Castaway depot
Encyclopedia
A castaway depot is a store or hut placed on an isolated island to provide emergency supplies and relief for castaway
Castaway
A castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a deserted island, either to evade their captors or the world in general. Alternatively, a person or item can be cast away, meaning rejected or discarded...

s and victims of shipwrecks. A string of depots were built by the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 government on their subantarctic islands
New Zealand sub-antarctic islands
The five southernmost groups of the New Zealand Outlying Islands form the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic islands. These islands are collectively designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site....

 in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which were kept supplied and patrolled until modern technologies and alteration in trade routes rendered them unnecessary.

Shipping in the subantarctic

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the standard trade clipper route
Clipper route
In sailing, the clipper route was the traditional route sailed by clipper ships between Europe and the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. The route ran from west to east through the Southern Ocean, in order to make use of the strong westerly winds of the Roaring Forties...

 from Australia and New Zealand to Europe took a line-of-latitude route in the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...

. Ships would drop below the Roaring Forties
Roaring Forties
The Roaring Forties is the name given to strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40 and 49 degrees. Air displaced from the Equator towards the South Pole, which travels close to the surface between the latitudes of 30 and 60 degrees south, combines...

 (40°S latitudes) to make use of the prevailing westerlies which carried them around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...

. These winds could be strong and the waters treacherous; moreover, the scattering of islands were often poorly charted. For example, in 1868, Henry Armstrong of the Amherst notified the New Zealand Government that the commonly-used 1851 chart by James Imray placed the Auckland Islands
Auckland Islands
The Auckland Islands are an archipelago of the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands and include Auckland Island, Adams Island, Enderby Island, Disappointment Island, Ewing Island, Rose Island, Dundas Island and Green Island, with a combined area of...

 35 miles south of their true position. Regardless of the charts, the cloudy weather predominant in the area made navigation by sextant
Sextant
A sextant is an instrument used to measure the angle between any two visible objects. Its primary use is to determine the angle between a celestial object and the horizon which is known as the altitude. Making this measurement is known as sighting the object, shooting the object, or taking a sight...

 difficult, and the Auckland Islands lay directly within the standard route. Following shipwreck, the subantarctic climate meant the islands offered little natural provision for castaways. Thomas Musgrave
Thomas Musgrave (castaway)
Captain Thomas Musgrave FRGS was a British and Australian ship’s captain and lighthouse keeper who was wrecked with the brigantine Grafton in the subantarctic Auckland Islands, and castaway there for over 18 months....

, captain of the Grafton
Grafton (ship)
The Grafton was a 56 ton schooner sailing out of Sydney during the 1860s. It was wrecked in the north arm of Carnley Harbour, Auckland Island on 3 January 1864.-Last yoyage:...

, which was wrecked on the Auckland Islands in 1864, described the "incessant gales, constant hail, snow and pelting rain" that plagued the survivors.

The Grafton
Grafton (ship)
The Grafton was a 56 ton schooner sailing out of Sydney during the 1860s. It was wrecked in the north arm of Carnley Harbour, Auckland Island on 3 January 1864.-Last yoyage:...

, a schooner out of Sydney in search of tin deposits, ran aground in Carnley Harbour
Carnley Harbour
Carnley Harbour is a large natural harbour in the south of the Auckland Islands, a subantarctic part of the New Zealand Outlying Islands. Formed from the drowned crater of an extinct volcano, the harbour separates the mainland of Auckland Island from the smaller Adams Island...

 during a storm in January 1864; the five survivors lived in huts made from salvaged materials for 19 months before three of the crew made the journey successfully to Stewart Island in five days in the repaired ship's boat; Captain Musgrave then arranged a rescue of the remaining two castaways. The same year, the three-masted clipper Invercauld
Invercauld (ship)
The Invercauld was an 1100 ton sailing vessel that was wrecked on the Auckland Islands in 1864.-Wreck:The Invercauld was under the command of Captain George Dalgarno and was bound from Malbourne to Callao in ballast with a total of 25 crew. She struck the Auckland Islands at 2 am on 11 May 1864,...

, en route to Chile was wrecked on the northwestern end of the island. Of the 25 crew, 19 made it ashore, but only three survived the winter, the others succumbing to exposure; they knew nothing of the presence of the Grafton crew to the south. In 1866, the General Grant
General Grant (ship)
The General Grant was a 1,005-ton three-masted barque built in Maine, USA in 1864 and registered in Boston, USA. She was named after Ulysses S. Grant, owned by Messers Boyes, Richardson & Co...

was wrecked on the western coast of Auckland Islands. 15 of the 83 on board survived the wreck, but only ten endured on the island until rescued by the Amhurst 18 months later. These experiences prompted a concerted programme to manage the risk of castaways in the area, and depots were established.

Establishment of patrols and depots

Following the discovery of the General Grant
General Grant (ship)
The General Grant was a 1,005-ton three-masted barque built in Maine, USA in 1864 and registered in Boston, USA. She was named after Ulysses S. Grant, owned by Messers Boyes, Richardson & Co...

 shipwreck survivors on Auckland Island
Auckland Island
Auckland Island is the main island of the Auckland Islands, an uninhabited archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean belonging to New Zealand. It is inscribed in the together with the other subantarctic New Zealand islands in the region as follows: 877-004 Auckland Isls, New Zealand S50.29 E165.52...

 in 1867, New Zealand's Southland
Southland Province
The Southland Province was a province of New Zealand from March 1861 until the province rejoined with Otago Province in 1870.-History:When provinces were formed in 1853, the southern part of New Zealand belonged to Otago Province...

 provincial government, and some Australian states, instituted a number of emergency depots on the Auckland, Campbell, Antipodes
Antipodes Islands
The Antipodes Islands are inhospitable volcanic islands to the south of—and territorially part of—New Zealand...

 and Bounty Islands
Bounty Islands
The Bounty Islands at are a small group of 13 granite islets and numerous rocks, with a combined area of , in the south Pacific Ocean that are territorially part of New Zealand. They are located between 47°44'35" and 47°46'10" S, and 179°01' and 179°04'20" E, southeast of the South Island of New...

. The initial expedition to establish the depots was led by Henry Armstrong of the Amherst in 1868. The first wooden depot was established at Sandy Bay, Enderby Island. In 1877 the central New Zealand government took over the responsibility and managed the network of supply huts and cabins on their territorial islands to provide sustenance and emergency supplies. From 1877 to 1927 government steamers patrolled the depots, to check for survivors and to maintain the facilities. After this time, improved radio technology and the disuse of the 40°S route for trade removed the need for the patrols and maintenance of depots. The steamer visits also encompassed and supplied a number of scientific expeditions, which allowed collections on observations on the islands to be made.

The government steamers, of which the NZGSS Hinemoa
NZGSS Hinemoa
NZGSS Hinemoa was a 542 ton New Zealand Government Service Steamer designed specifically for lighthouse support and servicing, and also patrolled New Zealand's coastline and carried out castaway checks and searched for missing ships. It operated in New Zealand's territorial waters from 1876 to...

 was one, made six-monthly patrols of the islands, maintaining the facilities, releasing animals and cutting firewood for the huts as needed.

Depots and island provisions

Government work crews built the supply depots out of various materials and to various sizes and designs. They were equipped with a range of emergency rations (tinned meat and biscuits), clothing, blankets, fishing equipment, medicine, matches and tools, and weapons and ammunition (to hunt food). Clothing was specially made out of durable, warm fabrics, and stored in metal drums. "Finger posts" (signposts) were set up on the island to direct castaways to the huts. Various animals were released onto the islands to breed and provide food for castaways. Pigs were released on the Auckland Islands from the early 19th century, followed later by goats on Auckland, Enderby, Ewing
Ewing Island, New Zealand
Ewing Island is an uninhabited island, part of the Auckland Islands group, a subantarctic chain that forms part of the New Zealand Outlying Islands....

, and Ocean Island
Port Ross
Port Ross is a natural harbour on Auckland Island in the Auckland Islands Group, a subantarctic chain that forms part of the New Zealand Outlying Islands....

 in the Auckland Group as well as on The Snares
The Snares
Snares Islands/Tini Heke is a small island group situated approximately 200 kilometres south of New Zealand's South Island and to the south-south-west of Stewart Island/Rakiura. The Snares consist of the main island North East Island and the smaller Broughton Island as well as the somewhat...

, the Antipodes and Campbell groups. Sheep were also widespread, and rabbits were released at Enderby and Auckland Island in 1840, and Rose Island
Rose Island, New Zealand
Rose Island is an uninhabited island, part of the Auckland Islands group, a subantarctic chain that forms part of the New Zealand Outlying Islands....

 in 1850. Cattle were temporarily farmed on Enderby Island, but had been released there earlier as castaway stock. Many of these animals died, but some survived into the 20th century. These small populations remained isolated from other breeds, and consequently retain rare characteristics, such as the Auckland Island Pig
Auckland Island Pig
The Auckland Island Pig is a feral breed of domestic pig found on subantarctic Auckland Island, New Zealand. Various introductions of pigs were made to the uninhabited island as a source of food for stranded sailors or visiting whalers, the first in 1807 with further liberations in 1840, 1842 and...

, Enderby Island Cattle
Enderby Island Cattle
Enderby Island Cattle are a breed of cattle that existed in a wild state in isolation on Enderby Island, New Zealand for over 80 years. Only about seven specimens remain today, in New Zealand, after a rescue expedition by the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand , and a culling program...

 and the
Enderby Island Rabbit
Enderby Island Rabbit
The Enderby Island Rabbit, or simply Enderby Rabbit, is a rare breed of domesticated European Rabbit originating from rabbits introduced to Enderby Island, an uninhabited subantarctic island in New Zealand’s Auckland Islands group, from Australia in October 1865 to serve as castaway food...

. Efforts have been made by the Department of Conservation to transfer these from the islands to the New Zealand mainland, where they are monitored by the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand
Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand
The Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand was founded in 1988 to conserve, record and promote rare livestock breeds with the aim of maintaining genetic diversity within livestock species...

, to restore the subantartic islands to their natural state. Before this move took place, the Auckland Island Goat
Auckland Island Goat
The Auckland Island Goat was a feral breed of domestic goat found on Auckland Island, New Zealand. It is now extinct.-History:...

 became extinct.

Some islands were provided with boatsheds to enable survivors to reach other land or close castaway depots, such as the depot on Enderby Island which was replaced by a boat shed for survivors to reach the nearby Auckland Island
Auckland Island
Auckland Island is the main island of the Auckland Islands, an uninhabited archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean belonging to New Zealand. It is inscribed in the together with the other subantarctic New Zealand islands in the region as follows: 877-004 Auckland Isls, New Zealand S50.29 E165.52...

. The survivors of the Derry Castle
Derry Castle (barque)
The Derry Castle was a 1367 ton iron barque built at Glasgow in 1883, and initially operating out of Limerick, Ireland. In 1887 while voyaging from Australia to the United Kingdom with a cargo of wheat, it foundered off Enderby Island, in the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands, on a reef which now...

, in 1887, built a punt to carry them from Enderby Island to Auckland Island. Following their rescue, a government steamer moved the punt to a new boatshed on Rose Island
Rose Island, New Zealand
Rose Island is an uninhabited island, part of the Auckland Islands group, a subantarctic chain that forms part of the New Zealand Outlying Islands....

 (which lies south west of Enderby Island), for the use of any marooned there. After the collapse of the historic Rose Island boatshed in 1973, the punt was transferred to Enderby Island. It is now on display at the Southland Museum
Southland museum and art gallery
The Southland Museum and Art Gallery is located in Gala Street, Invercargill, New Zealand. It is Southland's largest cultural and heritage institution, and contains a wide variety of the region's art, history and natural history collections.-Observatory:...

.

Some depots were targeted by thieves – whalers and other ship men who saw the depots as a source of free food and provisions. Clothing was generally distinctively marked, so it could be identified, and warnings were painted on the huts to discourage raiding.

Depot locations

On the Auckland Islands
Auckland Islands
The Auckland Islands are an archipelago of the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands and include Auckland Island, Adams Island, Enderby Island, Disappointment Island, Ewing Island, Rose Island, Dundas Island and Green Island, with a combined area of...

, depots were established on the main island at the inner reaches of Norman Inlet, and at Erebus Cove, Port Ross
Port Ross
Port Ross is a natural harbour on Auckland Island in the Auckland Islands Group, a subantarctic chain that forms part of the New Zealand Outlying Islands....

 (where there was also a boatshed). The boatshed and ruined depot are the only historical buildings left at Erebus cove. Also present in Erebus Cove is a southern rata
Metrosideros umbellata
Southern rātā , is a tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to 15 m. or more tall with a trunk up to 1 m. or more in diameter. It produces masses of red flowers in summer...

 tree (known as the Victoria Tree) with a carved inscription commemorating the routine castaway survey visit of the Australian government ship Victoria in 1865.
Camp Cove, on Carnley Harbour
Carnley Harbour
Carnley Harbour is a large natural harbour in the south of the Auckland Islands, a subantarctic part of the New Zealand Outlying Islands. Formed from the drowned crater of an extinct volcano, the harbour separates the mainland of Auckland Island from the smaller Adams Island...

, had a depot, shelter and boatshed. On Enderby Island, the Stella Hut was located inland from the later boat shed at Sandy Bay. Rose Island and Ewing Island
Ewing Island
Ewing Island is an ice-covered, dome-shaped island 8 miles in diameter, lying 15 miles northeast of Cape Collier, off the east coast of Palmer Land. It was discovered from the air on November 7, 1947 by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition , under Ronne, who named it for Dr. Maurice Ewing of...

 had boatsheds. Signposts were located throughout the islands.

On the Campbell Islands, depots were located at Hut Cove, Anchorage Bay.

A depot was established on the rocky Bounty Islands
Bounty Islands
The Bounty Islands at are a small group of 13 granite islets and numerous rocks, with a combined area of , in the south Pacific Ocean that are territorially part of New Zealand. They are located between 47°44'35" and 47°46'10" S, and 179°01' and 179°04'20" E, southeast of the South Island of New...

. In 1891, while on a cruise on search of the missing ships Kakanui and Assaye, Captain Fairchild of the Hinemoa noted that the Bounty Island depot had been destroyed by waves, even though located 100 ft above sea level. Attempts were made to land wood for rebuilding, but bad weather prevented the completion of the task.

A number of these depots are still in situ and are managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC); these include the 1908 hut on Antipodes Island, the 1880 Stella Hut on Enderby Island
Enderby Island, New Zealand
-External links:***...

, and the boatshed on Enderby. The 1890s castaway depot at Camp Cove, Carnley Harbour
Carnley Harbour
Carnley Harbour is a large natural harbour in the south of the Auckland Islands, a subantarctic part of the New Zealand Outlying Islands. Formed from the drowned crater of an extinct volcano, the harbour separates the mainland of Auckland Island from the smaller Adams Island...

, on Auckland Island was identified in a 2003 DOC survey as "worthy of inclusion on the 'actively managed' list." DOC also maintain other historical sites on the islands, including shipwreck relics.

Notable castaways

There were a total of nine shipwrecks leaving marooned castaways in the New Zealand subantarctic between 1833 and 1908. Some survivors' lives were saved by the existence of the castaway depots. The Auckland Islands alone had eight known shipwrecks (including those without survivors) between 1864 and 1907, at the cost of 121 lives; a number of these are buried at the historic Enderby cemetery.

Following the institution of the depots, the first use was seen when the Derry Castle
Derry Castle (barque)
The Derry Castle was a 1367 ton iron barque built at Glasgow in 1883, and initially operating out of Limerick, Ireland. In 1887 while voyaging from Australia to the United Kingdom with a cargo of wheat, it foundered off Enderby Island, in the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands, on a reef which now...

, an iron barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...

, was wrecked on Enderby Island on 20 March 1887. Eight of the 23 crew made it ashore. A depot was in place at Sandy Bay, but looters had removed all supplies but a bottle of salt, so the castaways subsisted on shellfish and a small quantity of wheat recovered from the wreck. After 92 days they discovered an axe head in the sand and were able to build a boat from the wreckage. Two men navigated the boat to nearby Erebus Cove, Port Ross on Auckland Island
Auckland Island
Auckland Island is the main island of the Auckland Islands, an uninhabited archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean belonging to New Zealand. It is inscribed in the together with the other subantarctic New Zealand islands in the region as follows: 877-004 Auckland Isls, New Zealand S50.29 E165.52...

, where they obtained supplies from the government depot. Collecting the remaining men, the group lived at Port Ross until rescued by the sealer Awarua on 19 July and taken to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

.

Four years later, on 19 March 1891, the barque Compadre
Compadre (ship)
The Compadre was an iron barque of 800 tons that was wrecked in the Auckland Islands in 1891.-The wreck:The Compadre sailed from Calcutta for Chile on 22 January 1891 with a cargo of jute bags. On 16 March 1891 it was discovered that the cargo had caught fire. The crew poured water into the hold...

was overwhelmed by fire onboard. With seas too rough to launch boats, the barque was driven onto the rocks off the North Cape of Auckland Island. All of the crew of 17 made it ashore but one died later. They obtained relief and sustenance from two nearby depots. Supplemented by the livestock released on the island, they survived in comparative good health until rescued 122 days later by the sealing schooner Janet Ramsay on 30 June, and carried to Bluff
Bluff, New Zealand
Bluff is a town and seaport in the Southland region, on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the southern-most town in New Zealand and, despite Slope Point being further to the south, is colloquially used to refer to the southern extremity of the country...

.

Less successfully, the 11 survivors of the Spirit of the Dawn
Spirit of the Dawn (ship)
The Spirit of the Dawn was an iron barque of 692 tons that was wrecked in the Antipodes Islands in 1893. She was built at Sunderland in 1869 by T.R. Oswald and Co and was owned by the Messrs J...

(crew of 16) failed to find the depots after foundering on a reef off the Antipodes Islands
Antipodes Islands
The Antipodes Islands are inhospitable volcanic islands to the south of—and territorially part of—New Zealand...

 in 1893. They subsisted on raw muttonbird
Muttonbird
Muttonbird, mutton-bird or mutton bird refer to seabirds – particularly certain large shearwaters – whose young are collected for food and other uses before they fledge ....

s, mussels and roots for 87 days before gaining the attention of the government steamer Hinemoa by a flag made from their sail. The island is mountainous and their weak state prevented them searching the island for the depots.

The steel barque Anjou
Anjou (ship)
The Anjou was a 1642 ton, French steel barque built in 1899. It was wrecked in the Auckland Islands in 1905.-Wreck:The Anjou was sailing from Sydney to Falmouth with a cargo of wheat. In foggy weather at 8.30pm on 5 February 1905 it struck rocks at Bristow Point, Auckland Island. The ship listed to...

ran ashore on Auckland Island on 5 February 1905. The 22 crew made it ashore in Carnley Harbour
Carnley Harbour
Carnley Harbour is a large natural harbour in the south of the Auckland Islands, a subantarctic part of the New Zealand Outlying Islands. Formed from the drowned crater of an extinct volcano, the harbour separates the mainland of Auckland Island from the smaller Adams Island...

 on three of the ship's boats after rowing against strong currents. Ten days later they reached the depot at Camp Cove, which provided them with ample supplies as well as the shipping schedule of the Hinemoa
NZGSS Hinemoa
NZGSS Hinemoa was a 542 ton New Zealand Government Service Steamer designed specifically for lighthouse support and servicing, and also patrolled New Zealand's coastline and carried out castaway checks and searched for missing ships. It operated in New Zealand's territorial waters from 1876 to...

so they knew how long they must wait for rescue. Captain Le Tellac commended the castaway arrangements, without which they would not have survived. Some supplies were missing however, later recovered from the house of Mr Glenning, leasee of the island. Reaching Norman Inlet on 7 May, Captain Bollons
John Bollons
John Peter Bollons, ISO, was a New Zealand marine captain, naturalist and ethnographer. For many years he captained New Zealand government steamers, including the NZGSS Hinemoa, which undertook lighthouse work and patrols through New Zealand's subantarctic islands. Bollons Island, in the...

 of the Hinemoa found traces of the castaways and was able to uplift them from the island and carried them to Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...

. Sailors from the Compadre and the Anjou engraved their names on the Camp Cove depot.

On 6 March 1907, the steel barque Dundonald
Dundonald (ship)
The Dundonald was a steel, four-masted barque of 2205 tons, which was launched in Belfast in 1891. She was shipwrecked in 1907 in the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands...

was wrecked on Disappointment Island
Disappointment Island
Disappointment Island is one of seven uninhabited islands of the archipelago Auckland Islands. It is from the north-west end of Auckland Island and south of New Zealand. It is home to the White-capped Albatross. About 65,000 pairs - nearly the entire world population - nest on Disappointment...

, in the Auckland group. The island lacked a depot, and the 17 castaways (from a crew of 28) subsisted on what water and food they could find (mainly mollymawk
Mollymawk
The mollymawks are a group of medium sized albatrosses that form the genus Thalassarche. The name has sometimes been used for the genus Phoebetria as well, but these are correctly called sooty albatrosses. They are restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, where they are the most common of the...

s and seals) and dug crude sand shelters. Using wood scavenged on the island and canvas from the ship's sails, they crafted a crude coracle
Coracle
The coracle is a small, lightweight boat of the sort traditionally used in Wales but also in parts of Western and South Western England, Ireland , and Scotland ; the word is also used of similar boats found in India, Vietnam, Iraq and Tibet...

 to bear four men across the seven-mile strait to Auckland Island in search of depots. After the loss of two boats and after several attempts, they made a successful crossing to the island in October and journeyed across the island to the depot. They found a boat at the depot along with the supplies, so after making sails from their clothing, the four men sailed back to Disappointment Island to retrieve their shipmates and return to the depot. With gun and ammunition, the castaways were able to supplement their diet with wild cattle caught on Rose and Enderby Islands. They were picked up by the Hinemoa on 16 November, and, once Captain Bollons had completed his steamship's survey of the Campbell and Antipodes Islands, were taken to Bluff.

The last crew of castaways to obtain relief from the depots were the 22 crew from the French barque President Félix Faure, which was wrecked off the North Cape of the main island of the Antipodes Islands
Antipodes Islands
The Antipodes Islands are inhospitable volcanic islands to the south of—and territorially part of—New Zealand...

 on 13 March 1908. Their lifeboat was broken by waves and all their stores lost, but the full complement of crew made it ashore not far from one of the depots. When supplies ran out, they hunted albatrosses, penguins and a calf - the sole remnant of the cattle set ashore earlier by the Hinemoa. They were rescued by the warship HMS Pegasus
HMS Pegasus (1897)
HMS Pegasus was one of 11 Pelorus-class protected cruisers ordered for the Royal Navy in 1893 under the Spencer Program and based on the earlier Pearl-class. The class were fitted with a variety of different boilers most of which were not entirely satisfactory and by 1914 four ships had been...

, which was alerted by the smoke from their fires. They reached Lyttelton
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand....

 on 15 May, and the carried to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, from where they obtained passage back to France.

External links

Castaway Depot items collected from Antipodes Islands depot in 1947 by Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Director R.A. Falla
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