Engineering Progress

A slow start to the spend-up-large tradition and a troubled dredge named Progress. Graeme Ferris sifts the silt.

Establishing a still water basin to benefit North Otago's trade and industry was a priority of our early settlers. To succeed, the 1869 creek mouth dock incorporating Brewery Lagoon, required a south east protective wall (our breakwater) and - almost as an afterthought from the engineers of the day - a north wall.

In what would become a local tradition for civic projects such as water works, retaining walls, swimming pools and council buildings the 1871 dock trust contract raised the ire of ratepayers and the contract price for the dock works was immediately negotiated downward. The cheapest cost cutting price was the result.

The dock works became a total financial and engineering disaster and was abandoned. To salvage some self respect work commenced on the south east wall and with the 1874 formation of Oamaru Harbour Board the opportunity arose to borrow even more money.

Once a short breakwater had been established then much needed wharves followed: Macandrew, Normanby, Cross and the north mole. By 1884 Sumpter wharf was complete and just as Thomas Forrester the Board's secretary and engineer had predicted, the need for a permanent dredge was now a reality.

Tenders were called and awarded for a multipurpose dredge, but unfortunately the contractor for this thirteen thousand pound (NZ) project went bankrupt; not a good start for a vessel that was to be christened Progress.

Kinnear and Irmie took over the re-construction of the dredge. It's components were pre-fabricated in the UK with parts numbered and shipped out to Port Chalmers for final assembly.

In May 1883 Oamaru's controversial multipurpose dredge, tug and inshore rescue vessel arrived in the port to the welcome of the town's dignitaries. Sometimes the label multipurpose means that some if not all the multifunctions are a compromise, and Progress soon started to show this deficiency. Her much needed function as a tug in what was still a sail driven majority of trading vessels did not eventuate, mainly because she was underpowered. This lack of power also affected her seagoing qualities and even her main role as bucket dredge was compromised when it was discovered that her hopper capacity was not the designed 200 tons, but only 150.

This lack of local dredging capacity required the costly and regular hire of the Timaru harbour dredge but Progress struggled on in our port for thirtytwo years and was eventually sold in 1916, two years after her official retirement as the Oamaru harbour dredge.

Sold for just a fraction of her original purchase price, Progress during her 1916 conversion, sank then was salvaged and traded as a three masted schooner, but was once again laid up in 1921.

However, she wasn't quite finished and was converted back to steam and even became a regular caller at Oamaru. A broken tail shaft, a parted anchor cable and a mix up of communications eventually brought about her end in 1931 off Wellington's Owhiro Bay. She went aground and was wrecked with the unfortunate loss of four crew member's lives.

A sad end to the Oamaru Harbour Board's dream to own a dredge. Had Progress been an efficient single purpose dredge that dream may have brought about the re-writing of our harbour's history through successful, continuous and affordable dredging.

by Graeme Ferris