Annie M Young Shipwreck
The Annie M. Young brig is one of the multiple shipwrecks in Koombana Bay from colonial times (reference). These shipwrecks tell the story of the dangers of early trade and transport (reference).
The Annie M Young was built for Young and Baker at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in 1863 or 1864 (reference; reference). According to The Inquirer and Commercial News, the brig was also known by the name A M Brigham Young (reference). By the early 1870s, this ship was working in the coastal shipping trade of Western Australia (reference). W. Ormsby McCormick of Kingstown, Dublin, was the owner in 1876 when it was wrecked in Bunbury (reference; reference).
The Annie M Young arrived in Western Australian waters on 23 May 1876, sailing from East London, Port Natal to Fremantle (reference). The brig came to Australia under Captain Samuel Tiddy, who remained captain until the ship's wreckage (reference). Before arriving in Fremantle, it stopped at Cape Town in South Africa (reference). The Annie M Young did not remain in Fremantle for long before departing for Melbourne on 31 May 1876 via Champion Bay (reference). The trip took nearly a month, with the Annie M Young arriving in Melbourne on 21 July (reference). By 9 September, it was back at Fremantle Port (reference). This ship's next trip was to Vasse in October, loading timber for Adelaide (reference; reference). At the end of October, this brig was loaded with piles at the Bunbury Port (reference).
On Friday 3 November 1876 at 1 am the Annie M Young wrecked at Bunbury (reference). "The vessel had completed her loafing and was ready for sea. She had taken in timber for New Zealand at the W.A. Timber Company's works, Vasse, and had gone to Bunbury to take in some long piles on account of Messrs Conner and McKay, and had just finished. It is expected she will become a total wreck." (reference;reference; reference; reference). "The brig parted her cables in the gale here [Bunbury] on Thursday night, or early Friday morning, and was driven ashore on the North beach, where she lies embedded in the sand. She had just completed her loading at this port, having taken in some 170 loads of jarrah piles, and was about to sail for the Vasse to fill up for Adelaide (reference; reference)." The ship was driven ashore, stern on, and soon bedded into the sand with less than a metre of water at the bow (reference).
Annie M Young was insured, and on 4 November, the timber piles were unloaded from the ship before any more damage could occur (reference). Anecdotal evidence says Sam Ward and his bullock team pulled most of the piles and sawn timber out of the wreck, and many locals were able to gather wood for their fires from the wreckage (reference).
On Thursday 7 December 1876, a public auction by James Moore was held in Bunbury to sell 'the whole or portions of the vessel, masts, yards, spars and sails, with gear of the brig Annie M Young" which was 'lying stranded at Bunbury (reference)." On Wednesday, 3 January 1877, all the cargo of the stranded brig Annie M Young, "consisting of piles, and sawn timber" now all stacked up on Bunbury beach, was put to a public auction by James Moore under the instruction of Captain Tiddy (reference). A week later, on 10 January, a further auction was performed to sell the remaining cargo (reference).