The Merino – ship of treasures.
In July 1949, Tasmanian Premier Robert Cosgrove travelled to Scotland to launch the freighter Merino. It had been built on Glasgow’s River Clyde on behalf of Launceston trading company L.W. Smith Pty. Ltd. A bottle of Tasmanian champagne had been sent over to break against the bow in celebration. The vessel was intended to carry cargo around the island state and across Bass Strat.
Premier Cosgrove and his wife Gertrude.
Source – Tasmanian Maritime Museum
On a foggy Christmas morning in 1952 the Merino ran aground near Bicheno enroute from Sydney to Hobart. The 18 crew members were safe, but not impressed!
SOGGY PUDDING AND WET TURKEY?
Nothing on board was dry. Water from waves breaking over the bridge went down the funnel and we got drenched in the dining room. Second Officer G. Wiseman said Christmas dinner on board was the gloomiest he had ever had. ‘No one was game to smile’. he said. ‘in case the man next to him jabbed his knife into him. ‘ ‘We were all a bit savage as we had looked forward to a bright Christmas in Hobart.’ (The Herald, Jan 3 1953)
Waves crashing over the deck of the stranded Merino.
Two local tugboats failed to move the ship. so two more powerful ones were called in; one from Melbourne (Eagle) and one from Sydney St. Giles). Of course this took time. and days slipped by.
First tug in attendance….it wasn’t enough.
SALVAGING THE MERINO’S CARGO – AND LIGHTENING THE LOAD
One problem with the salvage effort was that a passenger bus was blocking the entrance to the hold. At first it was thought it might be necessary to cut the vehicle up and dispose of it overboard. Fortunately the bus was able to be pushed forward.
The Merino was only fifty yards from shore and while the tugs tried to move her at each high tide, crew and local volunteers began to transfer cargo. A flying fox was constructed from ship to shore. Each ton of goods removed raised the stranded freighter an inch or so.
However, part of the cargo was so precious that authorities decided not to risk it ending up in the drink! It was a consignment of modern French paintings and tapestries. They were due to appear at exhibitions in Hobart, Launceston and subsequently at locations around mainland Australia. The artworks were conservatively valued at around £100,000, but in reality they were priceless.
Note the famous names among the artists;
Inevitably the scene of the grounding became something of a tourist attraction, making the work of salvagers even more difficult. Two people tried to swim out for a closer look and were swept away in an undertow. A dinghy busy setting anchor lies for the Marino had to be redeployed to save them. Meanwhile dozens of sightseers arrived in cars, churning up the normally deserted dirt road. When provisions were brought in by a truck for the crew and other workers it became bogged and had to be hauled out.
It was January third when the tugs finally dragged the freighter free of the sandbank. Thankfully the hull was undamaged apart from ‘sand burns’ and she was able to complete her trip to Hobart.
The following photo shows the unloading of the precious French artworks at Ocean Pier in Hobart.
The next problem was that the paintings and tapestries were impounded by customs until the salvage costs were paid; a bill of almost twenty thousand pounds. With time running out for staging the exhibitions, organizers were in panic mode. It was another ten days before good news came;
Just as the Consulate was warning that the French government would have to be informed of the impasse, Lloyds of London came to the rescue and made a direct transfer of the full amount. Embarrassment for Tasmania was thus narrowly averted!
However, so much time had been lost that Launceston missed out on seeing the artworks.
Of course modern art was not everyone’s cup of tea, especially in conservative 1950s Tasmania. One wit from Hobart didn’t think the northern city had missed much.
Conversely, a South Australian art lover saw the potential in Pierre Soulages’ work. He purchased a canvas titled ‘The 25 November‘, for £292. This was considered an extraordinary sum for an abstract work at the time. Sixty seven years later the man’s family decided it was time to part with it. The painting was repatriated to France and auctioned through Christies in 2020. After furious bidding from around the world the hammer went down at three point two million Euros.
WHO WAS TO BLAME FOR THE GROUNDING?
At the subsequent marine inquiry, the ship’s master, Captain Ian Carmichael, was exonerated of negligence. He had drifted 12 miles off-course in the fog, but although the report noted that he should have relied more on his navigational aids, there were extenuating circumstances. Two Sydney-Hobart yachtsmen gave evidence on Carmichael’s behalf. They said that in previous races they had experienced a strong current in the area which was not marked on charts.
