Wreck on Long Island The - Upstreampaddle

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L ong Island is that, just over 9 km long, 1.5 km at its widest, and barely 100 metres wide at its neck. In 1843, the watercolour drawing showed a flat area between a grassy hill and the left of three knolls. Today that low area is occupied by a Club Crocodile resort. The wreck is commonly believed to be the Valetta, a merchantman trading Bengal rum, and new season China tea, with the penal settlements of Tasmania and Sydney, shipwrecked in 1825. Inconsistencies between the Valetta's Masters description of beaching the holed and sinking vessel on a beach at Cape Gloucester, (80 km north) and the wreck located at Long Island, as well as descriptions of the Long Island wreck as having been a warship with gunports, have given rise to the mystery ship legend. Certain aspects of the scenario are lost to us in time, but we are fortunate that with the digitalisation of historical records, we can read, online, the weeky newspaper from Sydney of 1825, the Sydney Gazette, and its account of the events. The text is fairly clear, and while the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software on the website has trouble with the old type, the newspaper can be read. To save you the trouble, a transcript, of the full article, is below. The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser . Thursday 15 September, 1825 LOSS OF THE VALETTA This ship sailed out of our Port for Manilla on the10th of July, intending to go through Torres Straits. She went on her passage safe for a month, when misfortune overtook her, which ended in the wreck of this other fine vessel, as will be seen on perusing the following account that has been kindly put into our hands. July 9 ---- Anchored off an island near Cape Hillsborough; during high water, the extent of the reef was not perceived, but at little water it shews. This Island is one of the Cumberland Isles, and marked L. in Flinders' Chart. July 10 ---- Weighed with the weather tide, but the wind suddenly shifting, and having a long heave (26 fathoms) before the anchor could be hove up, the ship struck on the rocks, and continued beating very hard all the night, till the tide left next morning. July 11.---- The wind off shore, which enabled us to land most of the provisions, the ship at high water filled, when more than half the rice was was damaged before it could be landed. During the night the ship lightened and came off; ran her without a rudder, and the lower hold full of water, into 25 fathoms and anchored; people employed at both pumps, but did not gain on the leaks; not even, next day. July 12 --- At 4 pm got her dry; one pump keeping her free, and we had hopes of yet being able to reach India; having a good blacksmith on board, got new pintals for the rudder made, and on the 22nd having every thing re-shipped, sailed for the first port. Upstreampaddle 44
The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser . Thursday 15 September, 1825 LOSS OF THE VALETTA July 23 --- At 6 p.m. anchored at the entrance of Whitsunday Passage, a heavy swell running, obliged us as at 9 p.m. to release more cable, the jerking of which, it appears, caused a broken piece of coral rock to fall out of her bottom for the ship commenced leaking most alarmingly; all hands to the pumps, and could scarcely keep her free. July 24 ---- Weighed and made sail for the first place that appeared sheltered, for the purpose of laying her on shore, as her people could not possibly much longer continue at the pumps; near Cape Gloucester we found a good harbour, and smooth water; after hard pumping for several days, and landing everything we could, the ship was laid on the ground, on a bed of mud and sand, the people being so fatigued, they could not for another day have kept her free. At low water found the keel brake in two places, the scarf of the stern tore asunder, and two large holes in her bottom, and pieces of coral fortunately sticking in them; had they fallen out; the ship must have gone down before even a boat could have been in readiness. After getting the ship on the ways of fir wood, and working for three weeks in the hopes of repairing her, that we might proceed to the nearest port, found it useless, and began decking the long-boat, which Captain Dacre had proffered to proceed in to Sydney. Having lost the greater part of the rice on the 10th and 11th July there remained little to subsist on; and, for the present, half a pound of rice per man per diem, is served as the ration; at this ration they have 2 months stock ; 11 persons proceed in the launch, and 46 remain; the live stock mostly all drowned. The longboat, under the command of Captain Dacre, with the second mate and 9 hands arrived late on Friday night, all well after a passage of 21 days from the leaving of the wreck. 0000000000000000000000000 A week after the long boat arrived in Sydney, ( 22nd September, 1825) the wreck and stores was advertised as for sale by auction. Note the Long Boat was "as she lies in the Cove" (Sydney Cove) The sloop Brisbane sailed north on the 24 September to the Valetta to salvage goods, and the ship Prince Regent also on the 30 November 1825. For the next six months or so, salvaged marine stores from the Valetta would appear in the Sydney Gazette's classified advertisements. Upstreampaddle 45
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Wreck on Long Island The - Upstreampaddle

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