On 6th July the 62 ton, 29m Australian screw steamer ‘Dunster Castle’ was heading for Albany after discharging railway material for the Esperance-Salmon Gums railway. During a gale and with other engine problems, Captain Frederick Schroder decided to head back to Esperance, decided to seek shelter in Fanny Cove. At 7.15 a.m. on 7 July the cables parted and he deliberately ran it onto the beach about six miles west of Shoal Cape. The following night rockets were fired to attract the attention of the State Steamship Service vessel Eucla, which took the crew back to Esperance.
William Douglas’ tug Dunskey and the steamer ‘Silver Star’ later re-floated the ship but the wind drove the ship back onto the beach. Unsuccessful attempts were again made in 1918 and 1919 and she lies 90m off the beach in Stoke Inlet, west of Shoal Cape.
Captain Fred Douglas of Esperance purchased a 44 foot, 14 ton cutter ‘Laura’ (registered at Fremantle (No. 3/1869) which had service at Swan River and Vasse (WA Timber Co.), its registration was cancelled in 1908. In 1916 the ‘Laura’ was being used by Jim Douglas to take sheep to Figure of Eight Island off Esperance. A storm blew up and the ‘Laura’ went ashore on the rocks and was wrecked.