FORMER WRECKS AT WELLINGTON HEADS

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 48, 24 February 1917, Page 6

FORMER WRECKS AT WELLINGTON HEADS

THE GRAVEYARD OF MANY SHIPS.

Considering tho rugged nature ot tho locality and the number of ships -which have rnn in and out of Wellington, marine casualties about the vicinity of Wellington Heads and Palliser Bay nave "been comparatively few during recent years. The, following list gives details of most of the wrecks in this locality : —

Tyne, barque, lost on Black Rock, Island Bay, '4t\ July, 1645, - :

Barrett's Beef, 1848. This vessel was carrying people away from Wellington on account of the earthquake; they were fleeing to Sydney.. Affiance, barque, in Fitzroy Bay, sth November, 1867.

St. Vincent, ship, 4th February, 1869, with loss ot over 20 lives, in' Palliser Bay. ,

Ujjus, barque, and Wellington, ship, were both lost off Happy Valley on the same day, 7th..March, 1874. .

Tell,- barque, on Steeple Rocks, September, 1871.

Earl of South Esk, barque, on Bar rett's Reef,. May,, 1874.

Hunter,- schooner, on Barrett's Reef, April, 1876.

Nile, schooner, Pencarrow Heads, May 1876. '

Carlotta, barque, Penearrow Heads, November, 1878. -'

Hannah Broomfield, brigantine, Pencarrow Head,' October, 1880.

: Maggie Patterson, schooner, 81 tons, Pencarrow Head, 19th Jrily, 1881. (practically the same spot as the Devon) ; lost.

Napier, Barrett's Reef, Bth December, 1882 ; got off. Tui, steamer, Chaffer's Passage, Ist November, 1886; lo»l.

Shag, 31 tons, Pinnacle Rock, 4th November, 1888; slightly damaged. Oreti, steamer, Steeple Rock, 17th Jannary, 1889; now hulk in Wellington Harbour.

Waitara, 15 tons, Pinnade Rock, 20th February, 1889; slightly damaged.

William M'Laren, barque, 536 tons, Newcastle to Wellington with coal, Steeple Ror.k, sth October, 1889; sunk in Worser Bay.

Vinnie, Pencarrow Head, 13th. May, 1892; lost, ■'_ Halcione, barque, 843 tons, Fitzroy, January, 1896, lost. . .

Clansman, schooner, Barrett's Reef, 6th October, 1897, got off. La Bella, brigantine, Happy .Valley, 13th October, 1904; got off.., .

Felicity, ketch, 23 tons, Pencarrow Head, 13th September, 1910; lost (same spot as Devon).

Haupiri, steamer, Barrett's Reef, 17th May, 1912; put back to Wellington and beached.

The greatest disaster of all was the loss of the steamer Penguin on Tom's Rock, near Terawhiti, on 12th February, 1909. There was a loss of 74 lives on that occasion, bat the incident is too recent bo require more than mere refer-

Other wrecks in the neighbourhood of Pencarrow, viz., Palliser Bay and Cape Palliser, may also be mentioned. They are as follow :— '

Rory-o-More, schooner, Akaroa to Wellington, total loss, in the early days.

Cleopatra, a little steamer, Nelson to Wellington, total loss, 6th April, 1868.

Waihopi, steamer, total loss, 10th November, 1871.

Progress, total loss, 23rd January, 1880. .......

Emerald, ketch, total loss, 23rd April, 1887.

Waitaki, steamer, total loss, 23rd April, 1887.

Wainui, steamer, stranded on a rock for five minutes, oa 10th May, IBSB. " Lizzie Guy, schooner, total loss, 10th November, 1888.

Delemira, Dunedin to M&ldern Island, total loss, Bth December, 1896.

Znleika, total loss ajid"loss of life, Dunedin to Wellington. 16th April, 1897. Benaybn, London, via Port Chalmers, to Wellington, total loss, 11th November, 1903; as she struck the pilot in charge dropped dead. Addenda, Lyttelton to Wellington, total loss, 13th October, 1904. The most recent sirandings were those of the Devon (total loss) on the 20th .August, 1913, and of /the Komata, Corrina, and Kaitoa. The three latter vessels -were- refloated shortly afterwards.