'' Eliza '' was an American

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

wrecked at

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

in 1808. ''Eliza'' had been constructed and registered at

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, United States. She carried a crew of ten and was owned by Brown & Ives. ''Eliza'' arrived at Port Jackson from

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

on 9 December 1807, and remained in Sydney until 22 April 1808 when she departed for

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...

and

. She carried at least one soldier of the NSW Corps to

. She is recorded touching at Tonga 14 June. It was some days later in June when she was wrecked south-southwest of Nairai Island, becoming a

total loss In insurance claims, a total loss or write-off is a situation where the lost value, repair cost or salvage cost of a damaged property exceeds its insured value, and simply replacing the old property with a new equivalent is more cost-effect ...

. One European man, whom ''Eliza'' had rescued from the wrecked , drowned. While the rest of the crew waited, ''Eliza''s master, E. Hill Corri, and his two mates travelled in a whaleboat to

Sandalwood Bay Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods. Sanda ...

where on 29 June 1808 they found the brig ''Elizabeth'' and the American ship ''Jenny'' lying at anchor. Corri and a rescue crew from both these ships travelled the 60–70 miles back to the ''Eliza'' wreck, where they were promptly attacked by natives. The natives killed the

cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), an alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * "Cooper", a song by Roxette from ...

from ''Elizabeth'', but the remaining sailors, led by ''Eliza''s second officer, Seth Barton, counterattacked and defeated them. Corri and his crew then sailed on ''Jenny'' for

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

but ''Jenny'' was dismasted at

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

and so he and his crew left her there.''Australian Shipwrecks - vol 1 1622-1850'',

Charles Bateson Charles Bateson (4 August 1903 – 5 July 1974) was a maritime historian, journalist and author. Early life Charles Henry Bateson was born in Wellington, New Zealand, son of Charles Bateson, a company manager born Liverpool, England, and mo ...

, AH and AW Reed, Sydney, 1972, p44 ''Eliza'' is also notable for being the ship that carried Charlie Savage from

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

to Fiji. Another vessel named ''Eliza'', a carval built sloop of 22 tons was operating in NSW waters at the same time, built in the colony in 1808, owned by Edward Wills, and mentioned several times in the Sydney Gazette. She is recorded departing with passengers to quit the colony (9 October 1808 ''Sydney Gazette'') and is clearly a different vessel to the brig.

Citations

{{1808 shipwrecks Ships built in Providence, Rhode Island Maritime history of Australia History of New South Wales Sailing ships Individual sailing vessels Maritime incidents in 1808 Shipwrecks of Fiji Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean