|
|
|
|
|
|
(last modified 6/08/2008 4:18 PM)
La Bella lies partly intact off La Bella reef near Warrnambool
The sinking of La Bella triggered one of the most heroic rescues in Victoria's shipwreck history.
La Bella was at the end of a rough and tedious 37 day voyage, bringing timber from Lyttleton, New Zealand to Warrnambool. Rough conditions forced La Bella to run aground on a reef at Lady Bay only a few 100 yards from the Warrnambool breakwater. The brave actions of a young fisherman and a volunteer lifeboat crew managed to save the lives of five of the 12 crew.
In fact Warrnambool did not hold happy memories for La Bella. On its only other visit a year prior to wrecking, it was anchored at the mouth of the Hopkins River in rough weather. The captain went shore to find a tow. When he returned he found his crew drunk and unwilling to take up their posts. Even though the ship was dragging its anchors and in a precarious position.
The final voyage of La Bella
On the November 10, 1905, La Bella was approaching Warrnambool. The night was misty and there was a heavy south-westerly swell. Captain Mylius was steering the ship towards Lady Bay Channel when it was thrown to one side into heavy breakers and onto submerged reef south of the Warrnambool breakwater. Waves crashed over the ship and the force of the sea wrenched a one and half ton anchor from its fastenings tossing it overboard.
The crew clung to La Bella exhausted and cold. The hull which shone with a reddish glow in the moonlight could sometimes be seen for nearly its whole length but would then disappear under the breakers for some minutes.
During the ten hour ordeal which followed, several attempts were made to rescue the anxious sailors. At times the lifeboat crew could not get close enough to the ship and were forced to return to the shore. One by one the crew succumbed to exhaustion and exposure. Worried onlookers watched in the moonlight as the men weakened and were washed overboard.
On shore, the lifeboat crew could see La Bella was about to break up and made a final attempt to rescue the five distraught sailors remaining on the ship. A young local fisherman, William Ferrier had taken a small dinghy out to help with the rescue. Both boats could still get no closer than 200 yards from La Bella. Two of the sailors, clinging to the wreck, including the captain, took their chances and jumped overboard. The captain made it to Ferrier's boat and signalled to the remaining three sailors to do the same. Two of the sailors summoned the courage to jump but left one terrified sailor on board to watch as the lifeboat and dinghy returned to shore.
By this stage conditions had eased. Ferrier decided to attempt to rescue the last sailor left on board La Bella. He rowed to the stern and brought the dazed man to safety. Shortly afterward, the vessel broke up and sank.
News of the daring rescue spread and William Ferrier became a national hero. He was honoured by the Governor and the Prime Minister and was awarded a medal for bravery by the Royal Humane Society.
An inquiry into the disaster found Captain Mylius at fault for sailing into the Bay without obtaining the services of a pilot. His licence was suspended for twelve months. A short time later he was charged with manslaughter of one of the crew who died when La Bella was wrecked. Although Captain Mylius was found not guilty, the tragic sequence of events, adverse publicity and damage to his career took its toll on his health. He died of a heart attack six months after the wreck at the age of thirty-seven.
The wreck of La Bella
La Bella is one of the wrecks included in the The Shipwreck Coast Historic Shipwreck Trail - a land based trail along the Great Ocean Road. Copies of an information leaflet about the historic shipwreck trail are available from visitor information centres along the Great Ocean Road and through Heritage Victoria.
Diving on the wreck of La Bella
La Bella is one of the many historic shipwrecks included in Victoria's Underwater Shipwreck Discovery Trail. Qualified divers can explore the wrecks of old wooden clippers, iron steamships and cargo and passenger vessels located along the coast and in Port Phillip Bay. Some of these wreck dives are suitable for beginners while other wrecks require the skills and experience of advanced divers.
Victoria's historic shipwrecks
Despite Victoria being such a busy shipping region and although Bass Strait and the entrance to Port Phillip Bay presented many hazards to the unwary sailor, only 800 shipwrecks have occurred along the Victorian coast since 1797. Fewer than 200 of these wrecks have actually been found. All Australian shipwrecks over 75 years old are protected by state and Commonwealth historic shipwreck laws. Some younger wrecks may also be especially declared to be historic eg; World War II wrecks.
La Bella was protected as a Historic Shipwreck on April 23, 1982, under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act (1976). Any deliberate damage or interference to the La Bella is an offence under the Act and offenders face tough penalties.
Dive information sheet
|
|
|
|
|
|