The Story of the TSS Kanowna
Built in Scotland in 1902, the massive 6,993-ton TSS Kanowna began her life as a luxurious passenger and general cargo liner. Owned by the Australian United Steam Navigation Company, she was originally tasked with servicing the busy coastal route between Fremantle and Sydney.
A Wartime Hero (HMAS Kanowna) When World War I broke out, the ship's destiny changed. She was first requisitioned as a troop transport on August 8, 1914, carrying soldiers to New Guinea. Later, on June 1, 1915, she was requisitioned again, sailing to England where she underwent a massive conversion into a hospital ship. Outfitted to accommodate 452 patients, HMAS Kanowna spent the next three years heroically transporting sick and wounded soldiers between England and Australia.
The Final Voyage Returned to her owners in July 1919, the Kanowna resumed her normal passenger and cargo duties. On February 18, 1929, while steaming between Sydney and Melbourne, she encountered a heavy, blinding fog. The ship tragically ran aground on rocks near Cleft Island (Skull Rock), just south of Wilsons Promontory.
Lifeboats were immediately lowered, and all passengers were safely transferred to the nearby SS Mackarra. Initially, the crew hoped the massive ship could be saved and beached. However, rising water extinguished the boiler fires, leaving the ship dead in the water. After floating for several hours, the TSS Kanowna finally succumbed to the ocean the following morning. The steamship Dumosa arrived just in time to rescue her officers and men.
A subsequent Court of Inquiry found the Master guilty of an error in judgment, ruling that he should have reduced the vessel's speed in the heavy fog.
The Discovery (2005)
For over 75 years, the final resting place of the Kanowna was lost to Bass Strait. On April 23, 2005, Southern Ocean Exploration (SOE) team members Greg Hodge, Mark Ryan, and Peter Taylor finally located the massive wreck sitting in 80 meters of water. On May 8, 2005, the team successfully dived the deep wreck and confirmed its identity using original ship drawings.
The wreck site offers an incredible glimpse into the ship's varied history. Among the wreckage in and around Cargo Hold 4, divers have photographed fascinating artifacts, including antique car tires (from her final cargo voyage) alongside bedpans, medicine bottles, and bed rails—poignant reminders of her noble days as a WWI hospital ship.