State Library of South Australia

Destruction of SS 'City of Singapore' [PRG 280/1/45/169] • Photograph

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Summary

Photograph of SS 'City of Singapore' burning at Port Adelaide's No.2 dock, with the stern of the vessel already tilting and heavy smoke rising from the ship.

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Physical description

Photograph; 20.5 cm x 15.6 cm

Dates / Publication details

1924

Collection

Part of Searcy Collection

Subject

City of Singapore (Ship)
Ships -- Fires and fire prevention -- South Australia -- Port Adelaide

Catalogue record

Return to catalogue

Historical information

The City of Singapore was loaded with a shipment of cars and tractors from America and a large "quantity of flammable cargo, including kerosene, lubricating oil and 38,000 cases of petrol". At 7.45 p.m. on Saturday April 26, 1924, one of the ship's officers saw flames coming from a ventilator. The local fire brigades were called in but just before 11.00 p.m. there was an explosion that left the City of Singapore slumped with a broken back alongside the remains of the adjacent wharf shed, as blazing petrol drums, hot metal fragments and men's bodies showered down over the surroundings. The explosion spread the fire to the ship's other holds and coalbunkers, which continued to burn for days. (From a book review in 'Quadrant', Volume XLVII Number 11, November 2003).

Digitisation information

Date

08/04/2005

Format

image/tiff

Resolution

3,447 x 2,616 pixels (9.0 MP)

Size

27.08 MB

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