SS Koombana & John Hughes

SS Koombana circa 1910

The biggest news in the early months of 1912 was the sinking of the RMS Titanic, often referred to as the “unsinkable ship.” However, a few weeks earlier, another ship, the SS Koombana, sank.

The SS Koombana was a steel-hulled passenger and cargo steamship built by Alexander Stephen & Sons in Glasgow in 1908 for the Adelaide Steamship Company. The Koombana had a speed of around 15 knots, well-suited to the demanding coastal routes of northwestern Australia. Though not an ocean liner, Koombana was widely considered a luxury vessel, fitted with electric lighting, refrigerated storage, plush dining saloons, smoking and music rooms, and elegantly furnished cabins that rivalled much larger ships of the era. She could accommodate around 300 passengers, with first-class travellers enjoying spacious staterooms and social areas, while steerage provided more basic berths for workers traveling to the remote pearling and mining towns of the northwest.

Her design reflected the challenges of the so-called “Nor’-West run”, a service linking Fremantle with ports like Port Hedland, Broome, and Wyndham. These waters were notorious for unpredictable cyclones, uncharted shoals, and vast distances between settlements, so Koombana was constructed with a deep draught, high forecastle, and modern safety features to handle rough seas while still carrying passengers, mail, and general cargo. She quickly became a vital lifeline for remote communities, transporting supplies, workers, and luxury goods, as well as acting as a social and cultural connection to the south.

The final voyage of the SS Koombana began on 19^th March 1912, when she departed Port Hedland, Western Australia, bound for Broome with around 150 people aboard—a mix of 74 passengers and 76 crew. At the time, Port Hedland was crowded with ships awaiting clearance to sail, as a deepening tropical cyclone had been detected in the region. Among those alongside Koombana was the cargo steamer SS Bullarra, which left port around the same time.

Koombana and Bullarra steamed northward together initially, but by the evening of 20^th March, the cyclone’s intensity grew, with barometers dropping rapidly and winds shifting to gale force. The two vessels lost sight of one another in the worsening conditions. While Bullarra fought through heavy seas—eventually limping into port battered but afloat—Koombana was never seen again. No wireless distress call was recorded, and no survivors were ever found.

Searches were mounted in the following days by both sea and land parties, and scattered wreckage was discovered: a stateroom door, air tanks, a deck chair, and pieces of lifeboats washed ashore along Eighty Mile Beach. These fragments confirmed Koombana’s destruction but provided no clear indication of how she foundered. Some speculated she capsized suddenly in the storm due to instability, while others believed she struck a submerged reef or sandbank in the shallow coastal waters.

Western Mail 

Western Mail

The Western Mail published several articles between March and May 1912 about the loss of the SS Koombana, yet curiously, little appeared in the local Swansea newspapers. One of the most poignant reminders of the tragedy is a headstone at Bethel Congregational Chapel, Sketty, which carries the inscription:

Bethel Congregational Chapel
credit - findagrave

“Also John who was drowned off the West coast of Australia. March 21st 1912. Aged 22 years.”

John Hughes
credit - fidnagrave

So, who was John?

Henry Hughes and Sarah Badcup
marriage certificate
St. James church, Uplands

The young man commemorated was John Hughes, born in Swansea in 1889, the son of Henry Hughes and Sarah Badcup, who had married in December 1882 at St. James’ Church, Uplands. At the time of their marriage, Henry was working as an engine driver and living at Coackett, while Sarah lived at Uplands.

1891 Census

John first appears in records in the 1891 Census, when the family was living at 25 Earl Street, Hafod. Henry, then 27, was employed as a fitter, while Sarah, 26, cared for their growing family. Their children were Walter Henry (7), George (6), Lizzie (5), Thomas (3), and John, just one year old.

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, the family had moved to 82 Upper Major Street, Hafod, and had grown considerably. Henry, 37, was still working as a fitter, while Sarah, 36, managed the household. Their children were William Henry (17, working as an errand boy), Lizzie (15), Thomas (14), John (12), Sarah (10), David (8), Alexander (7), Gertrude (3), and George (1).

1911 Census

The 1911 Census is the last record of John in Swansea. By then, the family was living at 21 Cecil Street, Manselton. Henry, 48, was employed as a steelworker fitter, while Sarah, 45, remained at home. Their children were Henry (27, a copper works labourer), John (20, working as a dock haulier), Sarah (19, assisting her mother at home), David (18, a dock haulier), Alexander (17, a foundry labourer), Gertrude (12), George (10), and Stanley (8).

After this, John disappears from local records. It is unclear why he travelled to Australia, and no surviving passenger lists for the SS Koombana have been found to confirm his journey. His fate, however, is preserved in that Sketty headstone: a Swansea-born dock worker, lost far from home in one of Australia’s most enduring maritime disasters.

Hughes family grave
Bethel Congregational Chapel
credit - findagrave

Following their deaths, Henry and Sarah were buried at Bethel Congregational Chapel