The SS ''Cawarra'' was a paddle-steamer that sank on 12 July 1866 in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

harbour,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia sending sixty people to their deaths. The sinking was one of the worst maritime disasters in Australian history. Owned by the

Australasian Steam Navigation Company The Australasian Steam Navigation Company (ASN Co) was a shipping company of Australia which operated between 1839 and 1887. Company history The company was started as the Hunter River Steam Navigation Company in 1839. In March 1851, the comp ...

, the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

-bound passenger vessel had become caught in rough seas off the east coast of Australia during storms that sank 14 other ships and resulted in 77 deaths between Port Stephens in the north and

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in the south. As the ship entered Newcastle harbour to take shelter it was overwhelmed by huge waves and sank, bow first, before thousands of onlookers who had gathered along the harbour shoreline to watch the stricken passenger ship. Its wreckage was recovered and, after removal of items of value, it was dumped on the Oyster Bank. While only one passenger survived the sinking, 60 people were already dead.

"Several hours later, the lighthouse-keeper sighted a survivor and with his assistant James Johnson, who had been the sole survivor of the Dunbar wreck, launched a boat and brought the man ashore... Ordinary seaman rederick VHedges had grabbed a plank as the ship sank and was eventually washed more dead than alive against a harbour buoy."Loney J K
Wrecks on the New South Wales Coast
' (At Google Books)

The wreck today sits beneath the wreckage of three more vessels that have since foundered in the harbour. Along with other wrecks they were used in the construction of the Stockton breakwall where plaques commemorate the loss of each of the ships including the ''Cawarra''.

References

External links

The Great Gale and Wreck of the Steamer 'Cawarra': Newcastle's Greatest Shipping Disaster
(includes list of the deceased) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cawarra Shipwrecks of the Hunter Region 1866 in Australia Maritime incidents in July 1866 History of Newcastle, New South Wales 1864 ships Paddle steamers of Australia Ships built in Glasgow 1851–1870 ships of Australia Coastal passenger vessels of Australia Water transport in New South Wales 1864 establishments in Scotland

See also

References

External links