Narrabeen (1886 ferry)

Narrabeen was a paddle steamer ferry on Sydney Harbour that ran on the Circular Quay to Manly route.

Approaching Manly with her later glassed-in wheelhouse
History
Name: Narrabeen
Namesake: Sydney suburb, Narrabeen
Operator: Port Jackson Steamship Company
Port of registry: Sydney
Builder: Mort's Dock
Launched: 1886
Out of service: 1911 converted to cargo vessel, 1917 hulked
Fate: Unknown
General characteristics
Type: Ferry
Tonnage: 239 tonnes
Length: 48.8 m (160 ft 1 in)
Beam: 6.7 m (22 ft 0 in)
Propulsion: 65 hp (48 kW) compound steam engine
Speed: 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Capacity: 850 (approx)

She was built in 1886 by Mort's Dock and Engineering for the Port Jackson Steamship Company. An iron-hulled vessel, Narrabeen was 48.8 metres (160 ft 1 in) long, 239 tons (211 tons from 1911) and could carry up to 850 passengers. Her 65 horsepower (48 kW) compound steam engines (supplied by Mort's Dock) could push her to 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph).

Originally built with an open wheelhouse, it was later glassed in to offer more protection to the master and helmsman. Smaller and of lower passenger capacity than her contemporary Brighton (1883), she was used on off-peak services to Manly. With the introduction of the larger Bingarra class, she was modified in 1911 for use as a cargo ferry with derricks fitted at either end. She was hulked about 1917 and her fate after this is unknown.

She was named after the Sydney suburb of Narrabeen, one of the first ferries to be named after localities on Sydney's northern beaches. This would become a naming tradition for Manly ferries that continued through to contemporary ferries. She was the first of three Manly ferries to be named Narrabeen. The last Manly cargo vessel, Narrabeen (II), was built in 1921, sold in 1928 to the Westernport Bay Shipping Company and wrecked in 1958. Narrabeen (III) was commissioned in 1984 as the third of four Freshwater-class ferries, the four of which remain in service.  

  • Passing Garden Island with her original open wheelhouse
  • En route to Circular Quay from Manly, 1898
  • A lightly loaded Narrabeen, 1890s

See also

References
  • Andrews, Graeme (1975). The Ferries of Sydney. A.H. & A.W. Reed Pty Ltd. p. 29. ISBN 0589071726.
  • Andrews, Graeme (1982). A Pictorial History of Ferries: Sydney and Surrounding Waterways. Sydney: AH & AW Reed Pty Ltd. ISBN 0589503863.
  • Gunter, John (1978). Across the harbour : the story of Sydney's ferries. Rigby. ISBN 0727007157.
  • Prescott, A M (1984). Sydney Ferry Fleets. South Australia: Magill. p. 77. ISBN 0-909418-30-6.
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