Emu (II) / Brightside (ferry)

	Brightside approaching Circular Quay, Sydney
History
Name	1865: Emu; 1887: Brightside;
Owner	1865: Queensland SN Co; 1868: Australasian SN Co; 1877: Port Jackson Steam Boat Co; 1881: Port Jackson Steamship Co; 1898: Port Jackson Co-operative SS Co; 1907: Port Jackson & Manly SS Co;
Port of registry	1865: Brisbane; 1868: Melbourne; 1868: Sydney;
Builder	A. & J. Inglis, Glasgow
Yard number	12
Launched	March 1864 in Scotland; 5 August 1865 in Queensland;
Completed	1865
Out of service	1902 converted to cargo ship
Identification	UK official number 52221
Fate	Burnt out 1908, scrapped 1909
General characteristics
Type	passenger ferry
Tonnage	270 GRT, 212 NRT
Length	170.8 ft (52.1 m)
Beam	22.1 ft (6.7 m)
Draught	5.1 ft (1.6 m)
Installed power	70 NHP
Propulsion	2 × inverted diagonal steam engines
Speed	10 knots (19 km/h)
Capacity	800 passengers

Emu, later Brightside, was an iron-hulled paddle steamer that was built in Scotland in 1864 for using in Australia. For her first few years, she worked on the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay. From 1868, she was a local ferry in Sydney Harbour. From 1902, she was a cargo ship. She was scrapped in Sydney in 1909.

Building

A. & J. Inglis built Emu in Pointhouse, Glasgow, launching her in March 1864. She was then dismantled and transported as a "knock-down ship" to be reassembled in Australia. The steamship Platypus brought her in sections from Scotland to Queensland, where she was reassembled at Kangaroo Point, Brisbane. She was re-launched on 5 August 1865.^[1]

Emu's registered length was 170.8 ft (52.1 m), her beam was 22.1 ft (6.7 m) and her draught was 5.1 ft (1.6 m). Her tonnages were 270 GRT and 212 NRT. She had a pair of two-cylinder inverted diagonal steam engines, which between them were rated at 70 NHP. She was a double-ended craft, with at rudder at each end.^[1] She was capable of 10 knots (19 km/h).^{[citation needed]}

Career

Emu's first owner was the Queensland Steam Navigation Company, which registered her in Brisbane.^[1] She worked on the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay.^{[citation needed]}

In 1868, the Australasian Steam Navigation Company (ASNC) acquired Emu, registered her in Melbourne^[1] and operated her on Port Phillip.^[2] Later that year, the ASNC moved her to Sydney and re-registered her.^[1]

From January 1877, the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company operated her on Sydney Harbour on the Manly route alongside the ferries PS Brighton, Sydney's biggest paddle steamer, and Fairlight. In 1887, the company renamed her Brightside.^[1] In June 1897, she sank at Neutral Bay. Later on, she was raised, and returned to service that year. In 1902, she was converted into a cargo ship. She continued working on the Manly route until 1908 when she was gutted by fire. Her hull was converted to a lighter, but in 1909, she was scrapped. Her engines were used in a sawmill.^{[citation needed]}

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Emu". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
^ "Port Phillip", Wikipedia, 26 May 2023, retrieved 16 July 2023

References

Andrews, Graeme (1975). The Ferries of Sydney. Sydney: AH & AW Reed Pty Ltd. 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. Adelaide: Rigby Ltd. ISBN 0727007157.
Prescott, AM (1984). Sydney Ferry Fleet. Magill, SA: Ronald H Parsons. ISBN 0909418306.

External links

Media related to Emu (ship, 1864) at Wikimedia Commons

[SBS-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Emu". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 22 August 2022.

[2] "Port Phillip", Wikipedia, 26 May 2023, retrieved 16 July 2023

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