Oz - Captain Sturt

[Derek Warner]

Dai - I have two snaps of the original 1915 [assembled at Mannum in South OZ from components built in Cincinitti USA]
Captain Sturt sternwheeler however [the snaps] are only 60 mm x 30 mm & are of poor quality & would be of little use if
I scanned them & posted same to PD's

The stern wheeler Murray Princess [circ 1985] you noted is true stern wheel powered & steered however powered by 2x200
HP Scania diesels driving closed loop hydraulic transmissions directly on to the paddle shaft - [could be Hagglunds/Dennison
or Sunstrand] - the little book dosn't define this but does note "the stern wheel is 9.5m wide x 7.6m dia and weighs 14
tons" [assumed as tonnes] "forward of the paddle are three rudders each 5mx780cm"

Some 11 months back [when Karina & I ventured to Mannum to see the hulk of PS Decoy] we witnessed during breakfast
at the Motel overlooking the Murray, this BIG TRIPPLE DECK 1700 GROSS TONNES gold painted stern wheeler
glide to her mooring - so 15 minutes later I am at her side [Karina stayed in the car] & about 500 people have disembarked
& are boarding motor coaches to continue their tour of South OZ [actual sleeping capacity is listed as 120 persons so the
380 balance must have been invited disembarkion guests]

So for our founding moderator, I do understand the euphoria of seeing close up a real big PD, & for my colleague Brett down
the road a piece in OZ, no she wouldn't fit in the bath! [better clarify this here - my 1/24 scale PS Decoy & Karina would but
not together] - regards Derek

[Dai Powell]

Hi Derek,
Boy that's a whackin' great boat, any chance of detail
photo's plans etc, could be a good one for my new bath,(I just had a
new plastic liner installed,and it needa a few rough spots{its too
smooth and slippery] so I don't slip over and sink Pevensey...Dai

[B Worden]

I have a suggestion for those interested in Captain Sturt. There might be plans here in the USA since she was built here and knocked down. She certainly looked like a typical Mississippi system boat. I'm not up on where steamboat plans of that kind have survived, but you might start with a contact to the Howard Steamboat Museum at Jeffersonville, Indiana. I think I've heard that there are plans there, although not necessarily from Cincinnatti. Nonetheless, the staff might be able to make suggestions.

The museum's e-mail is hsmsteam@aol.com

Bill Worden

[Joe E Brown]

I'm not sure the Howard steamboat museum could help, cause they
mainly carry info on boats built by the Howard Shipyard, now known
as Jeffboat. There are couple of sources I'm working on and
meanwhile you guys in Lower Austrailia could probably check out this
place and see what they might have....
http://www.murray-river.net/attractions/maritime-museum/hectors.htm

[P Webster]

Hi Guys,
Firstly a Happy new year to everyone and "Long Live The Murray
Paddlers". I have a mate who sails with the Broadmeadows Model Boat
Group, our sister group, who has a model of the Captain Sturt. Firstly
he could not find any plans so he has used his imagination, intuition,
creativeness and two old crumpled photos he found in an "Op shop". One
other point is that it is solar powered. I shall get some phptos and
put them up on the web as soon as he brings it out again.
Peter Webster :-)

[P Webster]

I have just posted some more photos of the Captain Sturt, sorry about
the quality, the internal shots were useless and I will do again
asap. I have also posted in another album my latest The "Lady Daly"
the hull is cut from a foam block and will be glassed at a later
stage. It is only a semi-scale model as I could only find 1 very
small photo and a copy of a lithograpic sketch. If brett or anyone
else has any further info on this boat please let me know.
Peter Webster :-)

[Dai Powell]

Hi Peter,
I know nothing about capt Sturt, but making a semi-scale
model because you only have a small photograph, is like the old
Irish saying that "I'm writing this letter slowly, because I know
you can't read very fast" ( I hope you put the money in before you
seal the flap).Why not "blow up" the Photo and make a full scale
boat?.. :-)............Dai

[P Webster]

Dave,
I was referring to the Lady Daly as the semi scale model. As for the Capt. Sturt the
model is owned by Tom Prior of the Broadmeadows Model Boat Group but for the
fullsize boat this was one of the few sternwheelers used on the Murray and was built in
Cincinatti USA and shipped in parts, could this be one of the earliest boat kits available
here, to Oz for use by the River Murray Commission in 1916. It was used to assist in the
building #1 to # 9 locks on the river but had a big problem, the hull had a steel bottom
which is a big no-no on the Murray. All that remains today is the wheel and some of the
timber remains. To the best of my limited knowledge no drawings exist. As to the Lady
Daly the photo I have and the sketch both differ markedly in the super structure.The
sketch is in the book PADDLEBOATS OF THE MURRAY -DARLING RIVER SYSTEM by
Brian Marshall and the photo is in the book THE WHEELS STILL TURN A History of
Australian Paddlesteamers by Peter Plowman but this photo is shown as the Lady
Darling in the first book. Both were similar but not the same and the Lady Daly was
bigger.
Hope this shows why I'm calling it semiscale for now.
Peter Webster :-)

[Leighton]

Hi Peter,
Why do you say that a steel hull is a big no-no on the Murray?
This query is generated by the fact that I want to use a steel hull
for the Spirit of Waikato on our mighty Waikato river here in NZ
Leighton
NZ

[P Webster]

Leighton,
Apparently due to the high salt content of the river and the constant scraping
of the hull bottom, probably due to overloading and the low water season, rust was the
main enemy of steel on the Murray. Brett Hallett maybe the person to verify this but this
is my understanding.
Peter Webster :-)

[B Worden]

I have no idea about the Murray, but for some time on the Great Lakes in the 19th century shipowners resisted metal hulls because they holed more easily in a grounding, while wood planking tended to bend rather than break. For that reason, there was a time when "composite" hulls were popular, with steel (or iron) frames and wood planking.

I would note that EmmyLou has been happily operating on the Murray for about twenty years with a steel hull.

Bill Worden

[P Webster]

Bill,
Composite hulls were also popular on the Murray for exactly the same reason and
also as we had a plentiful supply of Red Gum trees growing all along the Murray this
was the most economical method to use. Maintenance was not a number 1 priority in the
1800's so any down time is loss of income and competition was pretty stiff. We now,
today, don't think along these lines, thank God
As to the EmmyLou, this is a very modern "tourist attraction" type vessel and so is
maintained in a relatively pristine condition.
Peter Webster :-)

[Dai Powell]

Hi there Leighton,
The salty water in the Murray, combined with
bumping on the bottom in drought times and rust when dried out would
have caused the "bottom to have dropped out of it" remember that,
although they would have used tar or suchlike, in those days there
was not a lot of antifouling paint about and these days they are a
lot wiser. But hey, modern ships are made of steel aint they? they
seem to last quite well............Dai

[Joe E Brown]

Peter, I've been looking at the photos of the model and the photo of
the real Capt. Sturt. It looks to me that the Sturt possibly had a
scow bow instead of a model bow. Do you know any more about this? I
have a contact at the River Archive Museum in Cincinnatti. Maybe she
could dig up something on the Capt Sturt. If there's any plans in
existence, they would probably be there.

The Capt Sturt looks to be typical of all the sternwheelers built
around that era. I'm sure I could find plans somewhere that would
match that of the Sturt with minor modifications. Do you know what
her dimensions were? She looks to be just a little shorter than my
George M. Verity. The design is very simular on the main and boiler
decks. There's photos of the Verity in the photo folder or you can
view all my models at http://www.dragg.net/jbrown/mymodels.htm
Have a good day.
Joe

[P Webster]

Joe,
From what I can gather from the limited info available on this it had a removable
section that fitted on the bow to allow it to be used as a scow bow. I would appreciate
any info you can gather on this boat for me as I can pass it on to the owner of the model.
Thanks
Peter Webster :-))