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People who work in libraries are rarely able to resist a good research mystery. When Frank G. Hankey’s 1855 panorama of Port Adelaide arrived at the State Library, our researchers wasted no time diving in. 

Hankey was an artist, a fraudster, and clearly a man who left behind more questions than answers. As we began investigating the panorama and the ships captured within it, each discovery opened the door to another puzzle.

What we’ve uncovered so far has intrigued us, baffled us, and sparked even more curiosity. So, we thought we’d share a few of our tales of discovery with you. 

This particular story focuses on the vessels crowding the port and what we may have uncovered about them. 

The ships we can identify in the panorama

Of the 32 ships captured in the panorama, three can be identified with relative certainty thanks to their pennants and the activities taking place in Port Adelaide in 1855. On the far left sits the Burra Burra. Nearby is the government steam dredge, while the Kangaroo can be seen alongside Queen’s Wharf and the Leichardt paddles proudly through the water. 

Burra Burra

The Burra Burra was an iron screw steamer distinguished by a carved figurehead of a miner, reflecting its namesake, the South Australian mining town of Burra. Built in Liverpool by Cato, Miller & Co. for Adelaide merchants J Gladstone and G Hall, the vessel was launched in May 1854.  

steam dredge

The government’s steam dredge is shown at work on the Port River, playing an important role in maintaining and improving the waterway for shipping and trade. 

Kangaroo

Among the vessels pictured at Queen’s Wharf is the Kangaroo, identifiable by the pennant bearing the name ‘KANGUROO’.  

Leichardt

The paddle-steamer Leichardt was built for trade along the River Murray and was launched at the Port after March 1855. 

Burra Burra
steam dredge
Kangaroo
Leichardt

Three clipper ships are also moored along the wharves, their masts dominating the waterfront scene. But it is two particularly prominent vessels that have drawn our attention and may hold the key to an even more intriguing discovery. 

Can we identify any of the unnamed ships in the panorama? 

There is a possibility that two of the unnamed ships in the panorama can, in fact, be identified. If we consider that Hankey likely added the vessels after his January visit to Port Adelaide, drawing on information available through shipping reports and newspapers, the scene begins to reveal further layers of meaning. Given his family’s close connections to colonial trade, Hankey may have been well placed to learn which ships were then anchored in the harbour. He also left us a valuable clue, the carefully drawn signal flags flying from several of the masts. 

On 3 May 1855, the Adelaide Times reported the following vessels in Port Adelaide: 

  • Burra Burra, at the Company’s Wharf  
  • Flora, at Prince’s Wharf near Hart’s Mill  
  • Leichardt, in the stream  
  • Norman, in the stream  
Vessels in the harbour.
Shipping intelligence, Vessels in Harbour. 3 May 1855, Adelaide Times

Could the large ship in the centre of the panorama be the Norman? 

The flags painted on the vessel’s rear mast appear to correspond with the maritime Code of Signals used during this period. Read from top to bottom, they show the first distinguishing pennant followed by the numerals 9, 0, 2 and 3. Although the colours on the zero flag appear to have been reversed, the sequence is still recognisable. Consulting contemporary signal code books reveals that the identifying number 9023 belonged to the ship Norman. 

Painting on an unnamed ship in the Port Adelaide panorama, possibly the Norman.
Painting on an unnamed ship in the Port Adelaide panorama, possibly the Norman.

Shipping reports from the period support this possibility. The Norman arrived at Port Adelaide on 8 March 1855 and remained in the harbour until 19 May, precisely the period in which the other ships recorded in the panorama were also present. 

Another intriguing detail is the ship’s figurehead, painted with unusual care by Hankey. It appears to depict a crowned king wearing a simple gold crown, perhaps alluding to one of the early Norman kings of England. Whether intentional or coincidental, it adds another layer to the possible identification. 

Could the large ship on the far right be the Flora? 

The vessel at the far right of the panorama flies several flags, though none provide a definitive identification. One flag, however, bears a striking resemblance to the house flag of the shipping firm Beazley & Co — a red field with a dark letter ‘B’ at its centre.  

Painting on an unnamed ship in the Port Adelaide panorama, possibly the Flora.
Painting on an unnamed ship in the Port Adelaide panorama, possibly the Flora.

Research into vessels associated with the company reveals that the Flora, owned by Beazley & Co, was in Port Adelaide at the same time as the other ships represented in the panorama. The Flora arrived on 7 April 1855 and departed on 23 May. Hankey shows her at Prince’s Wharf, the location listed in the newspaper, which is another reason in favour of that identification.   

There is, however, an additional complication. The ship also appears to fly a second house flag featuring a blue saltire and lettering, which has not yet been conclusively identified. While the evidence is not definitive, the similarities are compelling. If Hankey painted the flags with reasonable accuracy, the ship on the far right may well be the Flora.