Garden Island

Garden Island – The Barracks Building

June 1, 1999

In keeping with other historic buildings on Garden Island “The Barracks Building” has been fortunate never to have been officially named. Names tend to relate to periods and thus have fluctuating favour; by simply being universally referred to by its original function the building has remained timeless.

Reading the Articles of War to H.M. Naval Establishments Sydney, N.S.W. January 20th 1907 Original photo donated by Mrs P. Hart, granddaughter of Rev. Distin Morgan (see plaque in Chapel, West Wall) — Reading the Articles of War to H.M. Naval Establishments Sydney, N.S.W. January 20th 1907
Original photo donated by Mrs P. Hart, granddaughter of Rev. Distin Morgan
(see plaque in Chapel, West Wall)

The Barracks Building stands much as the New South Wales Colonial Architect James Barnet’s 1886 plans depicted it, as a typical example of British Colonial architecture, and no doubt there are others throughout the former Empire. Tenders were called for the construction of the Barracks and its associated detached kitchen and wash house, on the 30th November 1886 and the contract for carrying out the work was awarded to G. Langley on the 7th January 1887. Building commenced on the 10^th January 1887 with the objective of completing construction by April 1988.

Progress was initially good and a report dated 10th October 1887 stated that all brickwork was completed and the rafters positioned. There was however, a total lack of progress on all construction work for the new Naval Depot between progress reports dated 19th July 1887 and 10th October 1887 due perhaps to a shortage of funds and undoubtedly to the change of Colonial Government on the 20th January 1887. The completion date was therefore much nearer the end of 1888 than the projected date.

The Naval Depot was constructed during a period of unstable government in the Colony of New South Wales as indeed there had been during the thirty years since the granting of Responsible Government in 1856. As an example of the problem for the naval authorities, there were changes of Government on the 26th February 1886, 20th January 1887, 17th January 1889, 8th March 1889 and 23rd October 1891.

This situation, coupled with the periodic changes in command of the Australia Station and the frequent absence from Sydney of the Officer in Command of the vast Station, the wonder is that the Naval Depot was ever built.

The Barracks

The walls are of rendered brick with footings of mass concrete whilst the simple hipped roof is slate. The original drawings show the three level building with Tuscan columned verandahs along the front, or west side, only; but the verandah and columns now extend along the northern and southern sides. This arrangement is clearly visible on an 1892 photograph, so it is probable that this addition was made at the time of building, perhaps in response to criticism by Senior Officers of the period concerned about the westerly aspect of the Barracks, and the probable adverse effect of the afternoon sun. This consideration does not appear to have ever presented a problem and it is a most pleasant building in which to work.

The extension of the verandah has allowed a flight of stairs to be constructed at the northern end giving external access to the first and second floors without spoiling the symmetry of the building. Whether these stairs were added at the time of the verandah extension is not known. The windows are adequate to give good natural light and are arranged symmetrically front and rear, as are the windows in the northern and southern walls.

Internally the ground floor and first floor are duplicates consisting of a barracks room on either side of a central stair passage which provides access to each room. There are six stout columns in each room arranged not just to support the floor above but also to support hammock bars. These bars were supported between two collars on the columns and brackets attached to the walls. Hammocks were slung between the bars in the same manner as aboard ship. An open fireplace was located on the centre-line of the outer end wall in each room on all three floors served by a common flue at each end of the building.

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History of the “Consuela” Figurehead at Garden Island

December 7, 1998

Standing at the right-hand side of the main entrance to the Barracks Building of 1888 at Garden Island is the imposing figurehead from HMS Sealark known affectionately by all since 1919 as “Consuela”. A brass plate at the base states:

“Figurehead of HMS Sealark late Wanderer late Consuela. Presented by Commander J. R. Patrick. RANR, on July 1, 1919.”

The plate faithfully reflects the original entry in the Internal Auditors records taking the figurehead on charge and thereby perpetuates two errors. J. R. Patrick was a Master Mariner entitled to the courtesy title of Captain; at the time he was serving as a Lieutenant RANR, at Garden Island whilst Sealark was being prepared for the voyage to Melbourne prior to being disposed of by auction.

Wanderer RYS, from a painting by Admiral Richard Brydges Beechey, HRHA, 1808-1895 (A.B.Damaus)

Sealark had paid off at Sydney on 10 December 1914 and was laid up alongside Garden Island. During this period she was used by Engineer Commander J. J. Brand, RAN, for experiments associated with the burning of pulverised fuels. At the subsequent auction in Melbourne on September 3, 1919, Sealark was purchased for £2,500 by J. R. Patrick (who founded the Patrick Steamship Company) with her as Sealark III in May 1920.

In June 1922 she was renamed Norwest and the company became Patrick Steamships Ltd. Norwest was converted to a hulk by W. Waugh at Sydney NSW in 1925.

It is of interest to note that when presented to Garden Island Naval Dockyard the figurehead was the property of the Admiralty and when J. R. Patrick purchased the Sealark in “as is” condition she was of course minus the figurehead which technically was never owned by J. R. Patrick. Legally the figurehead is still the property of the Royal Navy.

When first presented to the Dockyard the figurehead was mounted on a pedestal to the right of the entrance gates to Signal Hill, now Hill Road, leading from Office Square to the Northern Hill, where it became a familiar sight until replaced by the figurehead from the “Windsor Castle” of Aberdeen, in the likeness of the young Queen Victoria, on the 21st October (Trafalgar Day) 1932.

Sealark’s figurehead was then moved to the garden on the northern hill where it remained until the early 1960s when it was repositioned on the lawn of the civil Personnel Office (Building 69) at the entrance to the Dockyard. During 1986 the figurehead was removed to the dockyard historic complex, as was the figurehead of the Windsor Castle, both figureheads now stand on the verandah of the Barracks Building, flanking its main entrance.

Other than the mis-spelling of Consuelo and premature promotion of Lieutenant J. R. Patrick, RANR, the brass plate at the base of Sealark s figurehead is a reasonable statement of fact. No implication here that the figurehead represents Consuelo.

Early local records, whilst not making this claim, do nothing to dispel the idea and the misconception has persisted so that generations of Garden Islanders, myself included, affectionately refer to this figurehead as Consuela, or Consuelo, without question.

Who then was Consuelo and how did she become associated with this figurehead? To complicate the issue, there were two ladies named Consuelo with whom a possible connection is claimed, one Cuban, the other American, separated by a generation yet having a unique relationship and a common bond by both becoming British Duchesses.

Consuelo Yznaga, daughter of Antonio Yznaga del Valle, of Louisiana, USA, and Cuba, married Viscount Mandeville in 1876 and when her husband succeeded as the Eighth Duke in 1890, became the Duchess of Manchester. The other was Consuelo Vanderbilt who at 19 years of age married the Ninth Duke of Marlborough in 1895. Consuelo Yznaga had been bridesmaid at the wedding of Alva Erskine Smith and William K. Vanderbilt and when their first child was born in 1876 she was named Consuelo, after Consuelo Yznaga, who became the child’s Godmother.

The first of a number of erroneous accounts of Sealark’s prior history appeared in the Cable News in the Daily Telegraph dated 17 November 1908.

“New Survey Ship for Australia, London – Sunday Afternoon. The British Admiralty has purchased Mr. W. K. Vanderbilt’s yacht Consuela for survey work in Australian waters.”

After being sold out of the service the following account of Sealark appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald dated 7th February 1921.

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Garden Island Rock Carvings – The Forgotten Men

June 12, 1993

Extract from: The Naval Engineers of Garden Island 102 Years of Naval Management 9th February, 1889 to 15th February, 1991

Most people associated with Garden Island have felt at some time during their career that the title applied to them, however the really forgotten men of Garden Island are the three crew members of H.M.S. SIRIUS, flagship of the first fleet, who carved their initials and the date 1788, on the rocks situated on the western side of the northern hill.

Initials "W.B." - photo taken 1989 — Initials “W.B.” – photo taken 1989

The initials WB, IR and FM, are the oldest evidence of British settlement in Australia, and are usually attributed to sailors from the SIRIUS, who first landed on the Island on 11th February, 1788 with the objective of establishing a ship’s garden. They certainly achieved their objective, which in turn gave the Island its name, Sirius Garden Island, which, after the loss of the SIRIUS at Norfolk Island on the 15th March, 1790, and the handing over of the garden to the crew of H.M.S. SUPPLY (II) in 1795 and ships that followed, became simply Garden Island, by which name it has been known ever since.

The Island is reputed to have had the Aboriginal name of Booroowang, which means fishing place.

For a number of reasons I have never believed the initials to be the work of the sailors employed on gardening duties. At that period, it was the exception rather than the rule, for common seamen to be able to read and write; their childhood was spent over a hundred years before the passing of the first compulsory education act in England. To be literate was to be either privileged or fortunate. That three such fortunates should have been thrown together by chance is beyond the bounds of probability.

Allowing for the fact that some illiterates undoubtedly did master the art of writing their names, this still does not explain why of all the sailors who tended the garden or lived on the Island to protect it, only three carved their initials.

Of all groups of people, sailors past and present are most susceptible to peer influence – tattooing, smoking and drinking are but a few examples of this. One would have expected therefore, to have found many more initials carved on the rocks, particularly as the Island changed stewardship and friendly inter-ship rivalry became a factor.

Could it be that the initials had a much more serious purpose than mindless graffiti? I considered they did and decided it would be appropriate if I could solve the mystery before Garden Island’s own Bicentenary on the 11th February, 1988, which was actually celebrated on Sunday, 14th February, 1988, a non-working day.

For reasons referred to later, I failed to arrive at a conclusion in time for this historic event and for a while I appeared to have reached a dead end until a clue from an unexpected source enabled me to eventually determine a plausible solution.

The following is an account of that process and reasoning:

Initials "F.M." - photo taken 1989 — Initials “F.M.” – photo taken 1989

The earliest reference to the initials IR and FM appeared in a newspaper article published just prior to December 1922 and referred to by the Reverend V.W. Thompson, M.A., R.A.N., Chaplain of H.M.A.S. PENGUIN 1921-1922 (at that period depot ship at Garden Island). In his unpublished manuscript, “A Short History of Garden Island” dated 4th December, 1922, the Reverend Thompson attributes the initials “IR” and “FM” as being the handiwork of SIRIUS’s gardeners and identifies “FM” as Frederic Meredith, thereby initiating a popular belief which has persisted.

In arriving at his conclusions, however, the Reverend did not have the benefit of a vital clue which was not discovered until 1964 when the initials “WB” were uncovered nearby.

The slightly elevated position and detachment of these latter initials relative to the others, coupled with their sophisticated style, conveys a distinct impression of authority and purpose, suggesting perhaps the presence of an Officer.

What manner of Officer would want to carve his initials in such a place, and for what reason?

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FFG5 Builds in Two Dockyards 600 Miles Apart

March 11, 1987

A TECHNIQUE successfully employed by Germany for the building of U boats is being employed in the building of the two guided missile frigates building in Australia. The frigates FFG5 and FFG6 are being laid down at Williamstown Naval Dockyard and will join the four American-built vessels already in service.

The hull of FFG5 is taking shape at Williamstown and the superstructure has been built in modules at Garden Island Dockyard in Sydney. The superstructure is manufactured of aluminium rolled to Navy specification and welded to techniques developed for the project. FFG5’s superstructure was completed in early January and was loaded in the Navy’s heavy lift amphibious ship HMAS Tobruk for transport to Williamstown on 17 January. The two modules consist of the main two storey deck structure and the pilothouse bridge. On arrival at Williamstown the modules were unloaded by floating crane and placed alongside the incomplete hull for swinging into position and welding in place.

Negotiations are in progress for the fabrication of the mast assembly for FFG5 at Garden Island Dockyard and this is expected to be complete for erection in the vessel at the scheduled production date. The Germans developed the technique to speed up production of their submarine fleet in 1943 and 1944. Sections of the U boats were built as far away as Poland and transported by rail to the assembly yard, usually Kiel, and rivetted together. The project not only increased production but drastically reduced costs. The application of the technique to the FFG programme is hoped to achieve similar results and usher in a new era in shipbuilding and large metal fabrication in Australia.

The Chequered Career of HMAS Penguin

December 31, 1983

STANDING PROUDLY IN THE GROUNDS of HMAS Penguin at Balmoral, Sydney, is the figurehead of the old Wild Swan Class sloop that gave the establishment its name. It is of a woman of mid-Victorian dimensions and not the sea bird one would have expected. The figurehead is the last relic of the ship which put down slavery off Zanzibar, foiled East African blockade runners and surveyed uncounted thousands of miles of the West Pacific.

Penguin belongs to the class of sloops built during the comparatively brief period of composite construction in the Royal Navy. They were slow, but in seaworthiness, under all possible conditions, and in ease of handling and durability, they had no superiors.

Sister ships to Penguin laid down in 1875 were Wild Swan, Osprey, Pelican and Cormorant and this group were followed by nine more vessels of the same type named Kingfisher, Gannet, Espiegle, Dragon, Doterel, Phoenix, Mutine, Miranda and Pegasus.

Like all the single screw composite sloops built for the Royal Navy, they were barque rigged, carrying a total sail area of 14,800 square feet excluding stun-sails. They were the largest vessels launched after 1870 to carry wooden instead of iron lower masts, each mast made from a single fir tree drawn from those growing in the New Forest specially planted centuries before to meet the needs of the King’s ships.

On commissioning, Penguin was sent to the Pacific where she spent four years before returning home in the latter half of 1881 to pay off at Plymouth. She was put into dockyard hands for replacement of her engines, which had been a continuous source of trouble. At the same time her 64 pdr. stern chase gun was replaced by 2-5 inch 38 cwt. breech load guns mounted on the poop. A long period in the fleet reserve followed and she did not go to sea again until she recommissioned for service on the East Indies Station in 1886.

On her second commission she took part in the suppression of the slave trade on the East African coast and in 1888 she also took part in the blockade of Zanzibar. Penguin returned to England in 1889.

A different kind of service now awaited Penguin, which was destined to last for six full commissions over a period of seventeen years. In the 19th century, the waters of Australasia and the West Pacific were incompletely charted and large stretches of coast in that quarter of the globe remained hazardous for the navigator. The Admiralty, as the body responsible for hydrography, were anxious to remedy this state of affairs and at this period were considering vessels suitable for the purpose. The composite sloops now obsolete as war vessels were ideal, combining as they did good sea-keeping qualities, with ease in handling, shallow draught, and the ability to conserve fuel by the use of her sails.

Accordingly Penguin was selected for conversion to a Survey Ship. All her guns were removed except for a pair of broadside 64 pdrs. which were left on board as an insurance against attack by natives. The spaces left vacant by the removal of her 2-7 inch guns were used for erecting deckhouses as cartography and instrument rooms, and ship’s boats were increased to nine in number, including two steam cutters.

Conversion work was completed in December 1889 and in January 1890, she commissioned and sailed for Australia to begin her long task of filling up the many blanks on the charts. In 1895, working in the Tonga Trough, she sounded to a depth of 4,900 fathoms without touching bottom, beating the existing record of 4,575 fathoms established by HMS Challenger in 1875.

In February 1896 ((Editors Note-October 2014: There is evidence to believe that the date of Penguin’s record sounding was December 1895. Refer: 8 January 1896 edition of The Press (a New Zealand newpaper) and “Thirty Years of Discovering the Mariana Trench” (published in Hydro-International). Hat tip to member Laurie McLean.)), Penguin broke her own record when she obtained a sounding of 5,155 fathoms in the Kermadec Trough in the South Pacific at a point now known as the Penguin Deep. On this occasion in order to make certain the line would hold her commander ordered it to be wound by hand. The ship’s company worked for several hours in relays of four, and were eventually rewarded with an ‘excellent specimen of red clay’.

Survey of the Pacific Cable route was also part of Penguin’s duty and she is reputed, during this period of her service, to have remained under way for eleven months.

Penguin carried out surveys of the treacherous Great Barrier Reef off the Australian coast in 1905-06, correcting much faulty earlier work and continuing the trigonometrical survey of the Queensland coast where Commander E.P. Bedwell in the Llewellyn had left off in 1879.

In January 1907, Penguin arrived Sydney from Queensland waters for paying off which took place on 31st March 1907, bringing a seagoing career of more than thirty years to a close. As a Survey Ship she had completed six full commissions receiving new officers and men in 1893, 1896, 1899, 1902 and 1905. Her duties were taken over by HMS Fantome, commanded for several years by Captain F.C. Pasco, RN, grandson of Crawford Pasco who had served in the Beagle under John Lort Stokes, and great grandson of the Lieutenant Pasco responsible for hoisting Nelson’s famous signal at Trafalgar.

Beagle served as a Survey Ship in Australian waters 1837-43.

On 17th February 1908, Admiralty approved an expenditure of £670 to convert Penguin to a Depot Receiving Ship for use at Garden Island. She commissioned on 1st January 1909.

In 1913, Admiralty relinquished control of Garden Island and its naval establishments to the Australian Commonwealth, selling Penguin as part of the effects for the sum of £2000. She remained a Depot Ship berthed at the Island until 1st January 1923, when she was paid off for disposal out of the service.

However, the old ship’s career did not end there. The hull was cut down and she became a crane lighter operating on Sydney Harbour. Her solid teak planks and iron frame kept her afloat for another sixty years. Her remains were sunk off the coast in the early 1970s.

DETAILS

Type: Sloop (Barque rigged) Wild Swan Class; single screw; composite construction iron frame sheathed with teak and copper.

Displacement:1130 tons

Length:170 feet

Beam: 36 feet

Draught: 16 feet 1 inch

I.H.P.: 700; speed 11 knots (max.)

Bunkers: 150 tons (coal)

Armament: Original; 2-7 inch 90 cwt. M.L.R. guns. 4-64 pdr. 64 dwt. MLR guns.

Builder: Napier, Clyde, Scotland

Laid Down: 1875

Launched: March 1876

Commissioned: 23rd August 1877

(The assistance of the Naval Archivist in the preparation of this article was greatly appreciated).

Garden Island

The Barracks

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