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SS OONAH

Artist Arthur Victor Gregory (1867 - 1957)

Date1908

Object number00039387

NamePainting

MediumWatercolour and gouache on paper

DimensionsOverall: 600 × 794 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

Australia

DescriptionBroadside view of steamship OONAH passing Point Lonsdale, Victoria by well known and prolific maritime artist A V Gregory. The Point Lonsdale lighthouse can be seen in the background.HistorySS OONAH was built in 1888 by A & J Inglis for the Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company. OONAH was originally built with spars and yards on the foremast to carry square-rigged sails in favourable wind conditions, as she was built on the tail end of the auxiliary steam ship period. These were found unnecessary, and they were soon discarded and the spars removed. Passenger accommodation and public rooms were located in cabins toward midship and OONAH regularly provided fast, comfortable passages between Hobart and Sydney. In 1891 it was sold to the New Zealand owned Union Steamship Company. After briefly servicing the coast of New Zealand, OONAH returned to Tasmania to continue running between Hobart and Sydney until 1896 when it was placed on the Bass Strait service between Launceston and Melbourne. OONAH remained on this route for the next forty years, except for a brief return to the Hobart to Sydney route during the World War I. In 1925 when OONAH was entering the mouth of the Yarra River it collided with the COOMA heading out of the river. Both vessels hesitated before turning to starboard to observe the port side passing regulation, and collided. The two ships suffered large holes in their bows but were able to safely reach berths in the Yarra River. OONAH's last crossing of Bass Strait was in October 1934 and it was sold to a Japanese company in 1935, then broken up in 1936.SignificanceThis watercolour shows a typical late 19th century steam ship which was the primary method of transport within and between the Australian and New Zealand colonies in this period.