Alternative NameBeryl IIIAdditional InformationBeryl was a motor launch, believed to have been built by Norman R Wright Boatbuilders and launched 19 March 1912. She was commissioned by the Humpybong Steamship Company, initially plying between Sandgate and Woody Point. Beryl was later engaged in carrying cargo between Brisbane and Tewantin for Pioneer Coastal Carriers.
The vessel departed Tewantin on 27 May after delivering a load of cargo on 25 May. While crossing the bar at the Noosa River mouth, heavy waves smashed the glass of the cabin and wheel steering houses, allowing water to flood the engine, causing it to fail. Two anchors were put down but they failed to hold on and the launch drifted ashore on North Shore beach. The captain and five crew were landed safely although both the skipper Archibald Histed and one crew member J Hurwood suffered cuts from the broken glass and were treated by the doctor in Cooroy/Cooroy-Tewantin Ambulance??
Although the boat did not sustain further damage at sea following the initially incident, within two days the vessel had completely broken up under heavy seas and wreckage from the craft was strewn along the beach. The majority of the 1 ton cargo, which consisted of empty drums, casks, tallow and hides, was salvaged. The vessel was not insured.
Shipping Inspector Captain T J Robertson undertook an inquiry into the incident and reported to the Marine Board in July 1932 that he believed every care had been taken to ensure that the bar was in a fit state to make the crossing and that the loss of the Beryl was due to the engine stopping at a critical moment.
The owner of the Beryl Charles Ellis Malloy subsequently filed suit for damages in the amount of £460 6s 6d, alleging negligence on the part of George and Archibald Histed. Although the Marine Board had confirmed the bar was navigable, the negligence claim stemmed from the operators’ failure to have insurance on the vessel in place. The case was adjourned with the hope that a settlement would be reached.
