Shipwrecks – Tales from the Quarterdeck

The Foundering of the S.S. Alert – 1893

Around 11 o’clock in the morning on Friday, 29 December 1893, two ladies out for a stroll on the Sorrento Back beach discovered the unconscious body of a man. He would prove to be the sole survivor of the steamer Alert, which sank during foul weather. The S.S. Alert had left Bairnsdale at 4 PMContinue reading “The Foundering of the S.S. Alert – 1893”

The Banshee’s Terrible Loss, 1876.

The Banshee steamed out of Townsville at 6 o’clock on the morning of Tuesday, 21 March 1876, bound for Cooktown, some 240 nautical miles (450 km) up the Queensland coast. Captain Daniel Owen had command of the 58-ton steamer and its crew of ten men. On this trip, the Banshee was carrying 42 passengers, 12Continue reading “The Banshee’s Terrible Loss, 1876.”

COSPATRICK: A tale of fire, cannibalism and a desperate fight for survival

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”

Capture of the Harrington, 1808

During Australia’s dark convict past, scores of vessels, large and small, were seized or stolen and taken out to sea by convicts determined to escape. Many were never heard of again and were thought to have been lost at sea. One lesser-known escape was that made by Robert Stewart and a gang of convicts whoContinue reading “Capture of the Harrington, 1808”

The Invercauld shipwreck, 1864.

In recent years the loss of the Invercauld and its tragic aftermath have been held up as an example of what can go horribly wrong when leadership fails. In contrast to the Grafton, where all five men stranded on Auckland Island survived, only three of the Invercauld’s 25-man crew lived through the ordeal. The hugeContinue reading “The Invercauld shipwreck, 1864.”