Wellington Harbour, rising 7m above sea level. Its Māori name is Te Aroaro-o-Kupe , after being officially changed on 3 September 2009 from Te Ure-o-Kupe . Kupe, the legendary discoverer of Aotearoa, is said to have...
, off Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
Heads. Fortunately, the shingle bottom caused little damage and she was able to be towed into Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
harbour. However, some slight stress fractures to the hull plating could still be seen when the ship was dry-docked in 1974.
As a coal lighter 1922–1962
Maritime historian Georg KåhreGeorg Kåhre
George Kåhre was a teacher and author on the Åland Islands, Finland. He wrote poetry and prose, as well as factual books.Kåhre debuted in 1928 with the poetry anthology Staden med de tusen lindarna, released under the pseudonym Stefan Sylwander. He would use this pseudonym until 1933, when his...
has described the early 1920s as the final abandonment of sail by most of the world’s maritime nations. “In the hectic economic climate of the great war there had been no question of scrap prices [for sailing ships]”. However, by 1922 this had changed. “World freight rates were sliding in the post war slump; what had been marginal before was now uneconomic”. A few larger sailing ships defied this trend, but not the relatively small Rona. In September 1921 the ship was laid up, then sold to Adelaide Steamship Company
Adelaide Steamship Company
The Adelaide Steamship Company was formed by a group of South Australian businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods between Adelaide and Melbourne and profit from the need for an efficient and comfortable passenger service...
for service as a coal hulk
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
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 arrived in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on 8 October 1922, and by early 1923 had been stripped down. In March 1925 the Lammeroo towed Rona 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...
for this purpose. She spent the next 40 years quite unremarkably, bunkering coal-burning ships in the Port of Melbourne. An exception was her war service; during 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...
. In 1943 she was requisitioned as a dumb lighter by 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...
for service with other hulks in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
waters. Captain Douglas Strath described her thus; “queen of this dumb (ie lacking self propulsion) but mighty workforce was Rona. She was big enough to supply, unload, store, repair, construct and function in so many ways... she was an integral part of the vital servicing fleet.” She was towed back 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...
in 1946, resuming her career as a coal hulk.
Preservation and restoration since 1968
A number of half-hearted efforts were made in the mid 20th century to preserve Australia’s sailing heritage, at the same time as it rapidly disappeared from Australian ports. In 1934, the Shiplover’s Society of Victoria arranged for the coal hulk Shandon (a 1,400 ton former barque) to be partially re-rigged and refitted as a static display, to celebrate the centenary of European settlement. However, by the early 1960s, Rona was the last of her kind still afloat in Australia. A few others lay full of water, abandoned and forgotten – 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...
in Recherche Bay
Recherche Bay
Recherche Bay is located on the extreme south-eastern corner of Tasmania, Australia and was a landing place of the d’Entrecasteaux expedition to find missing explorer La Pérouse...
, 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...
; the Santiago
Santiago (1856 ship)
The Santiago was a 455 ton barque launched in 1856. It was built by Henry Balfour of Methil, Fife for the Liverpool shipping company Balfour Williamson. It sailed mainly between Liverpool and Chile, but also to Australia....
in the Port River
Port River
The Port River is the western branch of the largest tidal estuary on the eastern side of Gulf St Vincent. It extends inland through the historic Inner Harbour of Port Adelaide, to the constructed salt-water West Lakes in the north-western suburbs of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia...
, near Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. The Polly Woodside’s restoration owes much to the efforts of Karl Kortum, former director of the San Francisco Maritime Museum, who inspired Dr. Graeme Robertson of the National Trust of Australia
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
(Victoria) to put up a proposal to save the ship in 1962. In the context of the time, this proposal was quite risky but showed extraordinary vision. The National Trust of Australia
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
relied entirely on volunteer labour, and it had no experience in restoring a sailing ship, even for static display. The restoration of the Rona/Polly Woodside would be a massive task. A long campaign led to the National Trust of Australia
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
purchasing her from Howard Smith Industries for one cent in 1968.
An estimated 60,000 hours of painstaking voluntary labour saw the ship refurbished close to its original state. The project received strong support from businesses, unions, former crewmembers and several Captains. The first Master of Restoration, Captain G.H.Heyen was a master in sail. Polly Woodside’s chief rigger for 27 years of restoration was Tor Lindqvist, a former able seaman and sailmaker on Lawhill
Lawhill
The Lawhill was a steel-hulled four-masted barque rigged in "jubilee" or "baldheaded" fashion, i.e. without royal sails over the topgallant sails, active in the early part of the 20th century...
, Passat
Passat
Passat may refer to:* The German word for trade wind * Volkswagen Passat, a large family car built since 1973* Passat , a sailing ship* Raymond Passat , former French professional road bicycle racer...
and Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
. In 1978 she was opened under her original name to the public, and is now permanently moored at the old Duke and Orr's Dry Dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
on the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
near 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...
. Now landlocked by a nearby roadbridge, she cannot take to sea like the restored barque James Craig
James 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...
, of Sydney.
In 1988 the World Ship Trust awarded their seventh maritime heritage award to Polly Woodside, for "supreme achievement in the preservation of maritime heritage" — a first for a restored merchant ship. In March 2007, Polly Woodside was added to the Victorian Heritage Register
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
.
Redevelopment and dry dock works after 2006
Polly Woodside was closed to the public on 30 April 2006 to allow for the major redevelopment of the lower Yarra RiverYarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
's southern bank. The $1.4 billion redevelopment, announced by the Victorian Government in February 2006, included construction works for the new Melbourne Convention Centre immediately next to the Polly Woodside. The ship was temporarily relocated approximately 50 metres away to a mooring on the adjacent Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
on 26 August 2008 – its first move in 33 years – for a $13 million operational refurbishment and restoration of its dry dock home, board walk, and adjacent former wharf sheds. Between this time and May 2009 the water within the Duke and Orr's Dry Dock was pumped out and a gated dam wall built at the entrance. The bottom of the dry dock was excavated and permanent keel supports built into the concrete base for Polly Woodside to sit upon, allowing the ship to be periodically dry docked for repairs. On 19 May 2009 the dam wall gates were opened allowing water to flow into the dry dock and Polly Woodside was returned to the Duke and Orr's Dry Dock. Polly Woodside was re-opened to the public on 23 December 2010.