Julie Burgess

Vessel numberHV000366

Official Number152391

(not assigned)VLVJ

Date1937

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 19.51 m x 5.06 m x 2.44 m, 38.62 tonnes (64 ft x 16.6 ft x 8 ft, 38 tons)

DescriptionJULIE BURGESS was built in 1936/37 for the Burgess family at Launceston by E. A. Jack, one of the leading shipbuilders of Tasmania from the 1880s through to the 1930s. The 19.5 metre long hull is carvel planked. Ned Jack selected Tasmanian blue gum for the frames and planking, Huon pine for the bulwarks and rails and Oregon pine for the decks, masts, and spars. It has a veed hull form that suits its operation in open sea conditions which contrasts with the flat bottomed trading ketches that operated on the Tasmanian rivers. It features the Tasmanian ketch rig, commonly seen on the Tasmanian trading ketches, and this rig includes topsails on both the main and mizzen mast. JULIE BURGESS used jib headed topsails to suit the windier conditions where it operated, while many of the trading ketches carried larger jack yard topsails for use on the rivers. Fully rigged, JULIE BURGESS carried a suit of seven sails, consisting of an outer jib, jib, fore stay-sail, mainsail, main topsail, mizzen, and mizzen topsail. Under full sail her sail area was 1603 square feet (149sqm).

JULIE BURGESS has strong connections to the fishing industry and the northern coast of Tasmania. Its owners were the Burgess family which had an unbroken connection with the maritime trades of Bass Strait from the 1850s. The Burgess' were one of the pioneers of cray fishing in Tasmanian waters, especially in Bass Strait. Captain Dick Burgess AM, the last family member to own JULIE BURGESS, was also Master Warden for the Devonport Port Authority. It was built to replace the ADA BURGESS which had been wrecked in 1934.

The vessel's wartime service included an important operation in late 1939 to survey and repair the submarine communications cable connecting Tasmania to the mainland, when a fault developed. The most significant change during its working life was the replacement of the original Bergius 26 hp (19 kw) kerosene auxiliary engine with a 110 hp (85 kw) Gardner 6LX diesel. Minor alterations were made to fittings and gear consistent with changes in usage and normal repairs over its operating life.

After a career of approximately fifty years working the fishing grounds of the Victorian and Tasmanian coasts, the JULIE BURGESS was laid up in Devonport. In 1988 a dedicated community effort refitted the vessel so that it could represent the Tasmanian north west coast in the 1988 Bicentennial Tall Ships race from Sydney to Hobart. It then remained laid up until 2009 when the Devonport City Council purchased JULIE BURGESS from Captain Dick Burgess as a result of a Federal Government grant. Work commenced in 2010 on the complete refitting of the JULIE BURGESS to convert the vessel from a retired fishing boat to a passenger carrying working exhibit for the Bass Strait Maritime Centre.

At all times during the restoration the principles embodied in the Barcelona Charter were followed. The aim was to retain the ship’s original silhouette and sail plan while incorporating improvements that would enable her to sail as a commercial vessel carrying fare paying passengers. On occasions during the restoration process, compromises had to be made. These occurred either because materials to replace like for like were not available or current maritime survey regulations needed to be met. All alterations made to the original design of the vessel or the original equipment fitted to the ship when first built were subject to approval by the consulting maritime architect and the surveying authority.

JULIE BURGESS is an example of a Tasmanian-built seagoing auxiliary fishing vessel, a type that introduced modern fishing practices to south-eastern Australia and expanded the fishing grounds. In the 1890s when the Burgess family began cray fishing around the north coast of Tasmania they used sail powered craft to deliver live catches to major seaports. They, like the industry, evolved by adapting new technologies as they were introduced.

SignificanceJULIE BURGESS is a wooden auxiliary gaff rigged ketch used for cray fishing in Tasmania for fifty years from the 1930s. It is a commercial vessel type that is closely associated with Tasmania, in particular with the well known Tasmanian trading ketches. JULIE BURGESS was one of the last of the gaff rigged ketches with a Tasmanian ketch rig to be built. It shows the final development of these vessels before Bermudan rigs and then powerful engines became the primary source of propulsion. JULIE BURGESS is amongst the largest, and last, surviving examples of the once ubiquitous Tasmanian working craft that used sail as their primary source of power. JULIE BURGESS has been a well-recognised feature of Devonport's waterfront for many decades.