''Fanny Nicholson'' was an iron-framed, timber-clad
barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...
that sank in 1872 in Frenchman's Bay in
King George Sound
King George Sound (Mineng ) is a sound (geography), sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came in ...
near
Albany in the
Great Southern region of
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
.
The barque was built in
Hartlepool
Hartlepool ( ) is a seaside resort, seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough Borough of Hartlepool, named after the town. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area with an estimat ...
in County Durham. It was fitted with one deck, a poop deck, an elliptical stern and a figurehead in the shape of a woman. It was copper-fastened, sheathed with felt and
yellow metal. The ship required repairs in 1856 and 1861 for damage incurred while in operation. During its early years of service it was sailed from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
to destinations in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
[ and was sailed to Australia arriving in 1859.
It was operating as a whaler out of ]Hobart
Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
in 1871, owned by Captain John McArthur and William Andrews.[
The ship struck a whale on 21 November 1872 while en route from Hobart to Albany. After tying the whale to the side of the vessel it proceeded to Frenchman's Bay where it anchored to process the whale. The following night a gale rose from the southeast and it broke two anchor cables and foundered close to shore at Goode Beach.]sperm oil
Sperm oil (see also: Spermaceti) is a waxy liquid obtained from sperm whales. It is a clear, yellowish liquid with a very faint odor. Sperm oil has a different composition from common whale oil, obtained from rendered blubber. Although it is tr ...
, the sails, rigging, whaling equipment, provisions and other contents were recovered from the wreck and shipped to Hobart for auction. The remains of the vessel can sometimes be seen in shallow water after heavy storms.[
]
See also
*
References
{{coord, 35.083, S, 117.9367, E, display=title
Shipwrecks of Western Australia
Maritime incidents in November 1872
Barques of Australia
King George Sound
1855 ships
Whaling ships