SS Georgette was a steamship built in 1872. She is best known, especially in Irish-American circles, for the part played in the story of the Catalpa rescue in April 1876. While the events surrounding her shipwrecking eight months later are dramatic and did capture the imagination of the local press, the ship itself had little effect on the coastal trade. Though heralding the way forward in the change from sail to steam on the long Western Australian coast, like its predecessor SS Xantho, Georgette had a short and ill-starred career and sank soon after its arrival there. History Georgette was built in 1872 at Dumbarton. She was a 337-ton iron screw-steamer, 46.2 metres long, 6.9 metres wide and 3.4 metres deep. Intended as a collier, she had a capacity of 460 tons deadweight, and her two engines produced 48 horsepower. She also carried two masts with a schooner rig. While still nearly new, Georgette was sold in England to Western Australian buyers for £14,000. She arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia in September 1873, and was put to work as a coastal trading and passenger service between Fremantle, Albany and Champion Bay. In October 1873, she was stranded on the Murray Reef, and had to be sent to Adelaide for an overhaul. She resumed service in March 1874. Catalpa incident In April 1876, the American whaling barque Catalpa rescued a group of Fenian political prisoners from Fremantle. Catalpa had dropped anchor in international waters, and despatched a whaleboat to shore to collect the escapees. The escape was detected while the escapees were still rowing back to Catalpa, and the Georgette, which was in Fremantle at the time, was sent with a water police cutter to intercept them. However the prisoners successfully reached Catalpa and, having no official orders to board Catalpa, Georgette and the police cutter withdrew. The following morning, Georgette returned and demanded the return of the prisoners. Catalpa'''s captain, George Anthony, denied that he had the prisoners on board, and pointed out that he was in international waters. Georgette then fired a warning shot with its 12-pounder (5 kg) cannon, but Anthony pointed at his ship's US flag and sailed away. Georgette pursued until it was low on fuel, then returned to Fremantle. Loss On 29 November 1876, Georgette left Fremantle on what would be her last voyage. She was carrying fifty passengers and a cargo of jarrah, and