Elizabeth Henrietta (1816 Ship)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

His Majesty's colonial
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 ...
''Elizabeth Henrietta'' was completed in 1816 for New South Wales service, but capsized on the
Hunter River Hunter River may refer to: *Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia *Hunter River (Western Australia) *Hunter River, New Zealand *Hunter River (Prince Edward Island), Canada **Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, community on Hunter River, Canada ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
later that year with the loss of two lives. The ship was wrecked in 1825. ''Elizabeth Henrietta'' was ordered from the government dockyard in
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 ...
by Governor Hunter of New South Wales in 1797 when it was discovered that was unseaworthy, and the keel was laid in 1800. The frame was made from
ironbark Ironbark is a common name of a number of species in three taxonomic groups within the genus ''Eucalyptus'' that have dark, deeply furrowed bark. Instead of being shed annually as in many of the other species of ''Eucalyptus'', the dead bark accum ...
and
stringybark A stringybark can be any of the many ''Eucalyptus'' species which have thick, fibrous bark. Like all eucalypts, stringybarks belong to the family Myrtaceae. In exceptionally fertile locations some stringybark species (in particular messmate strin ...
but as there was a shortage of shipwrights the ship took an inordinately long time to construct. During that time it was called ''Portland'' but on its launch from HM dockyard in Sydney on 13 June 1816 it was named ''Elizabeth Henrietta'' in honour of the wife of Governor
Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; ; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Gove ...
. Having been sent to the Hunter River for a cargo of coal, on 30 July 1816 at around 4am, while at its moorings on the River, the ship capsized and sank. The wife of the Captain Joseph Ross and a crewman Patrick Fitzgerald were trapped as it sank and were drowned. The remaining crew, numbering five, rowed in an open boat to Sydney where they arrived on 7 August. The colonial brig '' Lady Nelson'' and the ''Nautilus'' of Calcutta were sent from Sydney to raise the ship, which they eventually did and the ship returned to Sydney on 30 August with the load of coal. ''Elizabeth Henrietta'' transported convict prisoners to Newcastle on 30 November 1821. One convict on the ship was John McCraw. In December 1823 the ship was sent to New Zealand for a cargo of
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
. Captain Kent left Sydney on 5 November 1823 and reached
Hokianga The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long Estuary, estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. The original name, still used by local Mā ...
8 days later. His mission was "to promote the civilisation of the inhabitants by supplying them with British manufactures in exchange for flax" and to collect flax for Sydney's
botanic gardens A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
. He left for
Kawhia Kawhia Harbour () is one of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located to the south of Raglan Harbour, Ruapuke and Aotea Harbour, 40 kilometres southwest of Hamilton, Ne ...
on New Years Day 1824. On 8 April 1824, ''Elizabeth Henrietta'' went aground after breaking adrift from the anchorage at Ruapuke Bay (now Henrietta Bay) on
Ruapuke Island Ruapuke Island is one of the southernmost islands in New Zealand's main chain of islands. It is located to the southeast of Bluff and northeast of Oban on Stewart Island. It was named "Bench Island" upon its discovery by Captain James Cook i ...
in
Foveaux Strait Foveaux Strait ( ; ) is a strait that separates Stewart Island from the South Island of New Zealand. The width of the strait ranges from about , and the depth varies between . The strait was first charted by an American Seal hunting, sealer, O ...
, off the south coast of New Zealand's South Island. Attempts by her captain and to refloat the ship were unsuccessful, but further attempts were successful, with assistance by the engineer,
John Busby John Busby (24 March 1765 – 10 May 1857) was an English-born surveyor and civil engineer, active in Australia. __NOTOC__ Early life Busby was born in Alnwick, Northumberland, England, eldest son of George Busby, a miner and coalmaster of St ...
, and ''Elizabeth Henrietta'' returned to Sydney on 13 March 1825. A cannon on the island is reputed to have come from the ship, as did the mice, which also remain there. A similar cannon is at
Waingaro Waingaro is a rural community in the Waikato District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, on the banks of the Waingaro River (Waikato), Waingaro River, where it is fed by a hot spring. Demographics Waingaro covers a total area of ...
Marae, which historian, H. C. M. Norris, said was given by Captain Kent. The ship was finally wrecked upon reefs at the mouth of the Hunter River, on a voyage from
Port Macquarie Port Macquarie, sometimes shortened to Port Mac and commonly locally nicknamed Port, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane, on the Tasman Sea coast at the mouth of the ...
and
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 ...
for Sydney on 17 December 1825. All the crew, passengers, convicts and military on board were rescued.


References

{{Navbox shipwrecks of New South Wales, Wreckshunter 1816 ships Ships built in New South Wales Individual sailing vessels History of Australia (1788–1850) 1788–1850 ships of Australia Maritime incidents in 1816 1825 in Australia Merchant ships of Australia Brigs of Australia History of Newcastle, New South Wales Maritime incidents in December 1825 Shipwrecks of the Hunter Region Ruapuke Island