Arpenteur

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History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
NameArpenteur
OwnerWilliam Owen & John Ridley
Launched1839
StrickenSank 1849
FateWrecked 1849
General characteristics
Class & typeBrig
Tons burthen95 tons
Length72.2 feet (22 m)
Beam18 ft (5.5 m)
Draught10.6 ft (3.2 m)
Notes [1]

Arpenteur was a brig owned by William Owen and John Ridley. It was wrecked at Hassell Beach in Cheyne Bay near Cape Riche when a gale ran it ashore 7 November 1849. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Arpenteur was built using wood at Mahe in the Seychelles in 1839. [4] It was originally registered in Port Louis in Mauritius. [5] The vessel was purchased in 1847 by Owen and Ridley, [2] who had it re-registered at Port Adelaide. [5] The vessel was used to transport cargo between Singapore, Java and Adelaide.

In 1848 Arpenteur, in the command of Captain Allen, was used to salvage Wave , which was wrecked at Cheynes Beach. The owners of the Arpenteur acquired the salvage rights for the wreck of the Wave for £330, equivalent to A$49,110 in 2022. When it returned to Fremantle Arpenteur had 27 long tons (27 t; 60,000 lb) of flour, 36 cubic metres (8,300 US dry gal) of wheat, the rigging and sails that the crew had salvaged from the wreck. [6]

On its final voyage the brig was in the command of Captain John Raines [7] and was being used to transport mail from England that had been collected at Singapore and was to be delivered at Fremantle. Unable to enter Fremantle harbour due to storms, [2] it sailed on to Albany but was unable to enter King George Sound as a result of strong gales and was damaged in the process. [8]

Eventually the ship reached Cheynes Beach where it was in the process of loading whale oil when strong gales rose from the south west blowing the vessel ashore [9] so that it foundered [7] and was wrecked. All of the crew escaped and a small portion of the cargo was salvaged. [9]

Wreck

The wreck is located approximately 100 metres (328 ft) offshore at the western end of Hassell Beach and lies on a flat sandy bottom. Used as a dive site, approximately 4.6 metres (15 ft) of planking and framework is visible along with some rounded stone ballast. [10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Western Australian Shipwrecks" . Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Arpenteur (1849/11/07), Cheynes Beach, Hassell Beach". Shipwrecks Database. Western Australian Museum . Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Albany's Early Years: 1847 - 1856". Albany Gateway. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Gordon de L. Marshall (2001). Maritime Albany Remembered. Tangee Publishing. ISBN   9780646499130.
  5. 1 2 P. M. Anderson. "The early shipping of the south east coast" (PDF). Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Wave (1848/07/05) Cheynes Beach, Cape Riche". Shipwrecks Database. Western Australian Museum. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  7. 1 2 "View Shipwreck - Arpenteur". Australian National Shipwreck Database. Department of Environment . Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Local intelligence". Inquirer . Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 24 October 1849. p. 2. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Local Intelligence". Inquirer . Perth, Western Australia: National Library of Australia. 21 November 1849. p. 3. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Albany to Bremer Bay". Marine Life Network. Retrieved 2 January 2016.

34°52′11″S118°24′13″E / 34.8698°S 118.4037°E / -34.8698; 118.4037

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