On the night of 12-13 August 1856, the French Naval steam corvette Duroc was wrecked on Mellish Reef about 800kms off the Queensland coast. The Duroc was returning to France from New Caledonia where she had been stationed for the previous three years or so. After the ship ran aground, some seventy people made itContinue reading “The Loss of the Duroc and the rise of la Deliverance”
Tag Archives: steamer
The Loss of the Sovereign – 1847.
When the 119-ton paddle steamer Sovereign foundered in Moreton Bay resulting in the loss of 44 lives, it was inevitable that people would want someone to blame. But was it the fault of the captain, the unseaworthiness of the ship or just a terrible accident? On 3 March 1847 the Sovereign steamed down the BrisbaneContinue reading “The Loss of the Sovereign – 1847.”
HMS Torch and the rescue of the Ningpo castaways
While Lieutenant William Chimmo was preparing HMS Torch to return to survey work in the South Seas, he was unexpectedly tasked with an urgent mission. Word had just reached Sydney that nearly 20 people had been marooned for two months on a remote island far out in the Coral Sea. By chance, his paddle steamerContinue reading “HMS Torch and the rescue of the Ningpo castaways”
Tales from the Quarterdeck 