Bay Steamers Maritime Museum in Docklands, Victoria | Non-profit organisation

Bay Steamers Maritime Museum

Locality: Docklands, Victoria

Address: No. 3 North Wharf 3008 Docklands, VIC, Australia

Website: https://victoriancollections.net.au/organisations/bay-steamers-maritime-museum#collection-records

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24.01.2022 Board Shorts 29/20, 16 July 2020. G’day all, Almost forgot BS today - damned lockdown is disorientating so that every day seems like the last & I lose place in the week. Or is it just me? The weather doesn’t help either....Continue reading

24.01.2022 Board Shorts 44/20, 29 October 2020. G’day all, A bit of a mixed day on Saturday. John arrived first, to be confronted by a chain across North Wharf Road at the shed end, traffic cones & signs preventing entry. Like the good law-abiding citizen he is, John who can’t work without his truck to hand in the shed went home. Nobody bothered to tell him that the authorities expected him to be a mind reader and to know the sign didn’t apply to us. Good of them to tell us. A complaint...Continue reading

22.01.2022 Board Shorts 31/20, 30 July 2020. G’day all, As you know, we launched an appeal last week to buy Hamish’s pump. Donations have been coming in and we will provide an update next week. Sufficient to say that at this stage, we still have some way to go but in the interests of expediency we have dipped into our reserves to buy the replacement pump so that we can start to clean it up & re-assemble it. Keep those donations rolling in folks. Last Saturday, four stalwarts attended. H...oward & Richard sorted out what is needed for the LP valve and did final checking. Richard is now making up 4 mm. pads for gentle rubbing within the valve. John F picked up the dowels for the handrails and started work on them. David turned engines & pumps and later turned some disks on the lathe for the handrail stanchions. Richard welded the disks to the stanchions and John & David fitted them. The handrails should be finished soon and that will be one more required item ticked off our Survey list. This Saturday, Howard & Richard will probably fit the pads to the LP valve and with David’s help may even put the cover back on the valve. John has work on the handrails. David can start work on our ‘new’ pump - Hal has prepared a list of 8 activities, mainly cleaning up, a little bit of de-scaling & cutting new gaskets.. Rob has rekindled the debate about Tug Bustler being the design model for Wattle -a pretty convincing argument is put forward for the affirmative case. Look at the attachments and make up your own mind. Rob also provided this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmd8FRyPN2M Also attached is Ann’s (Jez’s) presentation on Bioluminescence prepared for her RMIT studies which she shares with us. Terrific stuff Jez. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmd8FRyPN2M And here’s another couple of sites to look at - a UK tug. Go to www.stchallenge.org. And also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqecLajncWM There should be enough there to keep you occupied and compensate for not being able to go to Wattle on Saturday! That’s it folks. As I said last week - Stay well, mask up, stay separated, give generously, Cheers, Tony. More Viewing This is a link via the navy to a video on the history of the Mission To Seafarers, Melbourne. It has won a few international short film awards. It is a story about the Port of Melbourne as much as it is about the Mish. https://navyvic.net/news/broadside/july2020broadside.pdf This one is an interview with Rear Admiral Robertson reflecting on the state of Australian naval defences in recent times. Robertson recently passed away, but for you thinkers out there this is a thought provoking interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwvBo_7e-_Y Both articles forwarded via Commodore Greg Yorke RAN

22.01.2022 Board Shorts 40/20, 1 October 2020. G’day all, Our four regulars took advantage of a high tide and tine extensions on the forklift last Saturday to get the fire pump accumulator back on board and mounted. A great initiative, guys. Although the fire pump is inoperative, we needed the accumulator in place to maintain as much of the original appearance of the ship as possible. As well as that job, David ran all the engines on air, including the steering engine and Richard turned...Continue reading

21.01.2022 Board Shorts 45/20, 5 November 2020. G’day all, I took advantage of a slight relaxation of restrictions last Saturday & went to the ship. Good to be down there again & good to see all the terrific work which has been done by the stalwarts during the lockdown. In the E.R., the old GS pump is removed of course and the jig for future pipe connections is in place, the fire pump receiver is in position and all seems neat, tidy and pretty normal down there. It is in the shed where...Continue reading

20.01.2022 Board Shorts 38/20, 17 September 2020. G’day all,...Continue reading

19.01.2022 Board Shorts 46/20, 12 November 2020. G’day all, On Saturday, Wally, David and Richard ran the genset for an hour, John & Richard sorted out the Alma’s compressed air system (they didn’t tell us that one of the bits of gear was a dehumidifier) and all engines were turned over on air by David with Peter assisting as helmsman for steering engine testing, Howard and I completed the paint inventory and located boiler chemicals & test kit in the paint locker. Jeff photographed the...Continue reading

19.01.2022 Board shorts 42/20, 13 October 2020. G'day all, If your internet provider phones you to tell you to complete your NBN set-up & activate it as it is all set to go, don't pay any attention to the lying b*s*a*ds. It's not ready to go and four days later, it is still not ready. And in the meantime you've spent hours on your mobile (because your landline has been made inoperative) getting all sorts of discreditable crap instructions and crawling around on hands & knees plugging a...Continue reading

15.01.2022 Board Shorts, 37/20, 10 September 2020. G’day all, On Saturday David managed to free up the stubborn piston in the old" GS pump & get it out. Now things can be cleaned up, greased down & mothballed. Last week we thought the pump would have to stay in situ for Jim to complete his measurements but phone consultations during the week (Jim, Hal, David, Richard) came up with a solution whereby the pump can be removed. So one of the tasks for David & Richard this week is to take s...Continue reading

15.01.2022 Board Shorts 36/20, 3 September 2020. G’day all, Richard, David, John & Peter attended on Saturday. Richard & David investigated extracting the ‘old’ GS pump; investigations included partially disassembling to get it out in manageable sections, using the engine lift, attaching a 75 mm. shackle for lifting through the E.R. skylight. Pump was reluctant to disassemble, one cylinder being reluctant to give up its piston. Frustrating but maybe all to the good - see later. John ins...Continue reading

13.01.2022 Board Shorts 30/20, 23 July 2020. G’day all,... This issue comes to you with two very important attachments. Please read them. As advised last week, the Board is purchasing Hamish’s pump to replace our own GS pump. We have decided to ask all members on the Board Shorts circulation list to donate to a fund to buy the pump. The attachments explain it all but if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to phone or email me. We are aware that in these strange & troublesome times, not everyone will be able to contribute. Don’t fret about that - your physical work & support to Wattle in the past is of the utmost importance. We acknowledge and respect that input. All donations to the appeal will be anonymous and we will issue receipts. The Board has asked Jeff M to assist with paper work & administering the appeal. We sincerely hope the fund is oversubscribed and any over-subscription will be used firstly for some minor refurbishment on Hamish’s pump (e.g. dressing the piston rods) and secondly to carry out further works on Wattle. Last Saturday, John F worked on fitting ferrules to handrails while Richard & David combined to cut off unsuitable lugs on the old life raft frames and Richard welded a new one in the right place for the handrails. David made the lugs. Richard & Howard worked on clearances for the rubbing pads in the LP valve. Andy Munns up at the Sydney Heritage Fleet was consulted by phone to ratify the course of action chosen by Howard & Richard. Geoff Gordon of the Lady Cutler paid a visit and was given a tour of the ship. Good to be neighbourly. During the week Richard welded on the other three lugs for the handrails and worked on new rubbing pads for the LP valve. The new pads should be installed at the weekend - Howard, Richard, David. On Saturday, all being well, John should be able to pick up the remaining dowels to complete the handrails. Ken P reports continuing good progress - sessions with physio- & OT (Occupational Therapist) well underway. Getting stronger by the day. Blythe is doing OK too - right hand settling down, the decision on left about four weeks away; still not driving but able to attack the computer with both hands. Keep it up, both of you. Two youtube videos for you to watch today, again courtesy of Rob - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuGPJ1yVL_E, http://www.melbournesteam.com.au/lyttelton.html That’s it for the week from me folks. Stay well, mask up, stay separated, give generously, Cheers, Tony.

13.01.2022 Board Shorts 34/20, 20 August 2020 G’day all, If you want a gauge on how we all feel at the moment, google & play https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9PNTCwRneY Carson Robison, back in 1948. That’s giving my age away isn’t it? Wryly amusing but a pretty good reflection of the effect of boredom, lockdown & this damned virus. All the more reason to admire & respect those who keep on going & looking after us. More strength to them....Continue reading

13.01.2022 Board Shorts 32/20, 6 August 2020. G’day all, Short Shorts tonight - I’ve spent 2 hours 11 minutes on the phone today with Justice Dept. trying to find out if I am authorised to sign work permits for our maintenance workers. Finally found out that I can, so now I have to download a double sided form, print it, fill it out five or six times, sign, scan and send to those who are doing the Saturday work. Looks like a long night....Continue reading

13.01.2022 Board Shorts 7/21, 18 February 2021. G’day all, Good to hear that the lockdown has finished and that it will be close to business as usual on Saturday. Remember to mask up if you can’t keep your distance. Only Richard & Peter presented last Saturday for essential maintenance so not much to report from there. Richard did manage to get some essential wire brushing & preparation done and he continued that work on Wednesday....Continue reading

12.01.2022 Board Shorts 39/20, 24 September 2020. G’day all, The ‘old’ GS pump is now out of the ship and on the bench in the shed. With David having previously disconnected piping & removing rods & pistons and Richard making lifting brackets, the pump was split in two and lifted onto the engine room floor using the engine crane. Then, last Saturday, with John on the forklift and with a block & tackle on the tine extension, first the water end, then the steam end was lifted onto the wha...Continue reading

11.01.2022 Board Shorts 33/20, 13 August 2020. G’day all, Four people on site last Saturday, John lacquering handrails, Richard put some insulation in the LP valve cover cavities and after putting in some extra packing on the guides to leave a 1 mm. gap and hoised the cover into place for a temporary, out-of-the way closure - all ready to be boxed up when we raise steam again. David & Richard got the rods off the GS pump - they need machining or replacing. The generator was run for two ...Continue reading

10.01.2022 Board Shorts 9/21, 4 March 2021. G’day all, Fourteen of us gathered last Saturday, par for the course these days. Further discussions confirmed our course of action with the GS pump. Jim, Kim, Wally, David, Bruce, Richard, Howard all agreed on the process with the first task being for Richard to prove some welding magic to create a coffer dam after blast cleaning of the interior. Jim got the prime coat on the steam end of the pump. Wally initiated Ron into the start-up proced...ures for the genset. Bruce found a double block for the forward (anchor) davit. To verify things, Jeff & Bruce scrolled through historic photos looking for evidence of the correct rigging. What they found, to their surprise, was that Wattle didn’t have a forward davit originally. They weren’t able to determine when the davit was fitted. Anybody know? The block has wooden cheeks and Bruce may consult with Alma people to determine the correct refurbishment treatment. Gerald & Ian did a bit more on the EPIRB mounting and discussed fixings with Richard. After that, they proceeded to a clean-up of the chippies’ area. John worked on the toilet door. Jim produced his first draft of the ship’s Safety Equipment drawing - it is on the Mess notice board for your constructive comment. Richard & Howard continued prepping the E.R. for painting. During the week Richard did more E.R. prepping and also some work for lifting eyes there. I delivered the books to our accountant for our Covid-delayed financial statement. A couple of weeks ago, I advised we were going to register for the National Trust Heritage Week with a view to having Wattle ‘open for inspection’ in late April, early May. Since that advice, Development Victoria has prohibited pedestrian access to the wharf thus putting the kibosh on that plan. We can’t see the wharf repair contractors having enough finished by those dates to justify proceeding. FYI, they’ve started down near the Library, working westwards towards us. No other chit chat so straight onto things to do this week (the long weekend being ignored for our intents & purposes): 1. Maybe a start on blast cleaning the GS pump innards? Jim, David. 2. Richard & Howard to continue with E.R. prepping, working across the deck-head to the port side. 3. John to continue with the toilet door. I found the indicator bolt. 4. Soot disposal still to do. 5. Ditto cleaning under E. R. deck plates. 6. Battery Box seat to be marked up for profiling to deck slopes. Me. 7. Gerald & Ian - EPIRB fixing & infill panel measuring. 8. Last chance to advise of any International paint topping up needed. Our shipmate Mark up there in the Arctic has sent us the following to look at. An excellent youtube movie about the Costa Lotta incident. 45 mins, but worth it for all you sea dogs! https://m.youtube.com/watch That’s all I’ve got folks. Remember that, even though it is a long weekend, it’s Wattle business as usual. Hoping to see you on Saturday, Cheers, Tony.

08.01.2022 Board Shorts 47/20, 19 November 2020. G'day all, We had a good day last Saturday. There were 10 of us - Jim, assisted by Bob, completed his measurements for new pipe work, Howard started some preparation work for painting in the E.R., Hal brought some E.R. Manuals up to date, John installed the last of the handrails & began last of the work required on the hatch cover, Bruce highlighted a safety issue with the locking of the hatch which we have now sorted, Richard, Bruce, Pet...Continue reading

07.01.2022 Steam Tug Bustler 1917-1972 Graeme Andrews Collection Item for Cabin Fever 31/7/2020. Compiled by Rob Newland In this piece of fascinating historic film from Sydney Harbour. ... The intriguing story of the Pilot Service. It also features a very familiar looking Steam Tug. Steady As She Goes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmd8FRyPN2M Bustler was built at Cockatoo Island as number Ship 38 during the First World War, launched in January 1917. A fire and salvage steam tug built for Cockatoo docks use. She was scuttled in 1972. The question is was S.T Wattle based on the S.T. Bustler 1912 plans? Please see attached a General Arrangement plan (As Fitted) Bustler from 1937 I was not able to obtain the 1912 General Arrangement plan for Bustler as it was not in the original NAA archived file. Most likely it had been lost when Cockatoo Island was closed. Dimensions as shown on General Arrangement Plans S.T. Bustler 1917-1972 Ship Number 38 Cockatoo Dockyard NSW Length B.P: 75 feet 0 inches (22.86 metres) Breadth: 16 feet 6 inches (5.03 metres) Depth MLD : 9 feet 0 inches (2.74 metres) S. T. Wattle 1933 - today Ship number 111 Cockatoo Dockyard NSW Length B.P: 75 feet 0 inches (22.86 metres) Breadth: 17 feet 6 inches (5.34 metres) Depth MLD : 9 feet 3inches (2.82 metres) Steam Tug Bustler 1917-1972 Graeme Andrews Collection References Sources of information S.T. Bustler General Arrangement ‘as fitted’, 1937; NAAC3525, item 19 S.T. Wattle General Arrangement 1932; NAA, CRS C3401, item 1 Bustler Photo: Graeme Andrews Collection Steady As She Goes: National Film and Sound Archives

07.01.2022 Board Shorts 11/21, 18 March 2021. G’day all, We were ten last Saturday. Hal & Peter set up the portable fire pump so that Hal could confirm some details. The attachments which arose from their labours are in preliminary form; please review & comment. Wally extracted the genset anode & found considerable wastage. He’s investigating replacement. As a result, the genset is Under Maintenance and is not to be operated. Signs will tell you so but you read it here first - Do Not ...Continue reading

07.01.2022 Board Shorts 41/20, 8 October 2020. G’day all, On Saturday John finished off the bench for David to use to work on the new GS pump and also made a storage box for bits & pieces of the old GS pump. That way we won’t lose anything - when we return to repair of that pump, all the bits & pieces will be to hand. Richard restored a football rescued from Victoria Harbour to its rightful and delighted owners - our good neighbour deed for the week. Richard also worked on the cover ov...Continue reading

06.01.2022 Board Shorts 10/21, 11 March 2021. G’day all, Long weekend not withstanding, 12 of the faithful gathered last Saturday at the ship. David fitted the decompression valve he had rebuilt back to the compressor which is now fully operational again. Richard drilled a hole in the container wall near the compressor so we have a shorter route for our air hoses - we can use a higher volume air line over a shorter distance - much better all round. Wally & Bruce investigated the conditi...Continue reading

03.01.2022 Board Shorts 8/21, 25 February 2021. G’day all, Almost back to our new Covid-normal with 13 present last Saturday. David had dropped off the holey GS pump and several heads nodded sagely over it as strategies for repair were tossed around. Jim’s guessy drawings were pretty much spot on although the hole may not at this stage be quite as big as anticipated. Consensus was reached among Jim, Wally, Bruce, Howard, Hal on the repair procedure. I’ll have the agreed process sketch...Continue reading

03.01.2022 Board Shorts 6/21, 11 February 2021. G’day all, Our COVID Normal seems to have settled into about 14 each Saturday & we maintained the standard last week. Good to see Howard again. Here’s hoping his visit to his surgeon today brings comforting news. Jim wire-brushed the steam end of the new GS pump ready for painting. The bad news about the wet end is that further cleaning has revealed a patched-up hole which we weren’t expecting. David is investigating the removal of the pa...Continue reading

03.01.2022 Board Shorts 43/20, 22 October 2020. G’day all, Five instead of the usual four last Saturday - Howard came down, ostensibly to paint the Engine Room but ended up carrying out a well-deserved assault on the paint locker with much to be disposed of - lots of dried up cans, one part of two part mixes, dead brushes, etc. Richard assisted. The locker might soon look as good as it did when I (tongue in cheek) was put in charge of it back in 2002 when we were in Shed 20, North Wharf...Continue reading

01.01.2022 Board Shorts 35/20, 27 August 2020. G’day all, Despite some nasty weather, the usual suspects turned up on Saturday and they are to be thanked for their efforts. John F cleaned up the Mess container with a good wipe-down, making it fit for our COVID-licenced workers. John, David, Richard & Peter got the GS pump onto David’s trailer, Richard finished the connection pieces for the handrails at the bow, now painted green and looking like they’d been there from Day 1. John has fi...Continue reading