[Barker, Malcolm, The search for s.s. Koombana: seminar hosted by Maritime Archeological Association of Western Australia, Fremantle, 1983. Transcript: State Library of Western Australia, OH1241, Captain Upjohn's testimony discussed]
Scott Sledge said:
...from the testimony of the Bullarra's Captain keeping two things in mind -
(1) he had been an Officer of the Koombana
(2) he was also the Master of an Adelaide Steamship Company vessel.
And I suggest that they had good reason to not want any sort of doubt cast on the seaworthiness of their vessels.
Scott Sledge quotes from transcript of Court of Marine Inquiry:
[Court]"Have you formed any opinion as to what happened to the Koombana?"
[Upjohn] The only thing that I can think is that by the smashing I got, if she got the same she would have been smashed to pieces."
and comments:
Bear in mind that Koombana was a much larger and newer ship.
...
It seems to me that this is a very reticent witness...
