SS Carnatic
Encyclopedia
The SS Carnatic was a British
steamship built by Samuda Brothers
at Cubitt Town
on the Isle of Dogs
, London in 1862 for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
.
She operated on the Suez
/Bombay run in the last years before the Suez Canal
was opened.
coral reef
near Shadwan
Island in the Red Sea
. Having assessed the ship to be safe and the pumps , Captain P. B. Jones denied repeated passengers requests to abandon ship, and reassured them that the ship was safe and that the P&O Liner Sumatra was due to pass by and would rescue them. There was a general air of calm and normality on board until eventually at 2am on the 14th of September, the rising water engulfed the ships boilers and the ship was left without power or light. At 11am the following morning, after 34 hours on the reef, Captain Jones had just given the order to abandon ship and the first 4 passengers had taken their seats in one of the lifeboat
s when Carnatic suddenly broke in half. 31 people drowned. The survivors made it to barren Shadwan
, where they were rescued the next day by a passing ship, Sumatra.
Onboard Carnatic was £40,000 worth of gold
(well in excess of £1,000,000 in modern terms), so the wreck was the subject of a salvage operation two weeks later. All the gold was reported recovered, but persistent rumours of remaining treasure
has added to the romance of the ship.
Captain Jones was recalled to England to face an official Board of Enquiry, which labelled Jones as "a skilful and experienced officer." However, they also found "it appears there was every condition as regards ship, weather and light to ensure a safe voyage and there was needed only proper care. This was not done, and hence the disaster." Although Jones' Master’s certificate was suspended for only 9 months, he never returned to sea.
These days, Carnatic is a popular scuba diving
destination.
's 1872 novel, Around the World in Eighty Days, Phileas Fogg
intends to take a steamer named Carnatic to travel from Hong Kong to Yokohama, but misses it.
His valet, Passepartout
, catches the ship, however.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
steamship built by Samuda Brothers
Samuda Brothers
Samuda Brothers was an engineering and ship building firm at Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs in London, founded by Jacob and Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda. The site is now occupied by Samuda Estate....
at Cubitt Town
Cubitt Town
Cubitt Town is an area on the Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets in London, England. It is on the east of the Isle, facing Greenwich across the River Thames. To the west is Millwall, to the northwest Canary Wharf and to the north, across the Blue Bridge, Blackwall...
on the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames.-Etymology:...
, London in 1862 for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
.
She operated on the Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
/Bombay run in the last years before the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
was opened.
Grounding
On the 12th of September 1869, she ran aground on Sha`b Abu NuhasSha`b Abu Nuhas
Sha'ab Abu Nuhas is a coral reef northwest of Shadwan Island in the northern Red Sea. It is a navigation hazard because it projects into the shipping channel, as evidenced by the 7 shipwrecks on it including the SS Carnatic, Kimon M, Chrisola K and Ghiannis D. It is popular with scuba divers...
coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
near Shadwan
Shadwan
Shadwan is a barren rocky island in the mouth of the Gulf of Suez in the northern Red Sea. Situated some 20 miles from Sharm el-Sheikh, the island is in length, and between 3 and 5 km wide. It was formerly also called Shaker Island...
Island in the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
. Having assessed the ship to be safe and the pumps , Captain P. B. Jones denied repeated passengers requests to abandon ship, and reassured them that the ship was safe and that the P&O Liner Sumatra was due to pass by and would rescue them. There was a general air of calm and normality on board until eventually at 2am on the 14th of September, the rising water engulfed the ships boilers and the ship was left without power or light. At 11am the following morning, after 34 hours on the reef, Captain Jones had just given the order to abandon ship and the first 4 passengers had taken their seats in one of the 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 when Carnatic suddenly broke in half. 31 people drowned. The survivors made it to barren Shadwan
Shadwan
Shadwan is a barren rocky island in the mouth of the Gulf of Suez in the northern Red Sea. Situated some 20 miles from Sharm el-Sheikh, the island is in length, and between 3 and 5 km wide. It was formerly also called Shaker Island...
, where they were rescued the next day by a passing ship, Sumatra.
Onboard Carnatic was £40,000 worth of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
(well in excess of £1,000,000 in modern terms), so the wreck was the subject of a salvage operation two weeks later. All the gold was reported recovered, but persistent rumours of remaining treasure
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
has added to the romance of the ship.
Captain Jones was recalled to England to face an official Board of Enquiry, which labelled Jones as "a skilful and experienced officer." However, they also found "it appears there was every condition as regards ship, weather and light to ensure a safe voyage and there was needed only proper care. This was not done, and hence the disaster." Although Jones' Master’s certificate was suspended for only 9 months, he never returned to sea.
These days, Carnatic is a popular scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
destination.
In fiction
In Jules VerneJules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
's 1872 novel, Around the World in Eighty Days, Phileas Fogg
Phileas Fogg
Phileas Fogg is the main fictional character in the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days.Fogg attempts to circumnavigate the late Victorian world in eighty days, or less, for a wager of £20,000 with members of London's Reform Club. He takes the wager and leaves with Passepartout,...
intends to take a steamer named Carnatic to travel from Hong Kong to Yokohama, but misses it.
His valet, Passepartout
Passepartout
Passepartout may refer to:* Passepartout , a character in Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days novel** Passepartout , a character in The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne television series...
, catches the ship, however.