ss. ARGUS

Palmers Jarrow, UK

Sold 1905

Wrecked 1907

03.05.1891 - Arrived Melbourne, J Curry Master. Unloaded:

From Calcutta: 2276 cs dates, 737 bls gunnies, 250 has woolpacks, 10 bls cotton, 36 cls coir yarn, 8 cls coir rope, 2270 slates, 850 css 250 cs castor oil, 355 drums linseed oil, 28 pkgs rape seed, 600 bgs myrabolams, 242 chts 56 hf-chts 164 pkgs tea, 36 cs shellac, 30 pkgs button lac, 2 bxs Indian tobacco, 1 cs chicken cloth 1 bl jute twine 2 cs books, 2 cs sundries , also 4 pkgs in transit for New Zealand.

From Singapore: 575 bags pearl tapioca, 235 bags flake tapioca, 700 bags rice, 42 cs nutmegs, 259 cs preserved pines, 105 bags white pepper, 65 bags black pepper 20 bxs opium, 2 bls cassia, 4 cs mace, 1 pkg cloves.

For Singapore: 3700 ton coal, 1 horse and 60 tons copper.

18.05.1891 - Sailed Newcastle direct to Singapore.

1891 - Argus was taking passage through the Gaspar Strait which runs between the Indonesian islands of Belitung and Bangka, linking the Java Sea to the South China Sea, When she struck an uncharted submerged rock at full speed, the ship came to an almost immediate stop in half her length. This rock was only 9 feet below the surface and at the time Argus was drawing more than 20 feet so the collision was very violent. It took 12 hours of hard work for the Master to extricate the vessel from the rock, and while the hull had been holed, the flooding was manageable.

Fortunately, when Argus was built she was fitted with watertight bulkheads which made the damage control efforts much easier, had these bulkheads not been fitted she likely would have foundered. The propulsion however did not fair as well, the sudden stop had bent the propeller shaft, the propeller its self had thrown off 2 blades and the engines crankshaft had been strained. Once off the rock, Argus very slowly and cautiously started off towards Singapore where she arrived on June 7th.

On arrival in Singapore she immediately discharged her cargo of 3000 tons of coal and 900 sheep and was then placed into the New Harbour Dry Dock where the damage could be assessed. The damage turned out to be far worse than had been expected. The whole of her hull from the bows back to the boilers was pushed out of shape including the keel which was solid steel 10 inches by 3 inches. The hull plates were all buckled and as they had been forced upwards the shock was transmitted to the frames which were also bent out of shape, which in turn bucked the deck beams, in effect twisting the entire forward section out of shape. The keel had to be cut out in 49 foot lengths and straightened, as did most of the forward frames and no less than 70 hull plates had to be replaced. Surprisingly, despite the damage and strain put on her hull, very few of the rivets in the plates had failed during the grounding, it could be said to be testament to the quality of her build. The propeller shaft had to be removed and straightened, while two new propeller blades had to be cast and fitted. The damage was so extensive that it was estimated it was was going to take a full 2 months and $60,000 Straits Dollars to repair. Every man that could be spared was put to work on the Argus, there were even large electric lights suspended inside the hull so the work could continue around the clock. It was said to be the largest work undertaken in Singapore up to that time, if not in the whole east.

07.07.1891 - The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser , 7 July 1891, Page 1 notes:

" The s.s. Argus is now in New Harbour Dock undergoing extensive repairs, after running on a rock in Gaspar Strait."

08.08.1891 - Left Singapore for sea trials after repairs due to grounding in the Gaspar Strait.

The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, 18 August 1891, Page 3

A few friends were invited to lunch by the Captain after the trial and before leaving. Captain Curry and Mr Foird, Chief Engineer, expressed themselves as being thoroughly satisfied with the way in which the work had been done and congratulated the Doc Co. on being able to finish the repairs so expeditiousley, thus enabling the vessel to catch an important charter. It was considered that two months would have been required for the repairs, but the Dock Co. have been able to finish it considerably under the specified time.

28.08.1891 - Arrived Melbourne. Unloaded:

400 tons sugar, 300 tons of teak.

01.09.1891 - Sailed Melbourne for Sydney, J Curry Master. Loaded:

102 bags oats, 94 pkgs tallow, 40 cs wine, 100 tons chaff.

04.09.1891 - Arrived Sydney. Unloaded:

3443 bundles rattans, 104 bags pepper, 311 bales kapok, 182 logs teak, 1000 planks, and sundries.

07.09.1891 - Sailed Sydney, J Curry Master. Loaded:

30 tons bran, 100 bgs maize.

19.12.1891 - Arrived Melbourne. Unloaded:

1185 bls gunnies, 105 bls cornsacks, 500 bls jute cuttings, 51 bls cotton, 20 bls cotton waste, 67 bags linseed, 51 bags linseed cake, 287 bags myrabolans, 170 chts 100 half chts 5 qr chts 672 pkgs tea, 566 bags tapioca, 100 bags arrowroot 17 bags pepper, 30 cs chutney, 8 bls kapok, 8 cs chicken cloth, 103 pkgs sundries.