Grace (ship)
Encyclopedia
The Grace was a ship that was totally destroyed by fire in 1822.
The Grace, a ship of 245 tons, was built in Ipswich
, Suffolk, England
. Under the command of Captain Robert Lethbridge, the ship left Sydney
on 19 February 1822 carrying a cargo of whale oil and wool. During the journey which took 14 weeks the ship was badly battered by gales and the oil sprung a leak and saturated the wool which with the movement eventually spontaneously combusted. The ship was in sight of Simmon's Bay at the time the fire was discovered and while five men stayed on board to fight the fire, douse the hatches and keep them sealed, the remaining passengers and crew stood off in a longboat, towed behind the Grace. However, the crew were unable to keep the fire under control and on nearing Struys Bay the ship burst into flames. The remaining crew were taken on the longboat and the tow was cut. The ship went to ground and burnt down to the water line. The passengers and crew made to shore without harm and six days later made it overland to Cape Town
. While most of the mail was lost, dispatches from Governor Macquarie were saved and for doing so, Captain Lethbridge was awarded 1000 acres (4 km²) at Bridgeman, near Singleton
when he settled in New South Wales in 1825.
The Grace, a ship of 245 tons, was built in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, Suffolk, 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...
. Under the command of Captain Robert Lethbridge, the ship left 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...
on 19 February 1822 carrying a cargo of whale oil and wool. During the journey which took 14 weeks the ship was badly battered by gales and the oil sprung a leak and saturated the wool which with the movement eventually spontaneously combusted. The ship was in sight of Simmon's Bay at the time the fire was discovered and while five men stayed on board to fight the fire, douse the hatches and keep them sealed, the remaining passengers and crew stood off in a longboat, towed behind the Grace. However, the crew were unable to keep the fire under control and on nearing Struys Bay the ship burst into flames. The remaining crew were taken on the longboat and the tow was cut. The ship went to ground and burnt down to the water line. The passengers and crew made to shore without harm and six days later made it overland to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. While most of the mail was lost, dispatches from Governor Macquarie were saved and for doing so, Captain Lethbridge was awarded 1000 acres (4 km²) at Bridgeman, near Singleton
Singleton, New South Wales
-Industry & Commerce:Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, energy generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined....
when he settled in New South Wales in 1825.