Wear

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The Wear was wrecked 15 kilometres off Montague Island on the 8th of September 1944, after a collision at night with the Norwegian freighter MV Anatina. The vessel was struck amidships about 1.00 a.m. and almost cut in half. Many of the crew jumped into the sea in their pyjamas, with the vessel sinking some forty minutes later. All but Newcastle man Harold Pring survived. Wear was travelling at about 10-knots towards Newcastle to load coal. Newspapers record a crew of either 32 or 56.

The 1892-ton steel single screw steamer was built by John Brown in Sunderland, United Kingdom in 1911, and registered at the port of Melbourne. The vessel had a length of 81.6 metres and a beam of 11.5 metres and was powered by a triple expansion engine. A collier operating on the Newcastle to Melbourne route, Wear was owned by James Paterson & Co., Melbourne.

Wear reputedly had a DEMS gunner attached to the crew.

Database

Site information

Site ID:

205

Type:

Steamer screw

Construction:

Steel

Primary industry:

Transport

Sub-industry:

cargo - coastal

Gross tonnage:

1892

Net tonnage:

1086

Length (mtrs):

81.68

Beam (mtrs):

11.55

Draft (mtrs):

5.364

Cargo:

Engine:

Triple Expansion steam

Country built:

UNITED KINGDOM

State built:

Port built:

Sunderland

builder:

John Brown

Port registered:

Melbourne

When built:

1911

Registration number:

3/1912

Official number:

129777

Sources:

SMH 9/9, 11/9/1944 p.3 NMH & Miners' Advocate 9/9, 15/9/1944 RBS RANZ 1941

Comments:

Vessel in collsion with MV Anatina and fatally holed.

Lost event

When lost:

1944/09/08

Where lost:

Montague Island, 15 kms off

Wrecked/Refloated:

Wrecked

Sinking:

Collision MV Anatina

From port:

Melbourne

To port:

Newcastle

Master:

Owner:

James Paterson & Co. Melbourne

Crew:

Passengers:

Crew deaths:

Passenger deaths:

Total deaths:

Location

Maximum latitude:

-36.3966167394834

Minimum latitude:

Maximum longitude:

150.246560568591

Minimum longitude:

Datum used:

WGS84

Datum	Latitude	Longitude	Zone	Easting	Northing
AGD66	-36.39662189360090	150.24656056859100	56	253058.35871147300000	5968522.54097731000000
AGD84	-36.39662189360090	150.24656056859100	56	253058.35871147300000	5968522.54097731000000
GDA94	-36.39661677683850	150.24656056859100	56	253059.24005278700000	5968537.11191985000000
WGS84	-36.39661677593700	150.24656056859100	56	253059.24005136100000	5968537.11191167000000

Management

Found:

Inspected:

Yes

Protected:

Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018

Jurisdiction:

Federal

Protection notes:

Signage:

Web address:

Links

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