La Bella (1883 - 1905)

The La Bella was at the end of a rough and tedious 37 day voyage, bringing timber from Lyttleton, New Zealand to Warrnambool.

Rough conditions forced the ship to run aground on a reef at Lady Bay only a few 100 yards from the Warrnambool breakwater.

The brave actions of a young fisherman and a volunteer lifeboat crew managed to save the lives of five of the 12 crew.

In fact Warrnambool did not hold happy memories for La Bella. On its only other visit a year prior to wrecking, it was anchored at the mouth of the Pitons River in rough weather.

The captain went ashore to find a tow. When he returned he found his crew drunk and unwilling to take up their posts even though the ship was dragging its anchors and in a precarious position.

Today the wreck of the ship lies partly intact off La Bell reef near Warrnambool breakwater and is an excellent recreational dive.

Ships Construction

Built in Norway in 1893, the La Bell was a barquentine. It had three masts, square rigged only on the foremast with the main and mizzen masts being fore and aft rigged.

The ship was constructed from iron and steel and measured 144ft (43.9m) in length, 27.3ft (8.3m) in breadth with a depth of 12.5ft (3.8m) and a gross tonnage of 406 tons.

The ship was registered in New Zealand and was a frequent visitor to Port Phillip Bay.

The Final Voyage of the La Bella

Captain Mylius was steering the ship towards Lady Bay Channel when it was thrown to one side into heavy breakers and onto a submerged reef south of the Warrnambool breakwater.

Waves crashed over the ship and the force of the sea wrenched a one and half ton anchor from its fastenings tossing it overboard.

The crew clung to the ship exhausted and cold. The hull which shone with a reddish glow in the moonlight could sometimes be seen for nearly its whole length but would then disappear under the breakers for some minutes.

During the ten hour ordeal which followed, several attempts were made to rescue the anxious sailors. At times the lifeboat crew could not get close enough to the ship and were forced to return to shore.

One by one the crew succumbed to exhaustion and exposure. Worried onlookers watched in the moonlight as the men weakened and were washed overboard.

On shore, the lifeboat crew could see the La Bella was about to break up and made a final attempt to rescue the five distraught sailors remaining on the ship.

A young local fisherman, David Ferrier had taken a small dinghy out to help with the rescue. Both boats could still get no closer that 200 yards from La Bella.

Two of the sailors, clinging to the wreck, including the Captain, took their chances and jumped overboard. The Captain made it to the Ferrier's boat and signalled to the remaining three sailors to do the same.

Two of the sailors summoned the courage to jump but left one terrified sailor on board to watch as the lifeboat and dinghy returned to shore.

By this stage conditions had eased. Ferrier decided to attempt to rescue the last sailor left on board La Bella. He rowed to the stern and brought the dazed man to safety.

Shortly afterward, the vessel broke up and sank.

News of the daring rescue spread and William Ferrier became a national hero. He was honoured by the Governor and the Prime Minister and was awarded a medal for bravery by the Royal Humane Society.

An inquiry into the disaster found Captain Mylius at fault for sailing into the Bay without obtaining the services of a pilot.

His licence was suspended for twelve months. A short time later he was charged with manslaughter of one of the crew who died when the ship was wrecked.

Although Captain Mylius was found not guilty, the tragic sequence of events, adverse publicity and damage to his career took its toll on his health.

He died of a heart attack six months after the wreck at the age of thirty-seven.

Check this wreck on the Shipwreck Map