Department of Marine and Harbors and predecessors (GRG51)

The appointment of Thomas Lipson, the first harbourmaster, was made before settlement took place. The term Department of the Harbour Master in the statistical yearbooks furnished to the Colonial Office gave way in 1843 to Harbour Department. From about 1845 the spelling 'Harbor' became officially preferred to 'Harbour'. The Harbor Department continued up to 1860 to have authority in certain matters at Port Adelaide and in all matters concerning outports.

On 10 January 1852 the Trinity Board of Port Adelaide was incorporated under Act No. 5 of 1851, and from that date the following services received pay from the corporation: pilots, steam tug, lighthouse, lightship, powder magazine.

By Act No. 20 of 1854, which received assent on 16 December of the same year, the Port Adelaide Harbor Trust was constituted, with authority to finance deepening operations. Among the Trust's responsibilities was the levying of tonnage dues on vessels entering the port.

The Marine Board was constituted under the Marine Board Act of 1860. It assumed the functions of the Trinity Board and Port Adelaide Harbor Trust, which the Act abolished. It became 'the Department to undertake the general superintendence of all matters within its jurisdiction relating to the preservation of ports, harbors, havens and navigable creeks and rivers and the regulation of shipping and seamen, the licensing, appointment and removal of pilots, the erection of lighthouses, superintendence of lights and other sea or harbor marks, the placing or removing of moorings, the establishment of light and beacon dues, and the granting and charging for licences to watermen and others'. Act No. 237 of 1881 abolished the existing Board and incorporated a new one with wider powers. The Mercantile Marine Office, which carried out some of these functions, was transferred to the Commonwealth Government in 1922. Lighthouses were transferred in 1915.

The Marine Board and Navigation Act Amendment Act of 1924 transferred to the South Australian Harbors Board the functions previously vested in the Marine Board, which was abolished by the same Act.

By Act No. 89 of 1966 the Harbors Board was abolished and its functions, duties and liabilities vested in the Minister of Marine working through the Department of Marine and Harbors.

DEPARTMENT OF MARINE AND HARBORS
THE ADMINISTRAITON OF MARINE AND PORT AFFAIRS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA SINCE 1836

The proclamation of South Australia as a colony of the then British Empire and the discovery of the navigable possibilities of the Port River occurred in the same month of the same year - December 1836.

Whereas the colony of South Australia was proclaimed on 28th December, 1836, the history of Port Adelaide began 10 days earlier when two small wooden sailing vessels, "Rapid" and "Tam-O-Shanter", proceeded from Gulf St. Vincent up the arm of the sea within which the port of Port Adelaide has been developed. On board "Rapid:, during that first passage upstream of the Port River by white man, was Colonel Light, the State's first Surveyor-General who had previously examined Kangaroo Island, Port Lincoln and the eastern shore of Spencer Gulf before finally fixing the site on which the City of Adelaide now stands.

Two months later he reported officially that he had no hesitation in saying that, with the entrance buoyed, ships drawing 5 metres of water could come in with ease, and when in, there would be no safer harbor in the world for merchants' ships.

The settlers subsequently built a primitive landing place about a mile upstream from the centre of the present Inner Harbor. With the passing of time the location proved to have so many disadvantages tha in 1839 the South Australian Company undertook (on the site occupied today by a modern concrete wharf at No. 2 Berth) the construction of a wharf, designated McLaren Wharf, which, with the provision of a warehouse and an approach road across a mile of swamp land, was known as the New Port Project. Those facilities, which became the nucleus of Port Adelaide's development, were opened for use in October, 1840. Railway connection between the City of Adelaide and Port Adelaide was established with the formal opening of a line on 21st April, 1856.

The earliest control of shipping and nautical matters at Port Adelaide was entrusted to Captain Thomas Lipson, R.N., who was appointed in England and in 1836 as Navy Officer and Harbormaster to the newly established province and who exercised supreme command for several years.

The necessity to provide legislation for the control of maritime matters was appreciated by the first responsible Government of the Province and in 1838 an Act for the better preservation of the ports, creeks, havens, roadsteads, channels, navigable creeks and rivers in Her Majesty's province of South Australia and for the better regulation of shipping and their crews in the same was passed.

Under the Act, a Harbormaster was appointed by the Governor to control pilotage and other shipping matters and to administer the entire Act. Captain Lipson was appointed to the position of Harbormaster.

That form of control continued until 1851 when an Act was passed constituting a Trinity House of Port Adelaide of which Captain Lipson was the first Master. The powers and functions of that body were much more comprehensive than those contained in the previous Act. In addition to exercising general control of shipping, including pilotage, Trinity house was empowered to establish and superintend aids to navigation such as lights, buoys and beacons and was authorised to proceed with the deepening and improvement of the Port Adelaide entrance channel and harbor.

In 1852 the Act passed in 1851 was supplemented by a further Act for the more convenient engagement and discharge of seamen at Port Adelaide. The duties involved under that Act were delegated to certain members of Trinity House and the body so constituted was known as the Local Marine Board, which controlled the shipping office and mercantile marine matters. The functions of Trinity House and the Local Marine Board were kept quite distinct until the year 1860.

In 1854 a separate body, which became known as the Port Adelaide Harbor Trust, was established by Act of Parliament with an issue of up to $200,000 in bonds to perform the deepening (to 5.5m at low water) of the Port Adelaide entrance channel and harbor, as it was evident that the cost of that work would exceed the funds available to Trinity House. It was also realised that the work should be effected as soon as possible as the available wharf accommodation had become inadequate for the increasing volume of shipping.

The Trust consisted of four senior members of Trinity House assisted by three merchants appointed by the Governor. A modern dredge was obtained from England and progress was made with port improvements.

In 1858 the Trust was brought under the ministerial control of the Commissioner of Public Works. However, in 1860, with the passing of the Marine Board Act, the Acts relating to marine matters were consolidated and the Trinity House of Port Adelaide, the Local Marine Board and the Trust were abolished. In their stead the Act provided for the creation of the Marine Board of South Australia which was given powers to deal with matters relating to pilotage, ballasting, explosives, the engagement and discharge of seamen, safety of ships and prevention of accidents, the control of lighthouses, buoys, beacons, moorings, wrecks and legal procedure in maritime accidents and disputes. The Board, which was responsible to the Treasurer, consisted of a President and four wardens who were appointed by the Government for a period of three years.

The Marine Board exercised direct control of deepening and all harbor improvements (including the Government Dockyard), the works connected therewith and the Glanville Reserves, but works at all outport jetties and lighthouses was referred to the Government Architect and Engineer and subsequently carried out by the Engineer-in-Chief.

That procedure was observed until May, 1876, when an Engineer of Harbors and Jetties was appointed. He immediately took control of the construction of, and repairs to jetties and lighthouses and in 1877 the deepening operations were also placed under this management. However, with the retirement of the Engineer of Harbors and Jetties in 1880, the control of deepening operations reverted to the Marine Board with the Engineer-in-Chief again supervising the construction of and repairs to outport jetties and lighthouses.

With the passing of the Marine Board and Navigation Act, 1881, the powers of the Marine Board were enlarged to include the superintendence of all matters relating to ports, lighthouses, buoys, beacons and such wharves, jetties, dredges and barges, as were placed under its control by the Governor. Its responsibility also extended to the deepening and improvement of all ports but power was reserved in the Act to permit the transfer by the Governor of any of the Board's duties to the Department of the Engineer-in-Chief.

By order in Executive Council dated 26th December, 1888, the Dockyard, wharves and reserve connected therewith, together with the dredging plant and all associated equipment, were placed under the control of the Engineer-in-Chief.

Under that form of control all deepening operations and all construction and maintenance work connected with lighthouses, jetties and harbor improvements, were performed by the Department of the Engineer-in-Chief, subject to the Marine Board being consulted and asked to report on each project. Such works when completed were handed over to the Board which undertook their management and operation.

The first English mail steamer to visit South Australian waters anchored off Glenelg in Holdfast Bay, approximately 24 kilometres south of the entrance to the Port Adelaide River, in 1874. Glenelg continued to be a calling place for mail steamers until 1888 when it was decided to transfer the landing of mails to Largs Bay where a long timber jetty had been constructed. At Largs Bay both mails and passengers were lightered from the anchorage and transferred to waiting steam railway trains at the sea-end of the jetty. Cargo was lightered to Port Adelaide.

That practice continued for 20 years despite many disadvantages, particularly during inclement weather. The next step taken in the modernisation of the facilities for mail steamers was the authorisation of the construction of an Outer Harbor at the entrance to the Port Adelaide River.

Work began in 1903 and by 1908 was sufficiently advanced to permit the new harbor facilities to be opened for use by mail vessels, the first to berth at the new wharf being the R.M.S. "Oruba" on 16th January, 1908.

The completed work provided cargo sheds and 457m of verandah wharf, which was approached by way of an entrance channel, 122m in width and fronted by a swinging basin, both dredged to a depth of 10m at low water.

Whilst development at Port Adelaide was proceeding, the Marine Board did not neglect to open up other avenues for sea trade and as early as 1900 there were upwards of 50 outports along the State's coastline of over 3,2000 kilometres. Considerable development also took place at Port Pirie where, as at Port Adelaide, the majority of the wharves were owned by private enterprises.

A new era began in the harbor affairs of the State when the South Australian Harbors Board was constituted under the provisions of the harbors Act, 1913, which was passed by parliament on 18th December, 1913.

The Act was divided into two parts. Part I, which empowered the acquisition by the Crown of all privately owned wharves, water frontages and similar properties in the State on payment of compensation, received Royal Assent and came into operation on 26th March, 1914. Part II, which authorised the necessary machinery for the exclusive control and management of all harbors throughout the State and the constitution of the South Australian Harbors Board for the purpose of carrying this Part into execution, came into force on 7th April, 1914.

By proclamation on 9th April, 1914, the administration of the whole of the Act was committed to the Minister of Marine. The Act provided that the Board, a body corporate with a common seal, should consist of three Commissioners to be appointed by the Governor, each Commissioner being appointed for a term of five years, and eligible for re-appointment at the expiration of his term of office.

Accordingly, on 9th April, 1914, the first Commissioners of the South Australian Harbors Board were appointed. The Board was responsible to the Minister of Marine for the discharge of its duties and functions in connection with its exclusive control and management of all harbors in the State. To some extent those duties and functions were formerly the responsibility of the Marine Board of South Australia. In addition, the South Australian Harbors Board was entrusted with the construction or completion of all harbor works.

The Marine Board of South Australia continued to exercise its remaining marine powers until 1925 when, with the proclamation on 31st December, 1925, of the Marine Board and navigation Act Amendment Act, 1924, all those powers were transferred to the South Australian Harors Board. The Board thus became the sole harbor and marine authority in the State as from 1st January, 1926.

In 1914, under the provisions of the Harbors Act, 1913, all State-owned wharves and jetties were vested in the South Australian Harbors Board, which proceeded to exercise its power to acquire all privately-owned wharves with the exception of a small number of specifically exempted structures.

The acquisition of waterfront properties at Port Adelaide and Port Pirie took some years of involved and complicated negotiation and in many cases the matter of compensation was settled only by reference to arbitration.

With the passing of the harbors Act Amendment Act, 1966, the South Australian Harbors Board (which had been constituted as from 1st July, 1914) was abolished and its property, rights, powers, functions and duties were transferred to the Minister of Marine.

The amending Act, which came into operation on the 20th March, 1967, provided for the establishment of a Department of Marine and Harbors and the appointment of a Director of Marine and Harbors to administer and carry into effect the provisions of the Act on behalf of the Minister. The Director is required to make an annual report to the Minister on the administration of the Act and the work of the Department, which is the sole harbor and marine authority in the State.

The Director is responsible to the Minister for the control of navigation within all harbors (including the River Murray), pilotage and all such harbor works as are not private property; the provision and maintenance of all lights, buoys, beacons and other seamarks in harbors; the construction and maintenance of harbor installations (e.g. wharves, jetties, cargo sheds, bulk handling plants etc.); the cleansing and dredging of harbors including improvements to navigable channels and the provision and operation of bulk loading plants at deep-sea ports.

Under the provisions of the Marine Act 1936-1973, the Department conducts examinations for Certificates of Competency for Masters, Mates and Engineers of intrastate vessels, and Certificates of Competency and Service for Skippers, Coxswains and marine Motor Engine Drivers of fishing vessels.

The Department also carries out surveys and examinations of the hulls, engines and equipment of such vessels, is required to investigate preliminarily the causes of marine casualties, incompetency and misconduct of certificated deck and engine room personnel and conducts pilotage exemption examinations for the masters of interstate or intrastate vessels.

Summary of Main Agencies

The appointment of Thomas Lipson, the first Harbourmaster, was made before settlement took place. The term Department of the Harbour Master in the statistical yearbooks furnished to the Colonial office gave way in 1843 to Harbour Department. From about 1845 the spelling 'Harbor' became officially preferred to 'Harbour'. The Harbor Department continued up to 1860 to have authority in certain matters at Port Adelaide and in all matters concerning outports.

On 10 January 1852 the Trinity Board of Port Adelaide was incorporated under Act No. 5 of 1851, and from that date the following services received pay from that corporation: pilots, steam tug, lighthouse, lightship, powder magazine.

By Act No. 20 of 1854, which received assent on 16 December of the same year, the Port Adelaide Harbor Trust was constituted, with authority to finance deepening operations. Among the Trust's responsibilities was the levying of tonnage dues on vessels entering the port.

The Marine Board was constituted under the Marine Board Act of 1860. It assumed the functions of the Trinity Board and Port Adelaide Harbor Trust, which the Act abolished. It became 'the Department to undertake the general superintendence of all matters within its jurisdiction relating to the preservation of ports, harbors, havens and navigable creeks and rivers and the regulation of shipping and seamen, the licensing, appointment and removal of pilots, the erection of lighthouses, superintendence of lights and other sea or harbor marks, the placing or removing of moorings, the establishment of light and beacon dues, and the granting and charging for licences to watermen and other". Act No. 237 of 1881 abolished the existing Board and incorporated a new one with wider powers. The Mercantile Marine Office, which carried out some of these functions, was transferred to the Commonwealth Government in 1922. Lighthouses were transferred in 1915.

The Marine Board and Navigation Act Amendment Act of 1924 transferred to the South Australian Harbors Board the functions previously vested in the Marine Board, which was abolished by the same Act.

By Act No. 89 of 1966 the Harbors Board was abolished and its functions, duties and liabilities vested in the Minister of Marine working through the Department of Marine and Harbors.

Harbor Master, Harbor Department, Coast and Harbor Service, Port Adelaide Office

Thomas Lipson was appointed the colony's first Harbor Master and Naval Officer in July 1836 (1). The first Act to specifically regulate marine affairs was Act No. 3 of 1838 which provided for the " better preservation of the Ports, Harbors, Havens, Roadsteads, Channels, Navigable Creeks and Rivers and for the better regulation of Shipping and their Crews ". Although it was not explicitly stated, the Harbor Master was the agent to supervise the Act.

Until 1 January 1841, Lipson was also the Collector of Customs; from that date, Robert Torrens was the Collector. The Harbor Master and staff were designated as the Department of the Harbor Master until 1843, Harbor Department until 1858 (spelt 'Harbour' to 1845) and Coast and Harbor Service in 1858 (2). Upon the establishment of the Trinity Board in 1851, most of the Harbor Department's responsibilities were transferred to the new agency.

On 23 July 1858, the Harbor Master and Naval Officer was appointed Collector of Customs and Naval Officer (3). The vacancy was not filled until 1 November 1860; in the meantime, the Coast and Harbor Service was transferred to the Trinity Board (4).

Port Superintendent

Pursuant to the Harbors Act, 1913, privately owned wharves at Port Adelaide were resumed by the Harbors Board in January 1917. New staff were appointed and were headed by a Port Superintendent; F.G. Cornish was the first to hold the position. The duties and position of the Harbor Master remained unchanged. This resulted in a system of divided control, under which the allocation of berths, the working of wharves and the accommodation of cargo and the financial and general sides of the Board's business at the Port was handled by the Port Superintendent whilst the Harbor Master has had care of all matters bearing on what may be termed the marine side of port administration .(1)

Following the death of Cornish in October 1945, the Harbors Board merged the two positions of Harbor Master and Port Superintendent into one position, Harbor Master and Port Superintendent, on 2 May 1946 (2). However, until 1947 the correspondence was maintained in separate series, that is, as had been the case prior to the merging of the two positions; see series 32 and 34. From 1947 until 1952, correspondence was not maintained separately; see series 32.

In June 1952, Captain Buddams, Harbor Master and Port Superintendent, retired and the Assistant Harbor Master was appointed Acting Harbor Master and the Deputy Port Superintendent was appointed Acting Port Superintendent. It was decided shortly afterwards to abolish the position of Harbor Master and Port Superintendent in favour of the former arrangement, namely that of having a Harbor Master and a Port Superintendent (3).


Controller of Harbors 1907-1914

Mail steamers called at Glenelg from 19=874 to 1888. In 1888, facilities were built at Largs Bay to land mail and cargo. By the early 1900s, Largs Bay was considered to be unsatisfactory and so work began on new facilities at Outer Harbor, Light's Passage, which were opened in January 1908. (1)

Arthur Searcy, President of the Marine Board, was appointed Controller of the Outer Harbor, Port Adelaide on 13 November 1907 (2). According to the Commissioner of Public Works, the responsible Minister, Searcy had to " control and supervise Government interests in the commercial utilisation of the Outer Harbor " (3). The position of Controller was distinct from the other positions held by Searcy. In about 1911, the title was changed to Controller of harbors. Upon the establishment of the Harbors Board in 1914, the position of Controller apparently lapsed.


Trinity Board 1851-1860

Act no. 5 of 1851 stated that it was " expedient to place the regulation of Port Adelaide under the control of a Corporate Body, with powers and functions, as far as local circumstances may permit, similar to the authority long and now usefully exercised by the Trinity House in London". The Trinity House of Port Adelaide (or Trinity Board as it is commonly referred to) consisted of five members, a Master and four Wardens, two of whom were nominated and appointed by the Governor and the other three were nominated by the legislative Council (1).

The Trinity Board had the power " to license pilots, to fix rates of pilotage, etc., to superintend lights, lighthouses, etc. and to establish dues, etc." (2). Included amongst its other responsibilities were the Steam Tug and Powder Magazine (3).

Act no. 5 of 1851 was assented to on 23 December 1851, the first members were appointed on 31 December 1851 (4) and the first meeting was held on 19 January 1852 (5). The Trinity Board was abolished in 1860 when the Marine Board took over its functions.


Port Adelaide Harbor Trust 1854-1860

The Trust controlled deepening operations at Port Adelaide and was established by Act No. 20 of 1854, 'An Act to authorise the raising of a sum of One Hundred Thousnad Pounds for the deepening and improvement of the Harbor of Port Adelaide and for other purposes therein named'. The Act was assented to on 18 December 1854. Prior to the Trust, the Trinity Board was responsible for deepening operations.

The first meeting of the Trust was on 24 January 1855 (1). The Trust consisted of seven members of whom four were also members of the Trinity Board (2). On 24 December 1858, the Commissioner of Public Works became responsible for the Trust (3) although the Trust had been reporting to the Commissioner since 1857 (4). The Trust was abolished in 1860 when the Marine Board took over its functions.


Local Marine Board 1852-1860

The Board was established by Act No. 24 of 1852, 'An Act for the more convenient engagement and discharge of seamen at Port Adelaide' which was asserted to on 2 December 1852. The Board in turn appointed a shipping master who would ".. afford facilities for engaging seamen, by keeping registers of their names and characters [and] superintend and facilitate their engagement and discharge (1). The members of the Board were also members of the Trinity Board (2).

The Board first met on 7 January 1853 and elected Captain French to be Shipping Master for three months (3). (However, it appears that the Alphabetical Register of Deserters held at Australian Archives had entries placed in it retrospectively to December 1852.) French's appointment was confirmed at the meeting of 25 March 1853. (4) The Local Marine Board was abolished in 1860 when the Marine Board took over its functions. After Federation, these functions were transferred from the Marine Board to the Commonwealth. The registers of engagements, discharges, deserters, etc. which were compiled by the Local Marine Board and Marine Board in accordance with Acts Nol.24 of 1852 and No. 17 of 1860 were transferred to the Commonwealth and are held by Australian Archives, South Australian Branch. Other records created by the Local Marine Board were retained by the South Australian government and were ultimately transferred to the South Australian Archives.


Marine Board 1860 - 1925

A major change occurred in 1860 when the Marine Board was established by the Marine Board Act (1) to take over the functions of the Trinity Board, Local Marine Board and the Port Adelaide Harbor Trust which were simultaneously abolished. Hence the Marine Board became responsible for pilotage, ballasting, explosives, regulation of shipping and seamen, deepening operations, lighthouses, buoys, beacons, lights, moorings, safety regulations, accident and wreck investigations and shipwright and engineer surveyors. The Board consisted of a President and four wardens until 1881 when the number of wardens was increased to seven. The change was brought about by the Marine Board and Navigation Act, 1881 which consolidated previous Acts without causing any major changes (2).

In 1914, the Harbors Board was established and took over most of the Marine Board's functions. The Marine Board remained responsible for surveys, exanimations of masters, mates and engineers, inquiries into shipping casualties, courts of marine surveys of boats for hire, permits to carry extra passengers, control of wrecks and the seaworthiness and detention of ships (3). These responsibilities were transferred to the Harbors Board when the Marine Board was abolished on 31 December 1925 (4)., the date when the Marine Board and Navigation Act Amendment Act of 1924 was proclaimed.


Harbors Board 1914-1967

The Harbors Act, 1913, 'An Act to provide for the Acquisition oby the Crown of Wharves and Water Frontages and similar properties, and to make better provision for the Management and Control of Harbors, and for other purposes', consisted of two parts. Part I, relating to the acquisition of wharves, etc., came into effect on 26 March 1914 (1). Part Ii, which allowed for the establishment of the Harbors Board, came into effect on 7 April 1914 (2).

Under Part II, the Harbors Board controlled and managed the construction and maintenance of all harbor works, deepening operations, depots and equipment to facilitate the loading and discharging of ships, life-saving equipment, pilotage wrecks, obstructions, lighthouses, buoys, dues, charges and rates. Most of these responsibilities had previously been under the control of the Marine Board; in the case of lighthouses and jetties the Engineer-in-Chief's Office was responsible. The Harbors Board took over the remaining responsibilities of the Marine Board wheen it was abolished in 1925.

The Harbors Board was abolished in 1967 when the Department of Marine and Harbors took over its functions.


Department of Marine and Harbors 1967-

The Harbors Act Amendment Act, 1966 abolished the Harbors Board and created the Department of Marine and Harbors. The Act came into effect on 20 March 1967 (1).


Lighthouses, Jetties and Harbor Works

With regard to the construction and maintenance of lighthouses, jetties and harbor works, most of the agencies ostensibly concerned with marine affairs did not undertake construction and maintenance despite the various section of legislation entitling them to do so. Instead, the work was undertaken by the following agencies

Colonial Engineer (1) 1841-1851 GRG 35/2222 1841-1850, GRG 38/1 1851; Colonial Architect's Office 1852-1853 GRG 38/1,7
Public Works Department 1854-1857 GRG 38/1, 7
Colonial Architect's Office 1858-1860 GRG 38/1, 7
Engineer and Architect's Office 1860-1867 GRG 38/1, 7
Government Architect's office (2) 1867- GRG 38/1, 7
Engineer-inChief's Office (3) 1867-1876 GRG 53/16
Engineer of Harbors and Jetties (4) 1876-1880 GRG 53/19, 63 and 64
Engineer-in-Chief's Office 1880-1914 GRG 53/16, GRG 51/191

Upon the establishment of the Harbors Board in 1914, the Engineer-in-Chief's Office ceased to be responsible for lighthouses and jetties; these responsibilities, the relevant staff and some records were transferred to the Harbors Board. (However, many records pertaining to harbors and jetties were not transferred, for example those created by the Engineer for harbors and Jetties, 1876-1880.) Control of lighthouses was transferred to the Commonwealth on 1 July 1915.


Deepening Operations

The following agencies were responsible for deepening operations to 1967.

Harbor Department 1836-1851 GRG 51/11, 12, 32
Trinity Board 1851-1854 GRG 51/14
Port Adelaide Harbor Trust 1854-1860 GRG 51/16, 23
Marine Board 1860-1876 GRG 51/17
Engineer of Harbors and Jetties 1876-1880 GRG 53/19
Marine Board 1880-1888 (1) GRG 51/17
Engineer-in-Chief's office 1888-1914 GRG 53/16
Harbors Board 1914-1967 GRG 51/17


Responsible Minister, 1856-1980

Following the establishment of responsible government in 1856, Ministers have been appointed to superintend departments or agencies of the government. Therefore, correspondence on particular functions of government will be found not only in the correspondence series of the relevant agency but also in that of the responsible Minister. The following table list the main marine agencies and responsible ministers since 1856. (Please note that several agencies had been established prior to 1856, e.g. Trinity Board.)

Trinity Board 1856-1860 Treasurer (GRG 45)
Local Marine Board 1856-1860 Treasurer (GRG 45)
Port Adelaide Harbor Trust 1856-1858 Treasurer (GRG 45); 1858-1860 Commissioner of Public Works (GRG 23)
Harbor Department 1856-1858 Treasurer
Marine Board 1860-1903 Treasurer; 1903-1912 Commissioner of Public Works; 1912-1925 Minister of Marine
Engineer of Harbors and Jetties 1876-1880 Commissioner of Public Works
Public Works Department and succeeding agencies including Engineer-in-Chief's Office 1856-1980 Commissioner of Public Works
Harbors Board 1914-1967 Minister of Marine
Department of Marine and Harbors 1967-1980 Minister of Marine

The Department of Marine and Harbors was replaced by the the South Australian Ports Corporation (Ports Corp) in 1995.

Same agency as GA 54 - different system of archival arrangement.