Log book of the Ship Tự Do
Date29 October 1990 - 3 December 1990
Object number00056632
NameLogbook
MediumPaper
DimensionsOverall (Closed): 315 x 270 x 20 mm,
Overall (Open): 315 x 548 x 20 mm,
Overall (Open): 315 x 548 x 20 mm,
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection
DescriptionThis is the log of the journey the refugee vessel Tự Do undertook when it was brought from Cairns to Sydney between October and December 1990. The boat had been acquired from its owner, and the museum decided that it should make the journey to Sydney on its own power.
The log records the route, but also the challenges the crew of the vessel (named is only K. Zechariah) face, like fighting leaks, escaping surging winds, dodging fish traps and repairing the bilge pumps on the fly. The log details the last journey of the vessel before it entered the museum’s fleet. It is a fantastic record for another major event in the long, varied biography of this vessel. HistoryThe cooperation between the Australian National Maritime Museum and the National Museum of Australia while both were being established in the late 1980s led to the joint effort for adding a refugee vessel to the National Maritime Collection - the Hong Hai. The vessel had been acquired by the NMA and worked on by a contractor in Darwin, to be eventually delivered to Sydney.
When Hong Hai arrived, contractor David Payne, working for his uncle, drew plans of the vessel. His assessment and the assessment of the staff of the ANMM was that Hong Hai could only be used as a floating vessel if significant changes to the superstructure were made. It was decided that this vessel could not be added to the fleet of the ANMM.
These findings had two effects: the Hong Hai was added to the collection of the NMA, even though some objects related to it are still in the collection of the ANMM. Also, curators of the ANMM travelled to the Northern Territory to find a replacement for Hong Hai. They eventually settled on Tự Do, then named We Believe. It had been sold by the original owner Tan Tanh Lu to Peter Commander, who then sold it to Daniel Landy-Ariel after raising 6 children on it and living on it full-time. Landy-Ariel sold the vessel to the ANMM on the 4th of September 1990. After the acquisition was finalized, the museum decided to transport it from Cairns to Sydney on its own power.
The object is a standard chief officer’s logbook printed by Brown, Son & Ferguson. The first entry is from the 29th of October 1990, the last is entered on 3 December 1990. The log records the route, but also the challenges the crew of the vessel (named is only K. Zechariah) face, like fighting leaks, escaping surging winds, dodging fish traps and repairing the bilge pumps on the fly. The log details the last journey of the vessel before it entered the museum’s fleet. It is a fantastic record for another major event in the long, varied biography of this vessel.
SignificanceTự Do is one of three surviving 'boat people' refugee vessels in Australia, and without a doubt also the most well-researched one. Its flight from Vietnam, however, is not the only journey it participated in that is worth retelling. How it was acquired, brought to the museum and retained for future generations is an extremely significant story. Many museums are struggling with acquiring a refugee vessel for their collection today. Tự Do's acquisition and subsequent journey into the museum are a core example for how the cultural institutions of Australia can actively try to preserve the country's maritime heritage. 
