CAPTAIN COOK III standard lifejacket made by Harry West Pty Ltd
Manufacturer
Harry West Pty Limited
Date1939-1959
Object number00055362
NameLife jacket
Mediumfabric
DimensionsOverall: 140 × 630 × 500 mm, 839 g
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection gift of Kathryn Couttoupes
DescriptionLife jacket from the Sydney Harbour pilot vessel CAPTAIN COOK III made by Harry West Pty Ltd Sail Makers, Balmain, Sydney,HistoryThe CAPTAIN COOK III was the third of three pilot vessels of the same name that had a long and widely well regarded history on Sydney Harbour and coastal waters of NSW. The vessel was a familiar sight to Sydney-siders as it was always on duty on the harbour somewhere.
CAPTAIN COOK III was built by Mort's Dock & Engineering Co., at Balmain, for the N.S.W. Maritime Services Board. The vessel had a tonnage of 524 gross was 165 feet in length and a width of 26.6 feet, and a depth of 15.2 feet. Built with only one deck, it had a 3 cylinder engine capable of 165hp which could attain around 12 knots.
The CAPTAIN COOK III was launched in December 1938, replacing its predecessor, which had been built in 1892. It carried CAPTAIN COOK II's original carved bronze figurehead. Stationed at Watsons Bay, it served Sydney Harbour as a pilot vessel for 21 years until replaced by the first of the new generation of diesel launches.
Laid up at Goat Island, in 1959, the vessel was sold to Mr. Couttoupes who intended to convert it for use as a commercial cruiser in the Mediterranean. However the venture collapsed and it was sold for scrap and broken up at Waterview Bay, Balmain in 1960.
SignificanceThe CAPTAIN COOK pilot vessels were iconic working vessels on Sydney Harbour for nearly one hundred years. These objects are rare remnants of CAPTAIN COOK III.
E H Brett and Sons
1939-1959
