SS Paringa Project
A project to find the SS Paringa lost off Wilsons Promontory in 1935 with all hands .The SS Paringa was an Australian passenger and Cargo Steamship owned by the Adelaide Steamship Company that disappeared in January 1935. S.S. “Paringa” was built at Kinghorn in England for the Adelaide Steamship Company’s Spencer Gulf passenger services in 1908. She was a cargo vessel that had the capacity for 80 passengers. After an long career SS Paringa was laid up in Port Adelaide until sold to Chinese interests in 1935 when her register as a British ship closed. Late December 1935, whilst towing the old tanker Vincas that had been used as oil storage out of Western Port, the ships met a gale off Wilsons Promontory. The line parted and the Paringa disappeared in the darkness , apparently foundered in Bass Strait shortly after with a loss of five European officers and twenty six Chinese crew .The oil tanker Vincas was found anchored off the beach at Lakes Entrance, Victoria, in January 1936 with no loss of her crew. This is an ongoing project with Southern Ocean Explorers. In early 2015 a search was planned for the missing Steamship Paringa lost in 1935. Because of the remote search area a number of two day trips are the option to be taken using our Survey vessel “Air View”. Alterntively we can run small fast boats from Port Albert.
As of 2026 we are still doing regular trips to locate this lost ship. With the SS Hobart found in 2026 all efforts will be made now to try and locate the SS Paringa.
