The Clipper Ship Sobraon (1866-1891)

The Sobraon was launched on 17 April 1866 and sailed from Plymouth on her maiden voyage on 21 November 1866.  She arrived in Sydney in just 75 days, clearly demonstrating her superior sailing qualities.  

When the ship left on her homeward passage to London in April 1867 she carried 200 passengers and over 5000 bales of wool. At the time that was the largest cargo to have left Sydney in a single vessel.  

The ship made 6 voyages to Sydney before her new owners, Devitt & Moore, placed her in their Melbourne trade. From 1872 she made 19 annual voyages to Melbourne.

The Sobraon was an elite passenger ship normally carrying 90 first class and 40 other passengers. The standard of her accommodation and the services provided for passengers was unsurpassed by other ships of the time. A virtual farmyard was carried on board to provide fresh food throughout the voyage. The ship’s safety record, reliability and the fact that she was never driven hard made her a comfortable ship preferred by many passengers.

Normally leaving London late in September the Sobraon sailed non-stop via the Cape of Good Hope, arriving in Melbourne at about Christmas. On her return passage the ship called at Cape Town and St Helena, stops popular with passengers. 

The ship was also favoured by many merchants. With the dependability of her voyages and her large dry holds she had little difficulty in obtaining good cargoes. The ship traded profitably throughout her 25 years at sea. Finally, however, even the Sobraon could not compete with steamers passing through the Suez Canal.

NSS Sobraon (1891-1911)

After arriving in Melbourne in January 1891 the Sobraon was sold to the colonial government of New South Wales. Substantial modifications were made to fit the ship out for use as a reformatory school. Moored alongside Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour the (Nautical School Ship) NSS Sobraon was home and a centre of learning for delinquent and disadvantaged boys of Sydney. During the following 20 years thousands of boys were comfortably accommodated, taught discipline, and learned trade and other skills that would enable them to find good employment. 

In 1911 the NSW Government decided to transfer the reformatory program to an onshore facility at nearby Mt Penang.

HMAS Tingira (1912-1927)

With the establishment of the Royal Australian Navy in 1911 a facility was needed to house and train boys of between 14 ½ and 16 years for a career in the new Navy. The old Sobraon was found to be most suitable for the purpose and in 1911 the ship was purchased by the Federal Government. After being further modified the ship was commissioned into the RAN on 25 April 1912 as HMAS Tingira (aboriginal for ‘open sea’).

Anchored in Rose Bay the first batch of 100 boys commenced their training on 1 June 1912. Seventeen months later some members of that intake were amongst 30 ex-Tingira ‘Boys’ serving in HMAS Sydney when she sank the German raider Emden off Cocos Island in November 1914.

Between 1912 and 1927 3168 boys lived and trained on the ship before HMAS Tingira was decommissioned on 27 June 1927. Trainees were then transferred to the newly-established Flinders Naval Depot (HMAS Cerberus) in Victoria.