The SS Ferret was an iron screw steamship weighing approximately 460 tons, constructed in Glasgow in 1871 by J & G Thomson. Designed initially for use in the River Clyde ferry service by G & J Burns of Glasgow, the vessel was a screw steamer measuring about 170 feet in length, 23 feet in breadth, and 12 feet in depth, with a gross tonnage of 347. It was equipped with compound inverted engines producing around 90 horsepower, featuring two cylinders of 23 and 40 inches in diameter. In its early service life, the Ferret was operated on Scottish ferry routes before being acquired in 1873 by the Dingwall & Skye Railway Co Ltd for their ferry service between Strome and Skye. Subsequently, it became part of the Highland Railway Co. of Inverness. Its most notable incident occurred in 1880 when the vessel was stolen as part of a conspiracy. The ship disappeared from Greenock under suspicious circumstances, only to reappear several months later in Australia under a different name, Bantam. During this period, the vessel was extensively modified: its appearance was altered—its funnel painted black, lifeboats painted white, and structural changes made to disguise its identity. The conspirators, led by James Stewart Henderson, falsely claimed it was on a Mediterranean cruise, but instead, it voyaged across the Atlantic, through the Cape Verde Islands, and reached Santos, Brazil, in late 1880. Henderson then sold coffee cargo in Brazil before sailing to Australia via Mauritius and Albany, arriving in Victoria in April 1881. The ship was seized by Australian authorities after suspicions arose, and Henderson, Carlyon, and Walker were tried and convicted in Melbourne for conspiracy, maritime fraud, and related offenses. Following the scandal, the vessel was sold to William Whinham of Adelaide in 1881, registered as the SS Ferret, and operated by the Adelaide Steamship Company. It served in general cargo and passenger roles along the southern Australian coast, making regular trips between Port Adelaide and ports such as Port Lincoln and Moonta. The SS Ferret’s service concluded when it was wrecked on 14 November 1920 near Cape Spencer during a storm; all crew members were rescued. Its long operational history, marked by its involvement in one of the most notorious maritime frauds of the era, underscores its maritime significance in both Scottish and Australian waters.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.