''Nancy'' was a sloop launched in 1803 and wrecked on 18 April 1805 near

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village in the Jervis Bay Territory and on the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay, known as the Jervis Bay Terri ...

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 ...

. ''Nancy'' was a sloop of some 20 tons constructed on the

Hawkesbury River The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River (Dharug language, Dharug: Dyarubbin) is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle ...

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 ...

by Kable & Co. It arrived 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 ...

on its maiden voyage on 17 October 1803. On 18 April 1805, ''Nancy'' commanded by Captain Demaria was just off Jervis Bay when a violent

squall A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...

hit the area. ''Nancy's''

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast (sailing), mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. T ...

split and the ship could not make way. Everything on board was washed overboard and then the ship struck a small sandy beach between two headlands. The ship promptly broke up with one crew member, Richard Wall, from

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, drowning. The remaining crew walked to Sydney, arriving on 1 May 1805.''Australian Shipwrecks - vol1 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, p39

References

Shipwrecks of the Shoalhaven Region Ships built in New South Wales History of New South Wales 1803 ships Maritime incidents in 1805 1805 in Australia 1788–1850 ships of Australia Coastal trading vessels of Australia Sloops of Australia {{Merchantship-stub