In the early hours of Friday, 2nd April 1852, a band of villains climbed aboard the barque Nelson while moored in Hobson’s Bay and made off with over 8,000 ounces of pure gold. The heist was as simple as it was audacious and ranks among the greatest robberies in Australian history. Only a fraction ofContinue reading “The Nelson Gold Heist – 1852”
Tag Archives: Tales from the Quarterdeck
The Short Life of the SS Bessemer – 1875.
One September afternoon in 1874, Miss Bessie Wright cracked a bottle of champagne across the bow of a new steamer and sent it gliding into the Humber River. Thus, one of the strangest vessels ever to come off a naval architect’s drawing board was launched. S.S. Bessemer Saloon Steamship was the brainchild of little Bessie’sContinue reading “The Short Life of the SS Bessemer – 1875.”
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”
Tales from the Quarterdeck 