"S. S. Yongala" MemorialPrint Page
The monument commemorates the loss of the ship, S. S. Yongala.
On the 23rd March in 1911 the passenger and freight steamer the Yongala sank during a cyclone off the Townsville coast, with the loss of 122 lives. The ship was last sighted heading into the brewing storm by a lighthouse keeper on Dent Island in the Whitsunday Passage north of Mackay. She never arrived in Townsville and was reported missing on the 26th of March.
The only body ever found washed ashore was that of the racehorse Moonshine, which was being shipped north to compete in the Townsville Cup. Only fragments of wreckage were found along north Queensland beaches and despite searches at the time, and a reward, no sign of the wreck could be found. It wasn`t until 1958 that the wreck was officially located, 48 nautical miles south east of Townsville and 12 nautical miles east of Cape Bowling Green, lying in about 20 metres of water.
Location
Address: | 42 - 68 Palmer Street, Maritime Museum of Townsville, South Townsville, 4810 |
---|---|
State: | QLD |
Area: | AUS |
GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -19.259244 Long: 146.823733 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
Monument Type: | Monument |
---|---|
Monument Theme: | Disaster |
Sub-Theme: | Maritime |
Actual Event Start Date: | 23-March-1911 |
Actual Event End Date: | 23-March-1911 |
Dedication
Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Wednesday 23rd March, 2005 |
---|
The S. S. Yongala Memorial
Lost 23 / 3 / 1911 No survivors
"and some there be, which have no memorial who are perished as though they had never been" Ecclesiasticus XLIV