Port Vessels

Pilot boats in the Port of Newcastle

1812 to 2009

In 1812 Gunner Eckford, R.N. was selected to be the Ports first Pilot. He was provided with a small whaleboat of 20 feet in length and a convict crew to row him to incoming ships. Whaleboats were used throughout most of the 19^th Century to transfer Pilots to ships.

The Ajax was the first of ports Pilot boats and a brief history of the vessels is:

Ajax (1896 1927)

Ajax was built as a tug at Morts Dock, Sydney in 1876 and spent the next 20 years towing mud punts around Newcastle harbour. In 1896 it was agreed that Newcastle required a steam powered pilot vessel and Ajax was converted from a tug to a pilot boat. She was rigged like a yacht with bowsprit, her hull painted white above the main deck and her funnel was yellow with a black top. The name Ajax is from a Greek warrior who boasted that the sea could not drown him. Ajax was moored from a swinging buoy off Dyke End and carried a boarding boat by which Pilots were transferred to waiting vessels at sea.

Accommodation areas were large enough to house the crew and several Pilots. Instead of living ashore, the crew were to fed and bedded on board so that they could be ready within minutes of being called out.

In December 1927, Ajax left her mooring buoy for the last time. She blew a farewell blast on her siren and proceeded to Walsh Island to be dismantled. She was cut down to the waterline and finally was towed to the eastern side of Kooragang Island and beached in 1929.

The remains of her hull are still visible about 1.5 kilometres north of Stockton Bridge.

Birubi (1927 1959)

Birubi was built at the Walsh Island dockyard in Newcastle and was launched on 19 August 1927. The name Birubi is Aboriginal for by the Sea and the vessel was moored from a swinging buoy off Dyke End. Birubi carried a boarding boat by which pilots were transferred to waiting vessels at sea. Though similar in size to Ajax, her accommodation was vastly superior, as was her general appointments and design. In 1931, Birubi made a mercy dash to Lord Howe Island, taking a doctor and nurse to save the life of a sick woman.

Her last day of service was Thursday, 6 August 1959 and she was sold to a Sydney man who began to convert the boat as a motor launch but lacked sufficient funds to complete the project.

Birubi was eventually sold and broken up.

Girralong (1958 - 1988)

Girralong was designed and built by the Maritime Services Board at its Goat Island shipyard and was launched on 4 December 1958 at a cost of 50,000. Girralong is an Aboriginal name for a star and the vessel was constructed of timber to be one of three G Class pilot cutters. She had a displacement of 40.5 tonnes and was originally fitted with a medium speed diesel main engine for sailing at 10 knots. The vessel arrived in Newcastle in June 1959 and took over from Birubi in August that year.

Goondooloo (1956/58 - 1989)

The Goondooloo was designed and built by the Maritime Services Board at its Goat Island shipyard in the late 1950s. Goondooloo is mentioned in Aboriginal astronomy as the emu of the Southern Cross   It was one of the three ‘G Class’ pilot cutters with the third, Goolarah, built for Sydney operations.   Like the Girralong, the Goondooloo cost £50,000 and she was constructed of timber with a displacement was 40.5 tonnes and speed of 10 knots.   When the first of the ‘Governor Class’ pilot cutters were introduced to Sydney Ports in 1980, Goondooloo then became Newcastle’s stand-by pilot cutter.   On 29 November 1989, Goondooloo was donated to the Coffs Harbour Volunteer Coastal Patrol (RVCP) for her new career as a major lifeboat asset on the NSW North Coast. She was a valuable sea training vessel for the RVCP with the boating public taking education courses conducted by the patrol.

Governor Macquarie (1987 - present)

Governor Macquarie was built in 1987 to replace the Girralong. She is named after Governor Macquarie who presided over an era of considerable development in NSW from 1820 to 1821. This included the first major expansion of Newcastle from a village consisting of two streets and the construction of the breakwater to Nobbys Head from 1813. Governor Macquarie was also responsible for extending the spread of European settlement in both the Hunter and the Illawarra Regions. Governor Macquarie is a high speed (20 knot maximum continuous speed for two hours) aluminium alloy hull and is of monohull design. She is 16m in length, has a beam of 5.2m and a maximum draft of 1.2m. Powered by twin inboard diesel Detroit V8s, the vessel is able to carry 10 passengers including crew.

In early 2005 the vessel underwent a complete refurbishment which consisted of installation of new engines, repair of areas of corrosion, installation of a new ergonomically designed dashboard and the replacement of the electrical system.

E C Close (1989 - present)

E C Close officially commenced duties on 31 October 1989 after being named by Mrs Jenny Keegan, wife of the NSW Member for Newcastle, Mr George Keegan. The vessel is named after Lieutenant Edward Charles Close who is known as the founder of Morpeth and who was appointed Engineer, Public Works, Newcastle on 24 November 1821. He was concerned with the safety of navigation in the port and as the Engineer for Public Works was responsible for removal of dangerous shoals and installation of mooring chains in the harbour.   Close built a fort near Newcastle Signal Station and an iron beacon in which a large coal fire was lit at sunset to aid navigations. This light on Beacon Hill functioned until it was replaced by the Nobbys light in 1857.   The E C Close is known as the standby pilot cutter but was modified prior to construction to also function as a port inspection vessel.

She is of monohull design and was built by Marlin Truck Bodies in Newcastle from Lloyds approved Striker plans. The vessel is 16.4m in length and has a beam of 5.3m and a maximum draft of 1.2m

E C Close is powered by twin inboard diesel Detroit V8s and is able to carry 28 passengers including crew.

New Pilot Cutter (2009) 

A new Pilot Cutter has been ordered at a cost of $2.5 million. The new 16-metre aluminium vessel will replace the E C Close and be built by Port Macquarie based company, Birdon, with delivery in late 2010.