Tuncurry

The Tuncurry was a wooden carvel screw steamer built in 1903 at Cape Hawke, that was wrecked when she sprang a leak whilst carrying explosives, cement, whiskey, jam and other general cargo between Sydney and Brisbane. She was lost off Barranjoey Head, Broken Bay, New South Wales on 22 October 1916.Ship description and constructionClarification and disambiguationA vessel with a similar name operated at much the same time and so the Tuncurry ex Tokelau should not be confused with the Tuncurry . which had a long career of at least 40 years and was scuttled on 9 April 1950 off Sydney although some reports say the vessel was burnt in Kerosene Bay in June 1952.Both vessels were commissioned by the same owner Allen Taylor & Co and built by the same builder John Wright and had the same name with the Tuncurry taking over the same run after the Tuncurry was sold off to become the TokelauThe ship builderThe builder of the Tuncurry John Wright was the founder of the town of Tuncurry and the ship building industry it became known for. In 1890 he built the small sailing vessel The Stanley and used it to carry wood to Sydney returning with general cargo. This was replaced by the Tuncurry which was jointly owned by both John Wright and Allen Taylor. He died in 1910John Wright also built a number of other vessels used on the North Coast including the Bellinger, Our Jack and the Comboyne.His son Ernest continued the business with the building of the Narani, Wallambra, Glenreagh, Allenwood, Nambucca 1, Nambucca 2 and the Uralba as well as many small tugs, lighters, yachts and launches with the ship building company going on to be known as E. Wright & Son