''Phatisalam'' was a ship of 259 tons, that was built in

Cochin Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1816. It was wrecked in 1821, leading to the deaths of eight people. Under the command of Captain

Peter Dillon Peter Dillon (15 June 1788 – 9 February 1847) was a sea captain engaged in the merchant trade, explorer and writer. Dillon discovered in 1826–27 the fate of the La Pérouse expedition. Early career Peter Dillon was born in Martinique, Fra ...

the ship left

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

on 25 January 1821. It was a slow journey and in early poor weather the ship began to leak badly, taking on board nearly 50 cm per hour. The crew of

Lascars A lascar was a sailor or militiaman from the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Arab world, British Somaliland or other lands east of the Cape of Good Hope who was employed on European ships from the 16th century until the mid-20th century ...

fared badly on the slow and arduous trip with several dying and the rest suffering from starvation and illness. In a gale on the night of 9 July 1821 the ship was beached on Hunter Island,

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 ...

. Nobody was injured in the beaching, however after waiting several months for rescue, it was decided to try to make

Port Dalrymple George Town (palawa kani: ''kinimathatakinta'') is a large town in north-east Tasmania, on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Tamar River. The Australian Bureau of Statistics records the George Town Municipal Area had a population of 6,764 as ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. When one of the longboats was launched it capsized leading to the deaths of six crew and two prisoners. The only survivor was a female passenger.''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, p61
- The remaining passengers and crew reached

George Town, Tasmania George Town (palawa kani: ''kinimathatakinta'') is a large town in north-east Tasmania, on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Tamar River. The Australian Bureau of Statistics records the George Town Council, George Town Municipal Area had a pop ...

, after a stormy trip of some twelve days. In mid October, the wreck was surveyed and burnt by the surveyors.

References

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Phatisalam'' Shipwrecks of Tasmania Ships built in India Sailing ships Individual sailing vessels Maritime incidents in July 1821 1816 ships