The ghostly remains of the SS Minmi. A chilling tale unfolds before us.
Picture the SS Minmi a collier a coal carrier. Built in 1927 in Glasgow she plied the waters between Newcastle and Melbourne. She was 75 meters long. Her displacement was 1455 tons. Named after a town or colliery in the Hunter Valley her voyages were a regular rhythm. Southward bound with coal northward empty.
May 8 1937. Captain Robert Clark Callum was at the helm. Regular Captain McPhall was on leave. That night a dense fog blanketed Botany Bay. The sea was heavy. Around 10 pm the Minmi struck Cape Banks. The sound of escaping steam awakened soldiers nearby. They witnessed the stricken ship clinging to the rocks.
Tragedy struck quickly. The ship’s cook Frederick Boulton suffered a fatal heart attack. A veteran of the Great War his life ended abruptly.
The storm raged. The Minmi split in two. The crew fought for survival. Some escaped the forward section relatively unharmed. Others were trapped in the stern. They clung to the ship as it rolled violently. Waves threatened to sweep them away. Rescuers on shore risked their lives. Using ropes in the darkness they pulled the men to safety. One man Robert Burnside did not survive. The waves claimed him.
The next morning daylight revealed the extent of the disaster. Thousands flocked to La Perouse to witness the wreck. The crowds were immense. They numbered 40000 on one day 60000 on the next. Cars stretched for miles. The NSW Golf Course was overrun by sightseers. The wreckage was sold for salvage. The stern section remains. A stark reminder of the SS Minmi’s fateful night. A testament to the courage and loss on those stormy shores. A somber monument to a seafaring tragedy.