Mountain Maid

The Mountain Maid was a wooden cargo vessel built in 1841 in Dundee, Scotland. For 12 years the ship sailed between Europe and North America and Europe and the Orient. At one point it was thought to be involved in the smuggling trade. In 1853 it was sold to its third owner who recognized the potential of trading with the young but wealthy colony of Victoria. Mountain Maid sailed to Australia and made voyages to Calcutta and Manila. On a return voyage from Manila to Melbourne in 1856 it was involved in a collision with the Victorian steamer "SS Queen" and subsequently sunk off the coast of Swan Bay in Port Phillip.

History

Early History

The Mountain Maid was a strongly built wooden snow brig. It had two square rigged masts and a smaller sail – a spanker, behind the main mast. It was not a huge vessel, it measured only 84ft (25.59m) in length, 20.5ft (6.25m) in breadth and had a hold of 15ft (4.57m) deep. Lloyd’s Register of Shipping describes the ship as a well built vessel of good material having frames and keels of oak and planking of oak and elm. Surveyors from Lloyds said the timbers were well fastened with iron staples and the rigging was of best quality.

In 1853 it was sold to its third owner who recognized the potential of trading with the young but wealthy colony of Victoria. Mountain Maid sailed to Australia and made voyages to Calcutta and Manila. It was on a return voyage from Manila in 1856 that Mountain Maid was wrecked in a collision with the Victorian steamer SS Queen.

Final Voyage

The ship was bound for Melbourne from Manila on September 14, 1856 carrying a cargo of rice, sugar and rope. The weather was fine and clear and a fresh southerly wind was blowing as the ship passed through the heads. With the help of a flood tide, it was heading towards the West Channel at a rate of seven knots. At the same time, the Victorian West Coast iron Screw Steamer, SS Queen, was making its way out through the Heads at full speed against a head wind and opposing tide.

On their set courses, both vessels had ample room to pass. However, Pilot Patterson on board Mountain Maid altered course to hug the west bank of the channel to avoid a shift in the wind as he was steering the ship past Swan Island. This move was not expected by SS Queen whose Captain had also ordered his vessel to turn towards Swan Island in an effort to make the two vessels pass on their port sides. The two vessels collided and SS Queen sliced through Mountain Maid’s starboard bow. Mountain Maid filled with water and sank immediately. The crew had to swim for their lives but were picked up by SS Queen. As the vessel broke up, the cargo was washed away.

The Pilot Board found Pilot Patterson to blame for the collision. In his career with the Pilot Service he had already run two other ships aground on the approach to Corio Bay. As a result of his bad record and the collision between Mountain Maid and SS Queen, he was dismissed from the Pilot Service.

An attempt was made to drag Mountain Maid out of the channel and into the shallow waters of Swan Bay to salvage what remained of the wreck. This was unsuccessful and the ship was left where it now lies, just 200 metres north-north east of the Coles Channel Pile Light.

Diving

Mountain Maid is one of the many historic shipwrecks included in Victoria's Underwater Shipwreck Discovery Trail. Qualified divers can explore the wrecks of old wooden clippers, iron steamships and cargo and passenger vessels located along the coast and in Port Phillip Bay. Some of these wreck dives are suitable for beginners while other wrecks require the skills and experience of advanced divers. The wreck was protected as a historic shipwreck on March 13, 1985, under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act (1976). Any deliberate damage or interference to Mountain Maid is an offense under the Act and offenders face tough penalties.