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FALIE off Adelaide with sponsors sails set.

FALIE in 2011 beside the wharf in Port Adelaide, SA.

Falie

Vessel numberHV000459

Builder W Richter Ultdenbogaardt

Previous owner JS Figee

Previous owner Spencer Gulf Transport Company Ltd

Vessel type Royal Australian Navy Vessels

Date1920

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 33.22 m x 6.55 m x 3.51 m (109 ft x 21.5 ft x 11.5 ft)

DescriptionFALIE was built in Holland by W Richter Ultdenbogaardt at Schiedam as a gaff-rigged auxiliary motor schooner ship thought to be known as a 'logger'. It was bought by the Spencer’s Gulf Transport Company Limited in 1922 and sailed back by Captain Andreas Broun, who was sent by the company to Europe to acquire a vessel. The voyage to Port Adelaide lasted 103 days. After arrival in 1923 it was renamed FALIE after Capt Broun's wife.

FALIE began its cargo work as part of the South Australian ketch fleet carrying farming equipment and grain, sailing between the many small regions and ports around the two gulfs and west coast. It also sailed interstate to Melbourne and Hobart. FALIE was later modified with a bridge added to the deckhouse to give an enclosed and higher helm position, and converted to a ketch rig.

During World War Two the Royal Australian Navy requisitioned FALIE on 17 July 1940. It was renamed HMAS FALIE and first used as an inspection or examination vessel when commissioned on 4 October 1940 in Sydney. The role involved inspecting non-naval vessels entering port to determine their reason for entry and alert defences of any suspicious craft. It was armed with single 20mm Oerlikon guns mounted fore and aft. On the night of 31 May 1942, HMAS FALIE was stationed near Sydney Heads and on patrol when the Japanese mini-submarine raid on Sydney Harbour took place. For a considerable part of its service out of Sydney its commander, Lt Commander Wood, was also the chief examining officer for the region.

In August, 1943, HMAS FALIE was refitted as a stores carrier and stationed north in New Guinea. It also undertook the very dangerous operation of landing troops on enemy shores under the cover of night. At the end of the war HMAS FALIE had come back to Australia and was paid off in 1945.

FALIE was returned to its owners and began work again, this time carrying explosives around the Australian coastline. In 1968 FALIE became a trading ketch in South Australian waters again, with a regular run to Kangaroo Island carrying fuel and general cargo, then returning to Port Adelaide with gypsum ore for use in making chalk and plasterboard. It operated alongside the famous NELCEBEE. FALIE was retired in July 1982, the last ketch to operate commercially in South Australian waters.

FALIE was soon purchased by the South Australia Government and restored for the state's sesquicentenary celebrations in 1986. Between 1984-85 the ketch was rebuilt by Metal Industry employees and apprentices. The bridge was removed and the wheel relocated to its original open position on the aft deck. New masts and sails were made bringing the ship back to a ketch-rigged configuration, however it is understood the original rig had equal height masts. It was fitted with accommodation and a galley below decks and then put in survey to carry up to 90 passengers on day trips and 20 passengers plus nine crew on overnight voyages. FALIE appeared in many ceremonies and festivities throughout South Australia during the celebrations. After 1986 the SA Government began the Falie Project Limited, which operated the ketch as a community leisure and educational resource. It was also supported by commercial sponsors, and for almost 20 years FALIE operated off Adelaide and visited other ports throughout the state.

In 2005, a survey revealed that the ship's hull plating had seriously corroded and it was now unseaworthy. It was not possible to fund the cost of repairs and FALIE was taken out of service. In 2011 FALIE is moored at Port Adelaide and currently the responsibility of the State Government's Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure. No decision has been made on its future.

SignificanceFALIE is a 33-metre steel auxiliary powered ketch built in Holland. It was brought out to Australia in 1922 and its story intersects with many key themes in Australian history. FALIE operated for many years as a cargo ship, largely around South Australia where it formed a strong regional association. During World War II, FALIE was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy for service, and was on patrol off Sydney Heads during the mini-submarine raid on Sydney Harbour in May 1942. After the war it returned to commercial service and was retired in 1982. It was then the last working ship representing the South Australian ketch fleet, and along with NELCEBEE ( HV000419) one of the last two working sail powered cargo vessels in South Australia.

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