SS ''Tararua'' was a passenger steamer that struck the reef off

Waipapa Point Waipapa Point is a rocky promontory on the south coast of Foveaux Strait, the South Island of New Zealand. It is located southeast of the mouth of the Mataura River, at the extreme southwestern end of the area known as the Catlins. The coastli ...

the Catlins The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprise an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha, New Zealand, Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between ...

on 29 April 1881, and sank the next day, in the worst civilian shipping disaster in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

's history.
New Zealand Disasters – SS Tararua Shipwreck
', Christchurch City Libraries. Accessed 20 January 2008. Of the 151 passengers and crew on board, only 20 survived the shipwreck.

Ship

The ''Tararua'' was a

screw A screw is an externally helical threaded fastener capable of being tightened or released by a twisting force (torque) to the screw head, head. The most common uses of screws are to hold objects together and there are many forms for a variety ...

-driven steamer with two engines, measuring long, wide and deep. Built in Dundee by

Gourlay Brothers Gourlay Brothers was a marine engineering and shipbuilding company based in Dundee, Scotland. It existed between 1846 and 1908. Company history The company had its origins in the Dundee Foundry, founded in 1791. By 1820 the foundry was manufac ...

in 1864, her original capacity was 523 tons (net) but alterations later increased her net

tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on '' tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a cal ...

to 563 tons.Tararua (1881)
, excerpt from Ingram, C.W.N. (1990) ''New Zealand Shipwrecks: 195 years of disasters at sea'', Beckett Books: Auckland, on the Dive New Zealand website. Accessed 22 January 2008.

History

Grounding

On 20 December 1865. ''Tararua'' ran aground at Cape Farewell, New Zealand whilst on a voyage from

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Nelson, New Zealand Nelson () is a List of cities in New Zealand, city and Districts of New Zealand, unitary authority on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the oldest city in the South Island and the second-old ...

. She was refloated the next day and completed her voyage.

Wreck

Sailing from

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at 5 pm on 29 April 1881, the ''Tararua'' was en route to

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via

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and Hobart. Steering by land on a dark night, with clear skies overhead but a haze over the land, the captain turned the ship west at 4 am believing they had cleared the southernmost point. After breakers were heard at 4:25 am, they steered away to the W by S-half-S for 20 minutes before heading west again. At around 5 am, the ship struck the Otara Reef, which runs 13 km (8 mi) out from Waipapa Point. Waves caused the SS ''Tararua'' to list to port. George Lawrence got in a boat and then jumped into the waves to swim ashore to warn a man who was named Charles Gilbee who rode his horse to Wyndham to send a message. At 11 am a wave caused the bridge to fall. At 1 pm, it was not marked urgent. At 2 pm the ''Tararua'' started to break apart, and it took until 5 pm for the ''Hawea'' to leave port with supplies. Meanwhile, the wind and waves had risen. Around noon, six passengers who were strong swimmers were taken close to shore; three managed to get through the surf, with the help of the earlier volunteer, but the others drowned. On a return trip, one man attempted to get ashore on the reef, but had to give up; another three drowned trying to swim to the beach. Eight of its nine crew survived, and the locals who had gathered on the shore could not repair it. The remaining boat could no longer reach the ship, due to the waves, and stood out to sea in the hope of flagging down a passing ship to help. The ''Tararua'' took over 20 hours to sink, with the stern going under around 10 pm a voice yelled out “a boat for God’s sake a boat”. The last cries of the victims were heard at 2:30 am when a loud crash was heard before a loud cry then stillness. About 74 bodies were recovered, of which 55 were buried in a nearby plot that came to be known as the "Tararua Acre". Three gravestones and a memorial plinth remain there today.

Inquiry

A court of inquiry found that the disaster was primarily caused by the ship's captain, F.G.Garrard, failing to establish his correct position at 4 am, before changing course to head west. An

able-bodied seaman An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...

was also blamed for not keeping a proper lookout, from which breakers would have been heard in time to avoid the reef. The court recommended that steamers should carry enough lifebelts for all their passengers (there were only twelve on the ''Tararua'') and that a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

should be built at Waipapa Point. The lighthouse began operating in 1884.

Previous incident

The ''Tararua'' had a narrow escape on a previous voyage in 1865, suffering no damage after grounding on a beach at Cape Farewell.A Narrow Escape from Shipwreck
''Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle'', Volume XXV, Issue 5, 11 January 1866, Page 3. Accessed 21 January 2008.

References

Sources

External links

*
A. Asbjorn Jon, 'Shipwrecks, Tourism and The Catlins Coast', Australian Folklore 2008Photos of the "Tararua Acre"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tararua 1864 ships Ships built in Dundee 1881 in New Zealand Maritime incidents in December 1865 Maritime incidents in April 1881 History of the Southland Region Ships of the Union Steam Ship Company Steamships Shipwrecks of New Zealand The Catlins Foveaux Strait Southland District