Wreck of the Waterloo
Encyclopedia
The Wreck of the Waterloo, a British convict ship
, having sailed from Sheerness
on 1 June 1842 and under way to Tasmania
, occurred on 28 August 1842, when a north-westerly gale struck Table Bay
and drove ashore the Waterloo, the Abercrombie Robinson which was a troop transport, and several other vessels lying at anchor nearby.
The 414-ton Waterloo, built at Bristol
in 1815, an old ship with unsound timbers and carrying some 300 crew and passengers, was blown ashore at 10 am on 28 August 1842, smashed to pieces in the surf and completely wrecked. In the space of about two hours 189 people perished.
The ship's surgeon, Dr Henry Kelsall, had persuaded Captain Henry Ager to put in at the Cape for fresh provisions, as many of those on board were suffering from scurvy
. Consequently the Waterloo entered Table Bay on 24 August 1842 and anchored in a position which was to prove unsafe for that time of year. The Captain went ashore and left the ship in charge of the Chief Mate Jackson.
On 26 August a strong northerly gale sprang up, accompanied by heavy rain. The top-gallant masts snapped and landed on the deck. On 27 August, the surgeon became extremely concerned, especially when the two anchors gave way at about 11pm. He and the Second Mate lit flares to signal their desperate situation. Early on the morning of the 28th the wind grew to hurricane strength and the troopship Abercrombie Robinson was driven ashore. Fearing punishment, the First Mate refused to order the cutting away of the fallen masts. Dr Kelsall ordered the freeing of the prisoners from their irons. From this point on the situation rapidly deteriorated.
The Waterloo, helpless before the strong wind and high seas, was driven ashore, the masts broke and the ship heeled over on her side. Convicts leapt overboard, one of them aiding Dr Kelsall. Within two hours the ship had been reduced to fragments. At the subsequent enquiry Captain Ager was censured for remaining ashore and the First Mate for not clearing the fallen masts and rigging. The enquiry also noted that the ship’s timbers were rotten and in an unseaworthy condition.
In 1842 there were no lifeboats or rescue systems in place in Table Bay. There was also no Coroner's Court, so that the resultant inquiry was informal and superficial. An editorial in the South African Commercial Advertiser of 31 August 1842 criticised the British authorities and the Waterloo's captain, stating that the weather, the water and the bottom were not the reason for the tragedy. It went on to say
"The Abercrombie Robinson came into the Bay on the evening of the 25th, when it was dark, proceeded too far up the Bay, and came to anchor in a position unsafe for her should it come on to blow. The wind did blow a gale with squalls, and she wisely went on shore with an anchor at her bows, thereby saving some seven hundred souls, most of whom must have perished had she foundered where she rode at anchor. Had she been in a proper position she would have rode out the weather like the other vessels. Of the Waterloo it is impossible to speak with moderation. Deadly blame rests somewhere, and justice will, we have no doubt, find out the parties that deserve it."
Interestingly, the 751-ton Dutch East Indiaman, Waddinxveen, and the Oosterland, had on 24 May 1697 been anchored in the same place near the mouth of the Salt River and been wrecked by a strong gale blowing from the same north-west direction. There were only 6 survivors from the Waddinxveen.
Survivors (113) 16 men of the guard, a soldier’s wife, Mrs. Mulvaney, and 76 convicts. Lieut. Hext, who commanded the guard, was on shore at the time and made a sketch of the wrecking. Capt. Ager, Master of the Waterloo, survived as did Mr. Jackson, Chief Mate; Mr. Gunner, 2nd mate; Mr. Gill, 3rd mate; and fifteen of the crew.
Drowned (189) 143 convicts, 15 men of the 99th Regiment
, together with 17 wives and children, the boatswain Mr. Chiverton, the sailmaker, the carpenter and 11 of the crew.
Convict ship
The term convict ship is a colloquial term used to describe any ship engaged on a voyage to carry convicted felons under sentence of penal transportation from their place of conviction to their place of exile.-Colonial practice:...
, having sailed from Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
on 1 June 1842 and under way to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, occurred on 28 August 1842, when a north-westerly gale struck Table Bay
Table Bay
Table Bay is a natural bay on the Atlantic Ocean overlooked by Cape Town and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope. It was named because it is dominated by the flat-topped Table Mountain.Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to explore this...
and drove ashore the Waterloo, the Abercrombie Robinson which was a troop transport, and several other vessels lying at anchor nearby.
The 414-ton Waterloo, built at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in 1815, an old ship with unsound timbers and carrying some 300 crew and passengers, was blown ashore at 10 am on 28 August 1842, smashed to pieces in the surf and completely wrecked. In the space of about two hours 189 people perished.
The ship's surgeon, Dr Henry Kelsall, had persuaded Captain Henry Ager to put in at the Cape for fresh provisions, as many of those on board were suffering from scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
. Consequently the Waterloo entered Table Bay on 24 August 1842 and anchored in a position which was to prove unsafe for that time of year. The Captain went ashore and left the ship in charge of the Chief Mate Jackson.
On 26 August a strong northerly gale sprang up, accompanied by heavy rain. The top-gallant masts snapped and landed on the deck. On 27 August, the surgeon became extremely concerned, especially when the two anchors gave way at about 11pm. He and the Second Mate lit flares to signal their desperate situation. Early on the morning of the 28th the wind grew to hurricane strength and the troopship Abercrombie Robinson was driven ashore. Fearing punishment, the First Mate refused to order the cutting away of the fallen masts. Dr Kelsall ordered the freeing of the prisoners from their irons. From this point on the situation rapidly deteriorated.
The Waterloo, helpless before the strong wind and high seas, was driven ashore, the masts broke and the ship heeled over on her side. Convicts leapt overboard, one of them aiding Dr Kelsall. Within two hours the ship had been reduced to fragments. At the subsequent enquiry Captain Ager was censured for remaining ashore and the First Mate for not clearing the fallen masts and rigging. The enquiry also noted that the ship’s timbers were rotten and in an unseaworthy condition.
In 1842 there were no lifeboats or rescue systems in place in Table Bay. There was also no Coroner's Court, so that the resultant inquiry was informal and superficial. An editorial in the South African Commercial Advertiser of 31 August 1842 criticised the British authorities and the Waterloo's captain, stating that the weather, the water and the bottom were not the reason for the tragedy. It went on to say
"The Abercrombie Robinson came into the Bay on the evening of the 25th, when it was dark, proceeded too far up the Bay, and came to anchor in a position unsafe for her should it come on to blow. The wind did blow a gale with squalls, and she wisely went on shore with an anchor at her bows, thereby saving some seven hundred souls, most of whom must have perished had she foundered where she rode at anchor. Had she been in a proper position she would have rode out the weather like the other vessels. Of the Waterloo it is impossible to speak with moderation. Deadly blame rests somewhere, and justice will, we have no doubt, find out the parties that deserve it."
Interestingly, the 751-ton Dutch East Indiaman, Waddinxveen, and the Oosterland, had on 24 May 1697 been anchored in the same place near the mouth of the Salt River and been wrecked by a strong gale blowing from the same north-west direction. There were only 6 survivors from the Waddinxveen.
Survivors (113) 16 men of the guard, a soldier’s wife, Mrs. Mulvaney, and 76 convicts. Lieut. Hext, who commanded the guard, was on shore at the time and made a sketch of the wrecking. Capt. Ager, Master of the Waterloo, survived as did Mr. Jackson, Chief Mate; Mr. Gunner, 2nd mate; Mr. Gill, 3rd mate; and fifteen of the crew.
Drowned (189) 143 convicts, 15 men of the 99th Regiment
99th (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot
The 99th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1824 and amalgamated into The Duke of Edinburgh's in 1881....
, together with 17 wives and children, the boatswain Mr. Chiverton, the sailmaker, the carpenter and 11 of the crew.