‘Sydney Cove’, 1797

On 2nd March 1797 a longboat (the largest boat carried on board a ship, which was normally used for transporting personnel or stores, or was used for mooring or anchor work) carrying 17 crew from a merchant vessel, the ‘Sydney Cove’, was wrecked on the northern end of Ninety Mile Beach.

At that time Ninety Mile Beach was part of the South Coast of NSW (the area that is now Victoria was not separated from NSW until 1851) – so we have chosen to include it in this collection of stories about NSW South Coast shipwrecks.

Historically, this wreck was one of the first shipwrecks on the eastern seaboard of the Australian mainland and was the first after the founding of the colony in Sydney. What followed was an epic 63-day walk by survivors from Ninety Mile Beach to Sydney – a story outlined (and well-worth reading!) in Recollections 47.

But the story of the ‘Sydney Cove’, and what led up to the loss of its longboat on 2nd March 1797, also deserves inclusion here:

In early 1795 a ship named the ‘Sovereign’ transported stores and one convict to Port Jackson. On its return to Calcutta in India, a local newspaper published a report by the captain about conditions in New South Wales. This newspaper report prompted a private trading company to purchase a ship that had been engaged in trade along the Indian coast, the ‘Begum Shaw’. They renamed her the ‘Sydney Cove’, intending to use her to regularly transport goods from India to Sydney.

The ‘Sydney Cove’ sailed from Calcutta on 10th November 1796 with a crew of 53 (mostly lascars, sailors from the Indian subcontinent), two passengers and a speculative cargo that included 7,000 gallons of rum.

From the outset of the voyage the ‘Sydney Cove’ encountered heavy gales. The ship’s second mate was lost overboard and the vessel began to leak. On 13th January 1797 an attempt was made to ‘fother’ the leak, by passing a sail under the ship to keep out the water, but this met with only partial success.

During a gale on 25–26th January five of the lascar crew died from the physical demands of continuously manning the pumps and from the onset of scurvy. A second attempt to fother the main leak on the 27th January was partly successful. However, soon after passing Maria Island and about 90 miles off the coast, the ship encountered another gale and sprung an even more severe leak. At the southern side of Bass Strait the captain turned the stricken vessel westwards and, on the morning of the 9th, ran her aground at two small low-lying islands at the south-western end of the Furneaux Group.

Here the wreck was reasonably protected. The crew was able to land essential stores and equipment on what was subsequently named Preservation Island. Although the wreck was almost completely submerged at high tide, the crew were able to remove over half the cargo before the remains of the hull collapsed at the beginning of May.

After some crew members were found helping themselves to salvaged casks of spirits, that part of the cargo was transferred to a smaller island nearby – now known as Rum Island.

It was obvious to the crew that, if they were to survive, they would need to summons help from Sydney. That effectively meant sailing the ship’s longboat to Sydney – a voyage of over 800 kilometers.

So, after repairing and adapting the longboat for the voyage and then provisioning it, 17 of the strongest men set sail on 27th February 1797.

The first two days of their voyage, during which they completed the crossing of Bass Strait, went to plan. But then they were hit by a storm of gale proportions that flooded their boat, forcing them to head to shore. In so doing, their longboat was irreparably damaged by the surf and most of their provisions were lost…necessitating the remainder of their journey be completed overland, on foot.

On learning of the wreck, Governor John Hunter sent the 42-ton government schooner ‘Francis’ and a 10-ton sloop ‘Eliza’ to Preservation Island. They arrived on 10th June and picked up much of the salvaged cargo and most of the castaways. Six of the Sydney Cove’s crew remained with the wreck to guard the salvaged goods until the ‘Francis’ was able to return. This occurred in December.

The ‘Eliza’, however, foundered in a storm a day after leaving Preservation Island, with the loss of all her crew and eight of the ‘Sydney Cove’ survivors.

The ‘Francis’ made a third voyage to Preservation Island in January 1798. Matthew Flinders was aboard the ship on that voyage. Meanwhile, George Bass, when on his voyage along the Australian south-east coast in a whaleboat, planned to head to Preservation Island to replenish his provisions. However, leaks in the boat prevented him doing so…but he did discover a group of escaped convicts marooned on an island who had been heading to the ‘Sydney Cove’ with the hope of refloating her and making good their escape!

The wreck of the ‘Sydney Cove’ was relocated by divers in January 1977, using information contained in a map drawn up by Lieutenant Matthew Flinders in 1798. Between 1991 and 1994 comprehensive excavations of the wreck were undertaken by the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service. Artefacts discovered then are now on permanent display in the Queen Victoria Museum in Launceston.