Sailing from Sydney to Hobart, the 110 foot, 350-ton barque “Storm Rider” looked a magnificent vessel, with its slender whitewashed hull and its beautiful brass fittings gleaming in the sunlight.  The ship’s three masts stand tall.  With the wind in its sails, the ship glided gracefully through the water like no other vessel.  The Union Jack flies regally from the stern.  The journey was uneventful until reaching the Bass Strait.

 

On the deck, the ship’s captain senses the rising storm.  Clouds begin to shroud the afternoon sun.  Fluffy columns of rising Cumulus clouds turn the bright blue skies grey.  Rain is seen fast approaching.  The wind freshens.  The once calm ocean waters now have a discernable white cap.  The Captain looks skyward and sees the sails straining on the masts.  “Take in the sail”, he orders.

 

Almost immediately, seamen race across the deck to the rigging.  Clambering upwards, they make their ascent to the masthead.  Precariously, the deckhands hang from the rope supports on the yardarm, muscles straining, as they secure the sails until only the ship’s storm sails remain. 

 

The weather rapidly changes.  Black and green clouds turn day into night.  Lightning flashes, producing a dazzling display against the dark skies.  The thunder booms and echoes through the heavy air.  Rain beats down in torrents obscuring all around.  A southwesterly squall lashes the ship.  Gigantic waves dwarf the ship.  Against the power and might of the storm, the ship labours to its destination.

 

A colossal wave lifts the ship skyward.  For a short time, it rides the crest of the wave until the water suddenly breaks its grip upon the vessel as the water falls back to the ocean.  For a moment, the ship seems suspended in the air.  Downward the ship falls striking the ocean with a sickening thud.  Men are thrown in every direction by the bone-jarring impact.  From below, a sailor calls, “the ship is taking water”.  The turbulent oceans had opened the ship’s hull near the bow and water was steadily flowing through the crack.  All hands man the pumps.  The battle to stem the flow has begun. 

 

Night falls bringing blackness as thick as pitch.  The only light comes from the ship’s lanterns.  The storm rages unabated.  The winds continue to batter the ship tearing at the remaining sails until the canvas is in tatters.  Without her sails, the ship is unable to manoeuvre in the swirling waters.  The might of the ocean continues to push it nearer its doom.

In the darkness, the captain sees the waves explode into a boiling cauldron of white-water against a reef of jagged rocks.  Instantly, fear strikes his heart.  He desperately struggles to stop his ship being dashed against the rocks.  The anchors are let go to try to hold the ship against the ocean currents but to no avail.  Wave after wave pushes the Storm Rider nearer the rocks.  The anchors still refusing to take hold. 

 

The captain can see the fate of his ship.  Against the deafening roar of the crashing waves, he screams for his crew to brace themselves for the collision that is about to occur.  His words lost in the surrounding cauldron of noise. 

Then the ocean metes out its final blow as a wall of water lifts the Storm Rider onto the rocks tearing the timbers from the hull amidships.  Water gushes into the lower decks, and within minutes, there are more than two feet of water in the hold.  Another wave drives the ship further on to the rocks.  The main mast cracks with the sound of a rifle shot and falls into the water.  The rudder is driven through the hull.  The ship is lost.

 

Without mercy, the sea continues to pound the ship.  The decks are awash with water, which is draining into every opening on the vessel.  The foremast crumples under the assault narrowly missing the seamen on the deck. 

The captain orders, “abandon ship” and the crew rush to ready the long boats.  The first is lowered and is immediately swamped by a breaking wave.  Another boat is launched, then another.  These boats successfully landing on the turbulent waters.  Under the watchful eye of the first mate, the crew make their way down the rigging to the long boats.  His calmness and courage in the face of these hardships give confidence to the crew.  One by one, the crew leave the ship with the first mate and the captain the last to leave.

The crew exhausted from their ordeal, now must battle their way to land that is only 300 metres to the south of the rocks.  While the distance is not great, the ocean swells are still formable opponents and continue to threaten their lives.  Mustering all the strength they can, the sailors put their backs to the oars and accept the ocean’s challenge.  Inch by inch, they row closer to the safety of the land. 

 

As they near the beach, a breaker picks up one of the longboats, and it tumbles over throwing its human cargo into the surf.  Pummelled by the shore breakers, the sailors struggle to the beach.  Spent, they collapse onto the comforting sand; too exhausted to move.  The other long boats reach the shore without incident.  The captain checks his crew and finds many battered and bruised but no one is missing.

 

Day breaks and the fury of the storm abates.  As the sun appears over the horizon, a pitiful sight greets the sailors.  The once resplendent Storm Rider now lays wrecked on the rocks - the ship’s hull broken amidships and its three masts, which stood proudly on the deck, splintered and lying in the water.  For any sailor, there cannot be a more tragic sight.

The Bass Strait, the 230-kilometre wide body of water to the north of Tasmania, has a notorious reputation for cruel seas.  The images of the 1996 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race bear testament to the immense power and danger of these waters.  The Strait is also the site of some of Tasmania’s worst shipping disasters. 

 

During the morning of 4 August 1845, the ship Cataraqui struck rocks near Fitzmaurice Bay, King Island.  The Cataraqui was bound for Melbourne with 367 passengers, two surgeons and a crew of 41.  During the mostly uneventful voyage, one seaman was lost overboard, five babies were born and six others had died, making the total number on board 408.  Even though the ship was less than 150 metres from shore, rough seas, strong ocean currents and jagged rocks claimed the ship and all but nine lives.

The perils of the Tasmanian waters generally and the weather is not limited to the Bass Strait.  Under the influence of the Roaring Forties, the westerly winds that blow across the Indian Ocean and the winds from the Antarctic regions that blow across the great Southern Ocean, the weather patterns around Tasmania vary greatly.  Wild storms can strike at any time making the waters around Tasmania some of the most dangerous in the world.  While modern technology has improved weather forecasting, there will always be an element of uncertainty about the weather when sailing in the waters around Tasmania.

 

Since 1797, more than 1,000 boats and ships have gone to their watery grave many the direct result of the weather. 

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The first recorded shipwreck in Tasmanian waters was the “Sydney Cove”, which went to its fate during February 1797.  The ship left Calcutta on 10 November 1796 bound for Sydney hitting storm gales early into the voyage.  The effects of the weather and heavy seas caused the ship to leak.  The leak was contained, and the ship continued on its voyage, however poor weather continued to plague the voyage, and the crack in the hull opened again.  The crew were unable to stop the leaks.  In early February, the Sydney Cove passed the southern end of Van Dieman’s Land and continued its passage to Sydney.  A few days later, the Sydney Cove passed Maria Island.  Ninety miles east of the coast, heavy weather again buffeted the ship, which caused the leaks to open further.  The captain decided to head to land and beach the ship.  On 9 February, the Sydney Cove was beached on Preservation Island in the Bass Strait.

 

Other notable shipwrecks include the George III and the Neva both in 1835 (respectively third and second worse Tasmanian shipping disasters regarding the loss of life).  On 12 April, the George III while transporting male convicts to Hobart struck an uncharted reef in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, south of Hobart.  The reports from the day show that 161 of the 294 men, women and children were saved from the wreck.  Many of those drown were convicts who were refused access to the deck by the soldiers guarding them.

 

A month later, the barque Neva, while transporting female convicts and other passengers to Sydney from Cork, was wrecked on King Island in the Bass Strait, with the loss of 218 lives.

 

In the words that could have come from Long John Silver’s tongue “Ah me hearties, there’s a treasure out there”…maybe, maybe not.  However, a shipwreck is probably not complete unless there is a tale or two about missing gold, silver, or other riches.  Two Tasmanian wrecks have such an air of mystery about them, the schooner Hope and the barque Portland. 

The Hope went aground on a beach near Cape Direction, Bruny Island in 1827.  The ship was rumoured to be carrying a large sum of money intended to pay the soldiers at the Hobart garrison.  Rumours suggest that the soldiers who were guarding the ship had stolen the money.  As this has not been confirmed, the money may still be hidden on the sandy beach on which the Hope was wrecked.

 

Six years later, the Portland while sailing for Launceston, was wrecked on the Tamar River about 30 kilometres from Georgetown.  It was reported that the ship was carrying several boxes of silver in its cargo.  This treasure, believed to be buried near the mouth of the Piper River, has never been found. 

 

There have been several vessels lost due to human error, incorrect navigation being one of the main contributing factors.  The worst shipwreck in Australian shipping history was the grounding of the Iron Baron on 8 July 1995 on Hebe Reef near the Tamar Heads.  The ship was bound for Bell Bay with a cargo of manganese ore.  Eventually, the ship was towed off the reef to be scuttled approximately 100 kilometres off Flinders Island and after an inspection found the ship’s hull badly strained.

Another tragic loss was that of the bulk carrier Lake Illawarra.  On the evening of 5 January 1975, the Lake Illawarra slammed into pylons supporting the Tasman Bridge, bringing down two spans.  The ship sunk within ten minutes with seven of its crew.  A further five people in cars lost their lives when they drove off the damaged bridge.

 

Sailing the waters around Tasmania can offer many challenges.  Sailors not only have to contend with the vagaries of some of the most unforgiving seas but they must also deal with the uncertainties of the weather.  Either one of these elements could test an experienced seaman but when combined, will test the skills of the most seasoned sailors.  It is no wonder there have been so many boats and ships lost in Tasmanian waters.

 

Note: shipwrecks are protected by Commonwealth and State legislation.

 

Source of shipwreck information and further reading: Tasmanian Shipwrecks Vol 1 1797-1899 and Vol 2 1900 – 1999; Graeme Broxam and Michael Nash.