Lady Northcott











Lady Northcott
Type :
 Steel motor vessel
Launched  :
30/01/1975
Builder :
 New South Wales State Dockyard
Newcastle, NSW
Gross :
 366 tons
Dimensions :
 4.90 x 10.37 (metres)
Passenger capacity :
 811 (718 in Manly service)
Speed :
 13 knots

Lady Northcott is the oldest of the Lady ferries still in government service on the harbour. Much like the Lady Herron she is mainly used on the Mosman and Taronga Zoo runs. She is also kept as a spare boat for the Manly run.

She is similar to the Lady Herron, but much larger and heavier.

 Along with the Lady Wakehurst she became vital to the Manly service in the mid 1970's. After the sale of the Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Co to Brambles, the Manly ferries were allowed to deteriorate. By 1974 the Manly fleet was so run down that the government took over the remaining two ferries (Baragoola and North Head). The government took the opportunity to modify both Lady Wakehurst and Lady Northcott (both being built at the time) to allow them to operate on the Manly route. Both ferries received upper deck entrances to cope with the greater passenger capacity.

Lady Northcott started working the Manly run on the same days as her sister, Lady Woodward, began operating in Hobart.

Lady Northcott has been involved in several incidents during her career. She ran aground at Rose Bay on September 28th, 1975, stopped by heavy seas on March 3rd, 1976, broke down at Manly on October 26th, 1976, collided with the buffer at Circular Quay on July 8th, 1977 and smashed Mosman Wharf on August 8th, 1978.

By 1975 Baragoola was out of service on an extended refit and Lady Wakehurst had gone to Hobart to assist after the collapse of the Derwent Bridge. Lady Northcott was pressed into service on the Manly run on the 18th of January of that year. Neither boat was really suitable for the work they were doing in that passenger capacity was around half that of the two big Manly ferries. In comparison, the original ferry named Manly had a capacity similar to the two Lady ferries - a good indication of just how much the Manly trade has grown. As well they were being run flat out at 13 knots all the time (still slower than the minimum of 14 knots that Baragoola could do). As a result there were mechanical problems as the two harbour ferries were over-worked. In 1977 Lady Northcott had suffered damage to her bow and had been taken out of service. Lady Wakehurst was back in Sydney just in time to return to the Manly service.. With the Baragoola still out being refitted, North Head was doing the run on her own. One can only imagine the journey on these inner harbour ferries across the Heads in bad weather despite the fact that they are very good sea boats. Graeme Andrews describes them as "very lively".

Lady Northcott most recently operated to Manly in February 2006, remarkably, she was paired with the retired Lady Wakehurst. This was due to the Collaroy being out of service with extended engine problems and two other Manly ferries having broken down.

Following a refit in 2002 (along with Lady Herron), her first since 1995,  Lady Northcott should see service until 2018. By then she'll be 43 years old. The retirement of these two ferries will see the end of the traditional double ended ferries on Sydney Harbour - Sydney Ferries Corporation and the state government seem enamoured by catamarans.

Lady Northcott is named after  the wife of  Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott, a previous Governor of New South Wales from 1946 to 1957.
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