50 years ago this morning, the small Australian coastal ship Noongah foundered off the mid New South Wales coast. Of the 26 on board, only 5 survived.
The Noongah left Newcastle for Townsville on Saturday, August 23, 1969 with a cargo of 1,500 tons of steel products. She ran into a severe depression with 60kt winds and 10m seas off Smoky Cape.
She began to take on water and developed a list. The main engine lost oil pressure and was shut down. The ship sank rapidly by the head.
Marine experts determined that the ship sank because of the weight of water and cargo in the forward hold, but the reason for this could not be established.
The search for survivors was one of the greatest in Australia's history, involving 5 destroyers, 3 minesweepers, 7 aircraft, 2 helicopters and a number of other vessels.
5 survivors and one body were pulled from the water, but sadly the remaining 20 officers and crew were never found.
A Marine Court of Inquiry held later that year found that the haste with which the ship had to be abandoned contributed to the heavy death toll.
The Noongah’s Radio Officer was 21-year-old Stephen Pedemont from Sydney. Pedemont had passed all his examinations for the 1st Class Certificate at the unheard-of age of 17. He had to wait until his 18th birthday to be issued with his Certificate.
He couldn’t get a sea posting, so he worked as a lecturer at the radio college for a few years. Pedemont was apparently well liked by college students and staff.
The Noongah was under 1600 GRT, so she was not technically required to carry a W/T station and Radio Officer. However, she was a “voluntary fitted vessel” – she was equipped with two battery powered MF emergency transmitters and WW2 era AWA receivers (see picture).
Because she was under the 1600 GRT limit, the authorities occasionally permitted a Radio Officer to be appointed to the ship without the normal 6 months understudy time – i.e. the Noongah could be his/her first ship, solo.
This was the case with Stephen Pedemont – Noongah was his first ship. He joined her in Port Kembla (Wollongong) and sailed with her to Newcastle.
On the morning of the sinking, Pedemont was called by the old man at about 0345.
He sent an XXX (urgency message) to Sydney Coast Radio Station VIS at 0352 which advised that the ship had a 15-degree starboard list, increasing, and unable to be corrected.
This was upgraded to an SOS at 0423.
At 0437 Pedemont sent the last message from the Noongah advising that the ship was being abandoned.
Survivors reported that the ‘abandon ship’ whistle was sounded but before it finished the vessel went under.
A wall of water came over the bridge, the vessel shuddered and went down by the head rapidly at 0440.
Stephen Pedemont’s body was never recovered. He was probably unable to escape from the Radio Room/bridge area before the ship went under.
Sources – marine inquiry transcripts and newspaper reports.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2e6d04i9m5gowjh/noongah-drp.jpg?dl=1
https://www.dropbox.com/s/87g23t9u4hkdobp/RADIO-ROOM-NOONGAH-1968.jpg?dl=1
The Noongah left Newcastle for Townsville on Saturday, August 23, 1969 with a cargo of 1,500 tons of steel products. She ran into a severe depression with 60kt winds and 10m seas off Smoky Cape.
She began to take on water and developed a list. The main engine lost oil pressure and was shut down. The ship sank rapidly by the head.
Marine experts determined that the ship sank because of the weight of water and cargo in the forward hold, but the reason for this could not be established.
The search for survivors was one of the greatest in Australia's history, involving 5 destroyers, 3 minesweepers, 7 aircraft, 2 helicopters and a number of other vessels.
5 survivors and one body were pulled from the water, but sadly the remaining 20 officers and crew were never found.
A Marine Court of Inquiry held later that year found that the haste with which the ship had to be abandoned contributed to the heavy death toll.
The Noongah’s Radio Officer was 21-year-old Stephen Pedemont from Sydney. Pedemont had passed all his examinations for the 1st Class Certificate at the unheard-of age of 17. He had to wait until his 18th birthday to be issued with his Certificate.
He couldn’t get a sea posting, so he worked as a lecturer at the radio college for a few years. Pedemont was apparently well liked by college students and staff.
The Noongah was under 1600 GRT, so she was not technically required to carry a W/T station and Radio Officer. However, she was a “voluntary fitted vessel” – she was equipped with two battery powered MF emergency transmitters and WW2 era AWA receivers (see picture).
Because she was under the 1600 GRT limit, the authorities occasionally permitted a Radio Officer to be appointed to the ship without the normal 6 months understudy time – i.e. the Noongah could be his/her first ship, solo.
This was the case with Stephen Pedemont – Noongah was his first ship. He joined her in Port Kembla (Wollongong) and sailed with her to Newcastle.
On the morning of the sinking, Pedemont was called by the old man at about 0345.
He sent an XXX (urgency message) to Sydney Coast Radio Station VIS at 0352 which advised that the ship had a 15-degree starboard list, increasing, and unable to be corrected.
This was upgraded to an SOS at 0423.
At 0437 Pedemont sent the last message from the Noongah advising that the ship was being abandoned.
Survivors reported that the ‘abandon ship’ whistle was sounded but before it finished the vessel went under.
A wall of water came over the bridge, the vessel shuddered and went down by the head rapidly at 0440.
Stephen Pedemont’s body was never recovered. He was probably unable to escape from the Radio Room/bridge area before the ship went under.
Sources – marine inquiry transcripts and newspaper reports.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2e6d04i9m5gowjh/noongah-drp.jpg?dl=1
https://www.dropbox.com/s/87g23t9u4hkdobp/RADIO-ROOM-NOONGAH-1968.jpg?dl=1