SS Xantho

SS Xantho
History
Owner
BuilderWilliam Denny & Brothers
Launched1848
FateSank 1872
General characteristics
Typesteam ship
Installed powerHorizontal trunk engine (1871–)
Propulsion
  • Paddlewheels (1848–1871)
  • Single screw (1871–)
Sail planSchooner

SS Xantho was a steam ship used in the colony of Western Australia as a pearling transport and mothership, as a tramp steamer, carrying passengers, including Aboriginal convicts and trade goods before she sank at Port Gregory, Western Australia in 1872. She was powered by a horizontal trunk engine, and was the first steamship to operate in north-western Australia.

The wreck was forgotten until 1979 when it was found. Subsequent investigations by the Department of Maritime Archaeology at the Western Australian Museum,[1] in concert with the Museum's Department of Conservation and Restoration saw the trunk engine recovered in 1985. In the ensuing years it was gradually restored for display at the museum.

  1. ^ "The Children | Western Australian Museum".