Itata (1883) facts for kids

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The Itata was a large sailing ship built in 1883. It had three masts and was made of iron. This type of ship is called a barque. The Itata was built in Liverpool, England. Its story ended dramatically in Australia. A big fire badly damaged the ship in 1906. After the fire, it was sunk on purpose in Sydney's Middle Harbour.

The Story of the Ship Itata

The Itata was a strong iron ship. It was built in 1883 by R & J Evans in Liverpool, England. This ship was a 'barque,' meaning it had three masts. Two masts had square sails, and one had fore-and-aft sails. It was designed to carry goods across the oceans. The Newark Shipping Company owned this vessel. Its home port was Liverpool.

The Itata was about 61.6 meters (202 feet) long. It was 10.2 meters (33 feet 6 inches) wide. It could carry a lot of cargo, weighing 950 gross register tons. This means it was a fairly large merchant ship for its time.

The Fire and Its End

The Itata's journey ended in a dramatic way. On January 12, 1906, the ship was in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It was waiting to be loaded with coal. However, one of its cargo holds already had a load of nitrate. Nitrate is a chemical that can burn easily.

Suddenly, a fire started in the hold with the nitrate. The fire quickly grew very hot. There were also explosions. The intense heat and blasts caused the ship's iron hull to bend and twist. The Itata was severely damaged. It was no longer safe to sail.

After the fire, the badly damaged ship was pulled by another boat to Sydney. The plan was to use it as a 'hulk.' A hulk is an old ship that can no longer sail but is used for storage or other purposes. However, the Itata was too badly damaged even for this. It was decided that the ship could not be saved.

So, the Itata was sunk on purpose. This is called 'scuttling.' It was scuttled in Saltpan Creek, which is part of Middle Harbour in Sydney. The location where it sank is -33.8151031, 151.2246810.

Itata Today

Even though the Itata sank over a hundred years ago, its remains are still there. Today, the wreck of the Itata is often used for training. People learning to scuba dive often visit the site. It helps them practice wreck diving skills in a safe environment.

History
United Kingdom
Name	Itata
Owner	Newark Shipping Company
Port of registry	Liverpool
Builder	R. & J. Evans, Liverpool
Launched	1883
Identification	Official Number: 87910
Fate	Scuttled in Middle Harbour.
General characteristics
Length	202.1 ft (61.6 m)
Beam	33 ft 6 in (10.21 m)
Depth	9.9 ft (3.0 m)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship