‘Duncan Dunbar’, 1869 ?

We’re treating the wreck of the ‘Duncan Dunbar’ in 1869 as a ‘maybe’, because very scant information is available about it and because, if the information that this was a 300-ton ship is correct (that’s a sizeable ship!), we’re surprised that no coverage of the shipwreck was included in newspapers of the time. So, what have we found?

A report on the sinking of the ‘Brooklyn’ in 1912 suggests she ran aground at the very same spot that the ‘Duncan Dunbar’ had run aground 42 years previously (that would make it 1870) – the entrance to the Crookhaven River.

Another report indicates in 1869 ‘the Duncan Dunbar, a ship of 300 tons, had missed stays (i.e. failed to complete a tack) when heading for the river, in a south east gale, and drove towards the rocks after nightfall. The wrecking of the coaster was inevitable…the Duncan Dunbar was lying, a complete wreck, high on shelving rocks at the foot of the lighthouse. Three of her crew of six had been saved. They reached shore by means of a raft.’ And that’s it – no mention of the actual date and no identification of the ‘river’!

So, more information, please!

(Duncan Dunbar was the name of a rich ship owner. He owned the ‘Dunbar’ that was wrecked with great loss of life at The Gap, Sydney on 20th August, 1857. He also owned the ‘Phoebe Dunbar’, the 'Dunbar Castle’ and the ‘Duncan Dunbar’ that was wrecked in Brazil on a voyage from England to Australia.)