On 27 November 1874, a lookout on the British ship Spectre spotted something floating in the water deep in the Indian Ocean. As they drew near, they realised it was a small boat holding six men. When they came alongside, they found one man was already dead. The other five were barely clinging to lifeContinue reading “COSPATRICK: A tale of fire, cannibalism and a desperate fight for survival”
Category Archives: Migrant Ships
The Cataraqui: Australia’s deadliest shipwreck – 1845.
Australia’s deadliest civilian shipwreck occurred on 4 August 1845 when the 803-ton barque Cataraqui slammed into rocks near Fitzmaurice Bay off King Island during foul weather. On board were some 366 migrants and a crew of 43. Of those 409 people, only nine made it ashore alive. The Cataraqui sailed from Liverpool on 20 AprilContinue reading “The Cataraqui: Australia’s deadliest shipwreck – 1845.”
The Plague Ship Ticonderoga
In November 1852 a migrant ship dropped anchor in Port Phillip Bay with some 700 passengers, many of them gravely ill. The 1,200-ton American Clipper Ticonderoga had been chartered to bring immigrants out to start a new life in Australia, but the three-month journey to their new home proved a nightmare for many of theContinue reading “The Plague Ship Ticonderoga”
The Bourneuf’s Tragic Last Voyage
On 3 August 1853, the 1500-ton emigrant ship Bourneuf sank in Torres Strait as she was returning to England after bringing a human cargo of migrants to Australia. It proved a tragic end to a grim final voyage. The Bourneuf had sailed from Liverpool in May 1852 with more than 800 impoverished migrants keen toContinue reading “The Bourneuf’s Tragic Last Voyage”
Tales from the Quarterdeck 