The Kent Group are a grouping of six

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

s located in

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The ...

, north-west of the

Furneaux Group The Furneaux Group is a group of approximately 100 islands located at the eastern end of Bass Strait, between Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. The islands were named after British navigator Tobias Furneaux, who sighted the eastern side of ...

in Tasmania, Australia. Collectively, the group is comprised within the Kent Group National Park. The islands were named Kent's Group by

Matthew Flinders Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer who led the first littoral zone, inshore circumnavigate, circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then ...

, "in honour of my friend captain

William Kent William Kent (c. 1685 – 12 April 1748) was an English architect, landscape architect, painter and furniture designer of the early 18th century. He began his career as a painter, and became Principal Painter in Ordinary or court painter, b ...

, then commander of " when Flinders passed them on 8 February 1798 in ''

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

'' (on her way to salvage ''

Sydney Cove Sydney Cove (Eora language, Eora: ) is a bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, one of several harbours in Port Jackson, on the coast of Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney Cove is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central ...

''). The largest island in the group is Deal Island; the others, in order of descending size, are Erith Island, Dover Island, North East Isle, South West Isle and Judgement Rocks.

History

Seal hunting Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of Pinniped, seals. Seal hunting is currently practiced in nine countries: Canada, Denmark (in self-governing Greenland only), Russia, the United States (above the Arctic Circle ...

took place on the islands from at least 1803.

Shipwrecks

Murray Pass, named for the explorer John Murray, between Deal and Erith Islands has long been used by ships to shelter from gales in Bass Strait, but it is a dangerous, partly open,

roadstead A roadstead or road is a sheltered body of water where ships can lie reasonably safely at anchor without dragging or snatching.United States Army technical manual, TM 5-360. Port Construction and Rehabilitation'. Washington: United States. Gove ...

, and many ships have been wrecked after sudden changes in wind direction and speed. Others have hit the island either while attempting to shelter or through poor navigation in darkness or bad weather, several with heavy loss of life. They include:Broxam & Nash, ''Tasmanian Shipwrecks'', Volumes 1 and 2, Navarine Publishing, Canberra, 1998 and 2000, and * 1816, ''

Brothers A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingl ...

'',

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

, 40 tons, Captain William Hovell, one life lost. * 1819, '' Daphne'',

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 ...

, 151 tons, Captain John Howard, no lives lost. * 1819, '' John Palmer'',

, 37 tons, Captain Bastian, two lives lost (one ex ''Daphne'') * 1831, ''Ionia'',

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

, 226 tons, Captain Buck. ?Three lives lost. * 1850, ''Ida'', schooner, 50 tons, no loss of life. * 1851, ''White Squall'', schooner, 104 tons, Captain Chattock, no loss of life. * 1852, ''

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

'', brig, 82 tons, Captain Birdwood, no loss of life. * 1852, ''Mary'', brig, 308 tons, no loss of life. * 1855, ''Elizabeth Mason'', schooner, 79 tons, Captain McIntyre, no loss of life. * 1856, ''Kendall'', schooner, 157 tons, Captain Read, no lives lost. * 1862, ''Reindeer'', schooner, 104 tons, Captain Morris, all hands (about 8) lost. * 1863, ''General Jessup'',

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 ...

, 193 tons, Captain Hodge, no loss of life. * 1866, ''Boscarne'', schooner, 63 tons, Captain Black, no loss of life. * 1875, ''Essie Black'', barque, 281 tons, Captain Sivier, all hands (about 10) lost. * 1877, ''Bulli'', iron

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

, 524 tons, Captain Randell, no loss of life (a popular dive wreck). * 1921, ''Karitane'', steel steamship, 1376 tons, Captain Spain, no loss of life. * 1930, ''Ida N'', new fishing boat, 25 tons, Captain Busk, no lives lost. * 1961, ''St Nicholas'', newly completed fish carrier, 45 tons, no loss of life.

References

{{Islands of Tasmania , state=collapsed Islands of Bass Strait Shipwrecks of Tasmania Islands of Northern Tasmania Seal hunting

History

Shipwrecks

See also

References