Mystery Shipwreck Activity 7 - The Story
Once owned by the British Royal Navy and used as a mail carrier, this ship was first called the Marquess of Salisbury.
When the ship was sold to the South Australian Company in 1836 to transport British and German migrants to establish a new colony, it was renamed South Australian.
"H. M. Packet Marquess of Salisbury, Thomas Baldock Esq.r Commander 1822.", N. Cammillierie, packet portrait,
courtesy Bruce Castle Museum
By 1837 the ship’s role had changed again. After delivering the migrants to Kangaroo Island, South Australian prepared for its new life amongst the whaling stations in Encounter Bay. The ship was refitted as an offshore whale-processing platform called a ‘cutting-in’ vessel.
This meant that while other ships hunted whales at sea, South Australian stayed docked in the harbour and waited for the whales to be delivered alongside it to begin their processing.
“Cutting-in, or flensing, was the process of removing blubber from whales, and in 1837 South Australian was used exclusively for this purpose… The oil-rich tongue and a thick piece of blubber from the underside of the whale’s jaws were removed, and finally baleen was cut from the gums”
Hunter et al, 2023.
Whaling in the South Pacific : Operations on board an Australian Whaler
Albert Henry Fullwood
On 8 December 1837, the ship’s log recorded:
These 24 hours commences a strong big swell in the bay from the south-east by east with a very thick hazy weather attended with continual rain...
South Australian was caught in a severe south easterly gale while anchored in the harbour. The strong wind and rough waves snapped the metal chain connecting the ship to its bower anchor. As the crew attempted to deploy another anchor, the ship drifted towards a rocky reef.
Their only chance at safety was to find a way to slide over the reef to the protected waters on the other side. They needed an anchor chain long enough to keep the ship's bow pointed towards the oncoming waves; if the ship turned side-on, there was little chance of survival.
Neither of the remaining broken chains were long enough to guide the ship safely over the reef by themselves. Instead, the crew attempted an unusual solution – they combined the heavy, metal chains by tying them together in a knot.
Amazingly, this temporary solution held long enough for the ship to glide over the reef without immediately capsizing; but in this process, the rudder became damaged and the anchor chain broke again, causing them to lose control of the ship. Once the flailing vessel hit the shore and became bilged, there was no chance of recovery. South Australian was wrecked.
Discuss: How do you think the people onboard South Australian would have felt in the events of 8 December 1837?
Incredibly, there were no casualties from this dramatic turn of events. Their success in guiding the ship to the shore before it sank meant that all of the crew and passengers were able to get to shore safely. Today, we know the details of South Australian's final moments because they were recorded in the ship's logbook after the crew returned to shore.
South Australian however lay broken and exposed in the shallows of Encounter Bay, and over time the ship was reclaimed by the sea.
Discovery
In 2018, a team of maritime archaeologists went in search of the mysterious lost vessel. Based on archival records such as the ship’s log, charts and paintings, they were able to narrow their search to a specific area.
Henry Mildred's 1838 sketch map of Rosetta Harbor, showing South Australian's loss location (circled). The associated caption reads: "I. South Australian's position on the rocks."
Courtesy of the State Library of South Australia.
ArcGIS map of the 1994, 1996, and 2018 survey areas, including 2018 search grids and the location of South Australian's wreck site.
Illustration by Irini Malliaros/Silentworld Foundation
Diving under the water, they found the shipwreck site and all of the artefacts explored in this unit. Using physical evidence and archival records, they were able to solve the mystery of South Australian and share its story with the world.
Dr Hunter documenting the hull of South Australian in June 2019.
Irini Malliaros/Silentworld Foundation
South Australian’s story has now been told in a multimedia exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum. The exhibition A Graphic Tale of Shipwreck: Rediscovering South Australian showcases artefacts uncovered from the shipwreck site, along with interpretive displays to bring the ship’s dramatic story to life.
Professor Holger Deuter
“Maritime archaeologists have partnered with virtual design experts in Germany to re-create the shipwreck as a stunning graphic novel and an immersive diving experience. These powerful depictions, plus actual artefacts from the shipwreck site, allow visitors to explore South Australian and reveal the historical and archaeological detective work that uncovered its story.”
Visit the exhibition website to explore the many ways that this story has been communicated, including through:
- Academic journals
- Magazine articles
- Graphic novel (not yet publicly released in Australia)
- Virtual reality experience
- Museum exhibition
Which method of communicating this story is most impactful for you? Why?
Assessment task
Choose one object and describe what it tells us about the story of the South Australian.
You can choose any format for your response, such as:
- An object label description, for use in an exhibition
- A written account of the historical context of the object
- A labelled diagram of the object
- A drawing of the object as it would have been used on the ship
