Joanna (1856 - 1857)
The Joanna was part of the renowned mosquito fleet, a small fleet of cutters and schooners that sailed the waters of Port Phillip Bay between the 1840s and the early 1900s. The mosquito fleet carried goods between several small Bay ports. Its main cargo was lime, shell and timber. The lime trade involved the digging of shell from natural shell beds and Aboriginal middens in Western Port Bay and the southern part of Port Phillip Bay. It was then transported by boat to Geelong and Melbourne. The lime was burned in kilns and was then used as mortar in stone and brick buildings. With increased demand from the growing building trade, local lime was used to supplement the limited supplies of Portland lime. Inially, kilns were established at Portsea and Sorrento. Gradually the trade moved up the bay to Rye and Mount Martha and then across to Geelong and Lara and then Lilydale. The mosquito fleet also carried tea-tree bark. Tannin was extracted from the bark and used in the leather industry. Tea-tree wood was also a preferred source of fuel for bakers ovens as the ash did not stick to bread. Ships ConstructionThe Joanna was a small 34 ton, two masted wooden schooner built in 1856 at Mount Eliza, Port Pillip Bay.It was the pride and joy of its owner and Captain, John Locke, a general merchant and Melbourne ship owner. The ship had a single deck, square stern and carved hull. It measured 45ft (13.6m) long, 14ft (4.2m) in width and it its hold was just over 6ft (1.8m) deep. The Final Voyage of the JoannaOn the 9th July 1857, the ship was loaded with lime and tea-tree from Point Nepean and anchored waiting for a favourable wind to sail to the Lime Wharf in Melbourne.A severe storm suddenly swept across Port Pillip Bay. The ships anchors suddenly dragged and the ship was driven across the Bay and onto the western bank of the Western Channel. The storm continued and the ship filled with water and sank. After the storm passed, only the vessels masts were above the water line. Neither the boat or cargo could be salvaged. Check this wreck on the Shipwreck Map
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