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Cospatrick (ship)
Encyclopedia
The Cospatrick was a wooden 3-masted full-rigged sailing ship that was the victim of one of the worst shipping disasters to a merchant ship during the 19th century. The ship caught fire south of the Cape of Good Hope
on 17 November 1874 while on a voyage from Gravesend
, England
to Auckland
, New Zealand
. Only 3 of 472 persons on board at the time ultimately survived, making it New Zealand's worst ever civil disaster.
of 1199 tons, on dimensions of 191 feet (58.2 m) length between perpendiculars, 34 feet (10.4 m) beam, 23.5 feet (7.2 m) depth of hold, built at Moulmein (now Mawlamyaing) in Burma in 1856 for prominent London shipowner Duncan Dunbar. Following his death in 1862 the ship was sold to Smith, Fleming & Co. of London. The Cospatrick spent most of her career trading between England and India
carrying passengers, troops and cargo. In 1863 she was engaged with other ships to lay a telegraphic cable in the Persian Gulf
. She had also made two voyages to Australia
before being sold to Shaw, Savill & Co. of London in 1873. The Cospatrick then became one of many ships owned by this company that carried cargo and emigrants from England to New Zealand
.
for Auckland
on 11 September 1874 with 433 passengers and 44 crew under Captain Alexander Elmslie. The passengers included 429 assisted emigrants, of which 125 were women and 126 were children. During the course of the voyage, eight infants died and one was born (plus another still-birth).
The voyage was otherwise uneventful until about 12.45 a.m. on 17 November - about twelve hours after the vessel's position was determined as 400 miles (643.7 km) south-west of the Cape of Good Hope
. The ship's second mate, Henry Macdonald, was alerted by a strong smell of smoke at the end of his watch. When he went back on deck to raise the alarm, he found that fire had broken out in the boatswain
's store, where oakum
, tar
, paint and ropes were stored. The crew was summoned to man the fire hoses, while the Captain and crew tried, but failed, to turn the ship before the wind, to take the smoke and flames forward and to contain the fire.
The fire rapidly grew out of control and panic ensued. Although there were five lifeboat
s on board capable of carrying 187 people, only one was successfully launched although a second was found capsized and was righted. Initially 61 passengers and crew survived, but one of the boats went missing during a storm on the night of 21 November. Those in the remaining boat were infamously reduced to cannibalism
, before five survivors were rescued by the ship British Sceptre on 27 November 1874. They had drifted about 500 miles (804.7 km) north-east from where the Cospatrick had sunk. Two of the survivors died shortly after being rescued.
, oil, varnish and pitch. Another theory was spontaneous combustion
. The lack of lifeboats and inability to launch them successfully at sea also caused much public outrage, but little was done until after the loss of the Titanic in 1912.
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
on 17 November 1874 while on a voyage from Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, 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...
. Only 3 of 472 persons on board at the time ultimately survived, making it New Zealand's worst ever civil disaster.
History
The Cospatrick was a Blackwall FrigateBlackwall Frigate
Blackwall Frigate was the colloquial name for a type of three-masted full-rigged ship built between the late 1830s and the mid 1870s. They were originally intended as replacements for the British East Indiaman in the trade between England, the Cape of Good Hope, India and China, but from the 1850s...
of 1199 tons, on dimensions of 191 feet (58.2 m) length between perpendiculars, 34 feet (10.4 m) beam, 23.5 feet (7.2 m) depth of hold, built at Moulmein (now Mawlamyaing) in Burma in 1856 for prominent London shipowner Duncan Dunbar. Following his death in 1862 the ship was sold to Smith, Fleming & Co. of London. The Cospatrick spent most of her career trading between England and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
carrying passengers, troops and cargo. In 1863 she was engaged with other ships to lay a telegraphic cable in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. She had also made two voyages to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
before being sold to Shaw, Savill & Co. of London in 1873. The Cospatrick then became one of many ships owned by this company that carried cargo and emigrants from England to 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...
.
Destruction
The Cospatrick sailed from GravesendGravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
for Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
on 11 September 1874 with 433 passengers and 44 crew under Captain Alexander Elmslie. The passengers included 429 assisted emigrants, of which 125 were women and 126 were children. During the course of the voyage, eight infants died and one was born (plus another still-birth).
The voyage was otherwise uneventful until about 12.45 a.m. on 17 November - about twelve hours after the vessel's position was determined as 400 miles (643.7 km) south-west of the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
. The ship's second mate, Henry Macdonald, was alerted by a strong smell of smoke at the end of his watch. When he went back on deck to raise the alarm, he found that fire had broken out in the boatswain
Boatswain
A boatswain , bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews...
's store, where oakum
Oakum
Oakum is a preparation of tarred fiber used in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships, as well as cast iron plumbing applications...
, tar
Tar
Tar is modified pitch produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving wooden vessels against rot. The largest...
, paint and ropes were stored. The crew was summoned to man the fire hoses, while the Captain and crew tried, but failed, to turn the ship before the wind, to take the smoke and flames forward and to contain the fire.
The fire rapidly grew out of control and panic ensued. Although there were five lifeboat
Lifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
s on board capable of carrying 187 people, only one was successfully launched although a second was found capsized and was righted. Initially 61 passengers and crew survived, but one of the boats went missing during a storm on the night of 21 November. Those in the remaining boat were infamously reduced to cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
, before five survivors were rescued by the ship British Sceptre on 27 November 1874. They had drifted about 500 miles (804.7 km) north-east from where the Cospatrick had sunk. Two of the survivors died shortly after being rescued.
Aftermath
An inquiry found it most likely that the cause of the fire was members of the crew or passengers broaching cargo in the hold using a naked light, thus igniting the large quantity of inflammable cargo including tarTar
Tar is modified pitch produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving wooden vessels against rot. The largest...
, oil, varnish and pitch. Another theory was spontaneous combustion
Spontaneous combustion
Spontaneous combustion is the self-ignition of a mass, for example, a pile of oily rags. Allegedly, humans can also ignite and burn without an obvious cause; this phenomenon is known as spontaneous human combustion....
. The lack of lifeboats and inability to launch them successfully at sea also caused much public outrage, but little was done until after the loss of the Titanic in 1912.