The extraordinary story of Tambar, an ordinary little ship that had a long and eventful life.
Perhaps few Australian coasters have had a more interesting and varied history. Built in Scotland in 1912 for the North Coast Steam Navigation Company, Tambar worked as a lifeline to isolated river and island communities, first in NSW, then for the Tasmanian Government and Holymans in Bass Strait / King Island and as the last steamer serving the Gippsland Lakes.
In between Tambar even spent a few years in Papua New Guinea. When World War II broke out, Tambar was commissioned into the RAN as an auxiliary minesweeper, but after the Darwin air raid in 1942 she became the first vessel of the newly formed Salvage Board, later assisting in the search for survivors of the Battle of the Coral Sea. Returning to Bass Strait in 1944 for a few more years, she then spent the 1950s on standby as a salvage vessel in Melbourne, working on Merilyn, Terawhiti, E.J. Fairnie, and River Burnett.
Published: 2013
Format: softcover
Pages: 226
Illustrations: black & white
Indexed |
|
