Wreck of the Surat

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The wreck of the three-masted ship Surat was a major event in the early history of New Zealand's Otago Region, occurring on New Year's Day 1874.

New Zealand Country in Oceania

New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.

Otago Region of New Zealand in South Island

Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately 32,000 square kilometres (12,000 sq mi), making it the country's third largest local government region. Its population was 229,200 in June 2018.

Contents

The Surat, a 1,000 ton iron vessel, was under charter to the New Zealand Shipping Company and was carrying emigrants and their belongings from Gravesend, England to Dunedin, New Zealand. She left Gravesend on 28 September 1873, with a crew of 37 under the command of Captain Johnson, carrying 271 passengers and 980 tons of cargo, [1] among it railway iron and equipment for a woollen factory. [2] It was not the Surat's first trip to New Zealand; she had previously carried British emigrants several occasions since the mid 1860s. [2]

New Zealand Shipping Company

The New Zealand Shipping Company (NZSC) was a shipping company whose ships ran passenger and cargo services between Great Britain and New Zealand between 1873 and 1973.

Gravesend Town in Kent, England

Gravesend is an ancient town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross on the south bank of the Thames Estuary and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is the administrative centre of the Borough of Gravesham.

Dunedin City in Otago, New Zealand

Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from Dùn Èideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.

Wreck in The Catlins

The majority of the voyage was uneventful, and the ship rounded the southern end of New Zealand's South Island on the last day of the year. At just before 10 p.m., under the command of her second mate, [3] the ship hit a rock, raking her hull before drifting clear. The exact location of this incident is unknown, but it was certainly along the southern part of the Catlins coast, and probably close to Chasland's Mistake. A check at the time found that the hull was sound and there was no leak. During the night, however, a weakened section of hull broke through, and the pumps had to be manned.

South Island Southernmost of the two main islands in New Zealand

The South Island, also officially named Te Waipounamu, is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area; the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, and to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi), making it the world's 12th-largest island. It has a temperate climate.

The Catlins

The Catlins comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions. It includes the South Island's southernmost point, Slope Point.

At daylight, the steamer Wanganui was sighted and offered help, but Captain Johnson — according to many accounts in a state of heavy intoxication — made it clear in no uncertain terms that help was not needed. Several of the passengers protested and attempted to contact the Wanganui, but Johnson produced a revolver and threatened to shoot anyone defying his command. [1] The captain did respond in part to the passengers' fears, anchoring the ship in Jack's Bay and allowing passengers to land. About half the passengers were landed before it was discovered that the ship was in danger of foundering. At this point, the anchor was raised and the Surat continued north to the mouth of the Catlins River, where she was deliberately beached in the sandy bay now called Surat Bay and formerly known as Forsyth's Bay. [4] All the remaining passengers and crew landed safely, with the help of the Port Molyneux harbourmaster, Captain C. E. Hayward, [1]

Steamship Type of steam powered vessel

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 came into practical usage during the early 1800s; however, there were exceptions that came before. Steamships usually use the prefix designations of "PS" for paddle steamer or "SS" for screw steamer. As paddle steamers became less common, "SS" is assumed by many to stand for "steam ship". Ships powered by internal combustion engines use a prefix such as "MV" for motor vessel, so it is not correct to use "SS" for most modern vessels.

Jacks Bay

Jack's Bay is a small settlement in The Catlins, an area on the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located six kilometres southwest of Owaka, close to the mouth of the Catlins River. A popular holiday spot with a seasonal population, there are numerous cribs at the settlement. Jack's Bay is noted for a large blowhole, known as Jack's Blowhole, a 55-metre-deep blowhole that formed when part of a sea cavern's roof collapsed. The blowhole is 200 metres from the sea.

The Catlins River flows southeastward through The Catlins, an area of the southern South Island of New Zealand. Its total length is 42 kilometres (26 mi), and it flows into the Pacific Ocean at Pounawea, 28 kilometres (17 mi) south of Balclutha. Its upper estuary is called Catlins Lake, and its lower estuary is shared with the Owaka River.

Aftermath

Once news of the wreck reached Dunedin, the harbourmaster at the city's port, Port Chalmers, enlisted the help of a French warship, the Vire, which was anchored at the port. Under the command of its captain, Jacquemart, the ship travelled south to the scene of the wreck. With the help of the steamer Wallabi (or Wallabie), which had arrived from Bluff, the Surat's passengers were safely delivered to Dunedin. [1]

Port Chalmers Human settlement in New Zealand

Port Chalmers is a suburb and the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, with a population of 3,000. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast from Dunedin's city centre.

Bluff, New Zealand human settlement

Bluff, previously known as Campbelltown and often referred to as "The Bluff", is a town and seaport in the Southland region, on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the southernmost town in mainland New Zealand and, despite Slope Point and Stewart Island being further south, Bluff is colloquially used to refer to the southern extremity of the country. According to the 2006 census, the resident population was 1,850, a decrease of 85 since 2001.

All of the emigrants' belongings were left in the watery hulk, as was the ship's other cargo. The ship's wreck — including its cargo — was later sold at auction, but by that time, the settlers' possessions were damaged beyond repair, and they had to rely on an emergency fund set up by the residents of Dunedin. [1] The ship's carved figurehead later became the property of Dunedin's Toitu Otago Settlers Museum. [2]

The inquiry into the wreck held that Captain Johnson and his officers were accountable for the wreck. Both the Captain and second mate had their certificates cancelled, and Johnson was further sentenced to two months' imprisonment. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ingram, C. W. N., and Wheatley, P. O., (1936) Shipwrecks: New Zealand disasters 1795–1936. Dunedin, NZ: Dunedin Book Publishing Association. pp. 189–190.
  2. 1 2 3 Brett, H., (1924) "Loss of the Surat, in "White Wings (volume I)." Auckland: Brett Printing Company. Archived at the New Zealand Electronic Text Collection, Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  3. ↑ Hutching, G., "The Surat beached near the Catlins River," Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand , 12 June 2006. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  4. ↑ Shipwrecks," The Catlins: Te Akau Tai Toka. Retrieved 22 January 2019.

Coordinates: 46°28′40″S169°44′30″E / 46.47778°S 169.74167°E / -46.47778; 169.74167

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