Kirawa

Kirawa in Mosman Bay, circa 1915
History
NameKirawa
OperatorSydney Ferries Limited
Port of registrySydney
BuilderMort's Dock
Cost£17,873
Launched2 July 1912[1]
Out of service1953
IdentificationOfficial number 131534,[2]
FateBroken up
General characteristics
Tonnage295 tonnes
Length45.7 m
Beam9.7 m
Decks2
Propulsiontriple-expansion steam
Capacity945

Kirawa was a ferry on Sydney Harbour. She was a near identical sister vessel with Kanangra both of which were launched in 1912 during the early-twentieth pre-Sydney Harbour Bridge boom years of Sydney Ferries Limited.

They were the first of four steel-hulled "K-class" ferries (the majority of the type were timber-hulled).[3] At 45 metres in length and with passenger capacity of almost 1,000, and they were among the largest of the Sydney Ferries Ltd fleet. At launch, the press noted Kirawa was built for the then new Cremorne service,[4] which was then run separately to the Mosman route. She would, however, soon also work the Mosman route with sister Kanangra.

Kirawa was decommissioned in 1953. Sister Kanangra, however, was in passenger service until 1985 and is now part of the Sydney Heritage Fleet and is moored at Rozelle Bay undergoing restoration.

Sydney Ferries Limited generally choose Australian Aboriginal names for the early twentieth "K-class" steamers. "Kirawa" is thought to mean "looking for them".[5]

  1. ^ "NEW STEAMER FOR SYDNEY FERRIES". The Daily Telegraph. No. 10329. New South Wales, Australia. 3 July 1912. p. 11. Retrieved 12 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ crewlist.org.uk
  3. ^ "THE KIRAWA". The Evening News. No. 14, 058. New South Wales, Australia. 28 June 1912. p. 3. Retrieved 12 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "NEW STEEL STEAMER". The Daily Telegraph. No. 10, 431. New South Wales, Australia. 30 October 1912. p. 11. Retrieved 13 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference TROVELAUNCH was invoked but never defined (see the help page).