A VETERAN TENDER

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 6, 6 July 1935, Page 26

A VETERAN TENDER

The veteran steamship Lady Loch, which did years of work in the lighthouse service of Australia, is for sale. The vessel is now moored in the Brisbane'■ River, tenders are invited for the purchase. The vessel was built in Melbourne in 1886 for the lighthouse service of the Victorian Government, and was named after the wife of the then Governor of Victoria, Sir H. B. Loch. For 46 years the steamer attended to lights in all weathers, and at all times of the year. The Lady Loch owes her long life to the fact that her hull is built of iron, which resists corrosion by sea water much better than steel, of which practically all modern vessels are built. In the latter part of 1932, as a measure of economy, the Commonwealth Navigation and Lighthouse Department, which had acquired the vessel, decided to put her in reserve in the Queensland district, and she was brought to Brisbane. Although she has become rather old for the heavy work involved attending to lights and buoys, etc., the steamer's main engines and boilers, fitted in 1923, are in good condition. The vessel is 183 ft long, with a beam of 25ft and adepth of 14ft. The register is 531 tons gross, and there is accommodation for 15 passengers. The Lady Loch has 5700 cubic feet of cargo space, and is fitted with electric light.