Name Oscar W Ordered 1908 Length 31 m Displacement 53,520 kg | Operator Friends of PS Oscar W Builder Charlie Wallin Weight 59.9 tons Tons burthen 75,300 kg | |
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Owner Charles Wallin (1908–1914)Permewan Wright/Murray Shipping Company (1914–1942)George Ritchie (1942–1943)South Aust. Govt. Highways Dept. (1943-1960)Paddy Hogg (1960–1964)Allan Moritz (1964–1985)SA Tourist Commission (1985– ) Route River Murray, Australia | ||
Ps oscar w engine
Ps oscar w
History
(Frans) Oscar "Charlie" Wallin (1867 – 16 August 1934), born in Sweden and naturalized as a British Subject in Australia in 1897, owned and skippered several steamboats on the Murray-Darling river system. He built the boat at Echuca in 1908, and named it for his son Oscar William Wallin (ca.July 1897 – 20 September 1917) who fought with the 8th Battalion in World War I, and was killed in action in Belgium. She was taken over by the shipping firm Permewan, Wright and Co. in 1909; Wallin became owner of the steamer Clyde as part of the deal.
Particulars
The Oscar W. is 103 ft, 5 inches in length, with a beam of 20 ft 7 inches and a draft of 2 ft 3 inches to 5 ft 1 inch. It weighs 83 tons gross, 59 ton net.
The paddle steamer is of composite construction and was built from steel topsides and 3 inch Red Gum below. The engine gives out 16 hp - a wood-burning Marshall Steam engine.
