Build Date
1907
Boat Builder
George Niccol
Length
94 Feet 3 Inches
Beam
30 Feet 8 Inches
Curlew’s Early Years
Curlew was built as a fore-and-aft schooner rigged deck scow by George Niccol in Auckland.
Her first owners were George Turnbull Niccol, David Boosie Cruickshank and Ford Shipping Line Ltd. They each owned her from 1907 but for different lengths of time. Niccol only had ownership for one year, Cruickshank owned her until 1908 and Ford Shipping Line Ltd., owned her until 1910. In 1908 Albert Firth Jagger joined in owning Curlew until 1911 and Stanley Kissling joined in 1910 until 1911 as well.
All of these owners used Curlew to trade in New Zealand. During their time they had a couple recorded incidents. Both were strandings with W. Bourke at the helm. The first time was at Whangaparaoa in 1907 and the second was in Whangaparaoa Creek in 1908.
Draught
4 Feet 8 Inches
Weight
120.74 GT / 96.41 NT
Official Number
122921
The End of Curlew
Her last owner would be E.D. Pike & Co. Ltd., from 1911 until she met her end. They took Curlew to Australia and reregistered at the Port of Sydney. According to the book A History of New Zealand Scows and their Trades they would only own Curlew until 1914 when she broke her moorings and was lost at sea off Nambucca River bar in New South Wales. Luckily no lives were lost but she had been fully loaded with sleepers and girders at the time which were all lost.
However, the The Victorian Heritage Database tells a slightly different ending for Curlew. They record Curlew was sheltering from a gale off Great Glennie Island on the 24th September 1915. The wind is said to have worsened and changed to a NNW pushing Curlew towards the rocks. When Curlew was close to shore the crew abandoned ship and swam to the safety of the island where they spent two nights before SS Manawatu picked them up. But Curlew was not as lucky and the crew heard her hit the rocks hours after they had jumped ship. The next day they woke up to no sign of her. Though wreckage from Curlew could be found around Wilsons Promontory.
References
To research the boat Curlew we used the book A History of New Zealand Scows and their Trades by David Langdon and The Victorian Heritage Database.
Related Posts
Kohi – 91ft Scow that went from transporting goods to becoming a floating Crayfish freezer.
Orini – 86ft Niccol scow built in 1918 that was lost at D’Urville Island when it caught fire.
Pearl Kasper– 77ft Niccol scow which became a Blind Bay Hooker.
Combine – 80.4ft George Niccol Built out of recycled timbers from other unfortunate boats.