Martindale often featured in newspaper articles in the early days. All that we have found have been included here to maintain a historical archive.
The First Martindale
In the early 1920s John Andrew Tennant Mortlock (1894-1950), a wealthy grazier of Port Lincoln, S.A. commissioned Ben Weir to build the first Martindale. She was launched on 3 Aug 1925. She was described as "a fine able cruising motor yacht, 65 ft in length, on which Ben Weir, boat builder, is putting the finishing touches. She will be powered by 37-42 Petter engine, which has been supplied and fitted by P W Richards" (1) and she has "a striking appearance with her wheelhouse and yellow funnel" (2)
The name Martindale came from the family home Martindale Hall in Mintaro S.A. (Something you may not know - Martindale Hall was used as the school in the 1975 movie Picnic at Hanging Rock (3).)
Colin Fraser, in his History of Martindale, says that "Martindale was “repaired” in 1931 as a taxation dodge". This "repair" may have been needed due to the damage caused by a drifting oil tanker in late 1930 (4). We know some parts were salvaged for the new Martindale, including the engine. We haven't found any specific references in the press to the "repair" or demise of this Martindale however she regularly featured in the press during her short life.
The New Martindale
The Mortlock Years
In 1931 J T Mortlock commissioned R.T. Searles & Sons of Birkenhead, S.A. to build the new Martindale (5). She was Searles’ first major boat and the first at their Birkenhead boat yard. The cost was approx. £4,000 (5). The new Martindale was a completely new design by E.E. Scarfe and R.T. Searles and sons. An auxiliary ketch rigged motor yacht of 66 ft with a beam of 14ft 2in, a moulded depth of 8ft and a draft of 5ft 10in. Her displacement 33.11 tons. Her hull is jarrah (below the water line) and topsides are N.Z. kauri. Her deck teak (7).
Martindale was launched on 18 July 1932 (6) by Mrs. Rosina Mortlock, J T Mortlock's mother. With her in the photo are E.E. Scarfe (left), one of the yacht's designers, and J T Mortlock. The original engine (6) was replaced in 1935 (8) with a Gardner 6L3 diesel engine of 102 b.h.p.
See the gallery for more photos of Martindale's early days.
The War Years
In 1939 Martindale's war service began. She was taken over by the Navy first serving as a Coastal Patrol vessel in S.A. waters. In 1944 she was taken to Sydney for a refit and commissioned HMAS Martindale. She served in New Guinea waters until returning to Sydney in 1946. After a refit in Sydney she returned to Adelaide where Searles restored her to her original condition. Three men took six weeks to French polish all wood work. Rasch Motors rebuilt the engine, the RAAF flew all spares from the U.K.; all parts except the crank case and major blocks were replaced. Total bill from Searles was £26,000. J. T Mortlock died in 1950 (9) before the restoration was complete in 1951 and Martindale was returned to his estate (10).
New Owners
Robert Barr Smith bought Martindale in 1952, renamed her Watgania (11) and took her to Victoria. In July 1952 the Barr Smith's sailed from Victoria to the Gold Coast via Sydney (12). While in Townsville a new engine was installed. After returning to Victoria Watgania had to be rescued by a tow truck when she became stuck on a reef off Sandringham (13). When Watgania visited Launceston in 1953 she was described as "the smartest ketch seen on the Tamar for many years." (14). In September 1955, while moored in Port Phillip Bay she broke free from her mooring (15) and was found in Bass Strait, drifting towards Tasmania.
Frank Holsten purchased Martindale in 1959, brought her back to South Australia and renamed her Martindale. She spent the early 1960s in Port Lincoln S.A. In 1966 Percy Puckridge, Mayor of Port Lincoln purchased Martindale from Frank Holsten (16).
In 1970, Percy Puckridge sold Martindale to Alverstone, a company located in Adelaide. We have no information about Alverstone, do you? Some time later she was in N.S.W. being used for cruises on the Hawkesbury River. In 1977 Bob Rockwell purchased Martindale from Cottage Point Boatshed. He planned to restore her old-world charm and offer catered cruises on Sydney Harbour. This did not eventuate and Martindale was sold on 14 Nov 1978.
In 1984 "Operation All Aboard" recreated HMAS Martindale's departure from Sydney with 7 of the 8 original crew on board (17). Later she fell into disrepair and the Martindale Trust was formed in 2012 to own and restore her.
AcknowledgementsSouth Australian State Library for the boatshed and launch photos.Colin Fraser - History of Martindale Trove - National Library of Australia Tracy Rockwell Mori Flapan |