The ''Dunbar'' was a full-rigged ship designed and built from 1852 to 1853 by
James Laing & Sons of Deptford Yard in
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and used for
maritime trade
Maritime may refer to:
Geography
* Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps
* Maritime Region, a region in Togo
* Maritime Southeast Asia
* The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Princ ...
, as a
troop ship
A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...
and transport. The ''Dunbar'' was wrecked near the entrance to
Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in
1857
Events January–March
* January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen.
* January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating.
* Janua ...
with the loss of 121 lives. The wreck of the ''Dunbar'' ranks as one of Australia's worst maritime disasters, with the event still retained in the social history of Sydney and NSW.
[
The location of the wreck is now a ]heritage site
A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been re ...
, at Watsons Bay
Watsons Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Watsons Bay is located 11 km north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra.
...
in the Municipality of Woollahra
Woollahra Municipal Council (or Woollahra Council) is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is bounded by Port J ...
local government area of New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Australia. An anchor from the Dunbar, a memorial and remains of the 121 onboard are located within Camperdown memorial cemetery, NSW. The property is owned by the Land and Property Management Authority
The New South Wales Land and Property Information (NSW LPI), a division of the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation in the government of New South Wales, was the division responsible for land titles, property information, valuation, sur ...
, an agency
Agency may refer to:
Organizations
* Institution, governmental or others
** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients
** Employment agency, a business that ...
of the Government of New South Wales
The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...
and Woollahra Municipal Council. The site was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register
The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...
on 17 October 2003. The Australian Maritime Museum holds the John Gillies Collection of artefacts from the ''Dunbar'' wreck.
History
Building and specifications
The ''Dunbar'' was launched on 30 November 1854 for London shipowner Duncan Dunbar.
The ''Dunbar'' was a timber three-masted, full-rigged ship built from British Oak and East India Teak. The ship was copper fastened throughout, with iron knees. The figurehead was a rampant lion, copper sheathed, carved by James Brooker of Maryport. The registered tonnage was . the length of vessel: ; breadth: ; depth: .[
The ''Dunbar'' was built as a first class passenger and cargo carrier. Well fitted out throughout, the vessel was, at the time of launching, the largest timber vessel constructed in Sunderland. This was partly in response to the demand for ships to carry passengers to the ]Australian gold rushes
During the Australian gold rushes, starting in 1851, significant numbers of workers moved from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to where gold had been discovered. Gold had been found several times before, but the colonial government of Ne ...
. The ''Dunbar'' however was initially deployed as a troop ship in the Crimean War and did not become involved in the Australian trade until 1856.
Shipwreck
On the night of 20 August 1857, the ship approached the entrance to Port Jackson
Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...
from the south, but heavy rain and a strong gale made navigating difficult. The ship's captain, James Green, either erroneously believing he had already passed the harbour's southern headland or mistaking a smaller break in the coastline known as The Gap The Gap may refer to:
Places Australia
* The Gap, New South Wales, a locality near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
* The Gap, Northern Territory, a suburb of Alice Springs, Northern Territory
* The Gap, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
...
for the port's entrance, drove the ship onto rocks. There were 59 crew and 63 passengers on board under command of Captain Green. The ship was driven against the cliffs of South Head and rapidly broke apart. The force of the gale caused the ''Dunbar'' to break up. Only one out of 122 survived, Able Seaman James Johnson, who managed to cling to the cliff face until rescued some a day or two later. The remainder of the passengers and crew were drowned. Bodies and wreckage filled the harbour. A funeral was held in Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
for the dead which included several prominent residents and business people. There were seven hearses, four mourning coaches and a long procession of carriages. The city closed down for the ceremony and the streets lined with mourners while all flags flew at half mast across the city and harbour. A day of public mourning was declared. The remains of the bodies of twenty-two victims were recovered and interred in a single large tomb in Camperdown Cemetery
Camperdown Cemetery is an historic cemetery located on Church Street in Newtown, an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The cemetery was founded in 1848 and was for twenty years the main general cemetery for Sydney, with the ...
in Newtown. Several other victims have individual monuments. The ship's bell was recovered and donated to St John's Anglican church in Darlinghurst Road near Sydney's Kings Cross. It was installed in the bell-tower of the adjoining St John's Primary School (now demolished) where it became a tradition for generations of head-boys to announce the start of each school day by ringing it. A later enquiry blamed the disaster on insufficient navigational aids in the Harbour. As a result of this loss and that of the ship Catherine Adamson at North Head some 9 weeks later, the Government built the Hornby Light at the tip of South Head. James Johnson was eventually employed in Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
as the lighthouse keeper and on 12 July 1866, was instrumental in rescuing the sole survivor of the paddle steamer SS ''Cawarra'' wrecked there in 1866. Memorial services for the victims of the ''Dunbar'' are held annually at St Stephen's Church.[
]
Site, salvage and memorials
The Dunbar shipwreck is located beneath the South Head cliffs near to the Signal Station. There is a rock cut inscription on the flat (horizontal) sandstone cliff top above the actual wreck site location. The inscription reads: DUNBAR C.P. 25th AUG 1857 RECUT BY E.S.S. 20 AUG 1906". It is unknown which tools were used to make the inscription, which have subsequently been picked out by dark pigment (paint?).[ The inscription appears to have been cut by a witness to the tragedy and later recut on an anniversary of the wreck. Its historical associations are not questioned.][
The Dunbar Anchor Memorial is part of a heritage location designated as the ''Dunbar Group''. It comprises a large (approximately ) iron anchor of Admiralty pattern, attached to the natural ]sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
rock cliff face above the southern end of The Gap. The rock face has been worked to a vertical surface to accept the anchor which is fastened to it, with a remnant shackle attached. The memorial includes a stone plinth
A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In c ...
bonded to the wall detailing the date and purpose of the monument. A timber safety rail fence surrounds the memorial precinct.[
The anchor that forms the memorial was recovered from the wreck, identified as Dunbar, in 1910. There is no reason to suggest that this was not the Dunbar wreck, being the only reported site in the immediate vicinity of the cliffs. A very similar anchor is retained on the identified Dunbar wreck site today and may be the other "bower" or main anchor used by the Ship. It was placed in its current position in 1930.][
]
Condition
As of 15 July 2003, the shipwreck site has been greatly reduced due to the exposed nature of its setting at the foot of the South Head cliffs and its shallow depth (~7–8 metres of water). The archaeological remains have been severely reduced due to the actions of salvage divers at the site since its re-discovery in the early 1950s. Without heritage legislation in force and a lack of understanding of conservation science and heritage protection, the Dunbar and other notable wreck sites, were severely damaged at this time. Uncontrolled looting at the site lasted until the 1970s, the use of explosives known from the earlier period of this activity. Today, the main elements consist of one Admiralty and one Porters iron anchor, concreted anchor chain, pig iron ballast blocks scattered through the sandstone rock gullies, and many fragmentary remains of cargo items, ships fittings and fastenings.[
The Dunbar anchor has been in outdoor exhibition since 1930 and was the focus of an intensive materials conservation seminar in 1991, held by Woollahra Council with the NSW Heritage Office. The anchor underwent conservation treatment at that time. Ongoing corrosion problems suggest that the anchor is in need of reassessment in terms of the conservation technique used. The rock inscription appears to have been hand carved and is still sharp and distinct. There appears to have been little physical weathering at the site. Due to extensive salvage by SCUBA divers in the 1950s and 1960s, the site's integrity has been severely eroded. Portions of intact archaeological deposits are retained on-site which might retain a moderate level of potential for future scientific examination.][
]
In contemporary culture
There is a description of the shipwreck of the ''Dunbar'' in Following the Equator
''Following the Equator'' (sometimes titled ''More Tramps Abroad'') is a non-fiction social commentary in the form of a travelogue published by Mark Twain in 1897.
Twain was practically bankrupt in 1894 due to investing heavily into the failed ...
, by Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
.[
] Twain refers to a death toll of 200 people and incorrectly refers to the ship as the ''Duncan Dunbar''.
Heritage listing
As at 27 October 2003, The Dunbar Group comprises:
* the shipwreck remains;
* the Gillies artefact collection owned and managed by the Australian National Maritime Museum
The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) is a Australian government, federally operated maritime museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney. After considering the idea of establishing a maritime museum, the federal government announced that a nation ...
;
* The Anchor memorial at The Gap; and
* the historic rock cutting on the cliffs above the wreck site.[
The Dunbar wreck site and its associated relics are a significant component of Australia's maritime heritage by virtue of the shipwreck's impact in 1857 on the developing colony of New South Wales, its influence on the improvement of navigational aids in Port Jackson (construction of ]Hornby Lighthouse
Hornby Lighthouse, also known as South Head Lower Light or South Head Signal Station, is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on the tip of South Head, New South Wales, Australia, a headland to the north of the suburb Watsons Bay. It ma ...
) and its potential for interpretation through public education programs. The disaster ranks as New South Wales' worst peacetime merchant shipping tragedy. The loss of 121 passengers and crew with sole survivor James Johnson, rocked Sydney and the nation. The event is still remembered today through annual ceremonies at St Stephens Anglican Church, Camperdown (Newtown) - site of the government mass burial plot, and individual gravestones.[
The Dunbar Anchor memorial and Dunbar rock inscription are a significant component of the Dunbar historic shipwreck story, and linked directly to the Historic Shipwreck remains, and to contemporary and modern community interest in the 1857 tragedy. The Dunbar anchor memorial at "The Gap" and the nearby rock inscription provide alternate public venues for community appreciation of the tragedy and impact on the inhabitants of Sydney.][
Dunbar was listed on the ]New South Wales State Heritage Register
The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...
on 17 October 2003 having satisfied the following criteria.[
The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.
Significant in the evolution of sea safety. The loss of the fine passenger ship with that of the Catherine Adamson nine weeks later on North Head, created enormous pressure for the locating of a lighthouse closer to South Head to mark the actual harbour entrance (Hornby Light). A site representative of the dangers associated with immigrant travel during the period of the 1850s gold rushes. The events that followed the wrecking, the search, recovery and burial of victims, had a considerable impact on the rapidly expanding colony, possessing in its population a large proportion of people who had travelled by sea and were able to relate to its hardships and fears.][
The place has a strong or special association with a person, or group of persons, of importance of cultural or natural history of New South Wales's history.
The Dunbar anchor memorial was established by the local government as a permanent memorial of the horrendous loss of the Dunbar (ship)ship, its passengers and crew, in 1857. The "Dunbar Disaster", as commonly referred, shocked the inhabitants of Sydney and Australia generally. The fine Ship built to high standards in Scotland by a notable shipbuilder, was destroyed in a matter of minutes by extreme storm conditions. The tragic loss of 121 lives, many women and children, had a devastating effect on the community and ranks as the worst peacetime merchant maritime tragedy to befall NSW.][
The outpouring of public emotion included a phase of intensive visitation to the scene of the wreck site. Crowds made their way to the South Head cliff tops above the wreck and witnessed its final destruction and the significant loss of life and cargo. The rock inscription was cut five days after the tragedy by C.P. (identity unknown), probably by one such visitor to the site. It was re-cut 49 years to the day of the actual loss in 1906 by another unknown individual.][
The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.
The vessel, wrecked at the foot of the sheer cliffs below the Signal Station at South Head, has a dramatic aspect and the place a melancholy atmosphere. A rock inscription overlooking the site records the loss, and is a tangible reminder of the tragedy which occurred below. It is linked by the headland walking track to "The Gap" where one of the Dunbar's anchors is displayed. The site is accessible to the general public, retaining potential for further significant interpretative programs. The physical cliff face became known as Dunbar Head due to the impact site and is formally recognised as such today as a significant coastal landmark. The wreck event formed the focus of contemporary artists who captured the terrifying scene through notable artworks, several within the ]State Library
A national library is established by the government of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, they rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuab ...
of NSW collection. Artists include G. F. Gregory, Samuel Thomas Gill.[
The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.
A site significant for the impact that the loss had on the colonial population and which is retained in the social fabric of Sydney to this day. Representing the most significant shipwreck loss in NSW, the appalling nature of the disaster and the extreme loss of life and property are remembered in annual memorial services at the victim's graves located within St Stephens Cemetery, Newtown. The Dunbar Anchor Memorial acts as a public focal point for the interpretation of the tragedy. Situated prominently at "The Gap", scene of chaos at the time of the tragedy, visitors are invited to learn of the Dunbar history through interpretative plaques.][
Significant local interest was generated in relocating the wreck of the Dunbar and relics from the site. Attempts are known at the time of the tragedy in 1857, in 1861, and in 1907 when two anchors were first reported underwater and a syndicate formed to recover them in 1910. One of those anchors appears to have formed the memorial established at The Gap in 1930. These events constitute concerted attempts to establish a public memorial to the tragedy and to mark, through time, the significant nature of the wreck event. 'The Gap' and the South Head coastal cliff top walk retain significance of place, as an area that witnessed the break-up of the Dunbar wreck site, slightly to the south. The anchor memorial serves to focus public appreciation of the loss for the contemporary colonial population.][
The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.
The material remaining on the Dunbar site is of low significance in terms of its technical attributes. Material that has been removed from the site, eg) spectacles, telescopes, coins, cutlery, anchors, cannon, etc., is likely to be of moderate significance. One collection of artefacts recovered from the site and egistered with the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Amnesty in 1993–5, The Gillies Collection, retains significance for the scale of its objects, as a record of early shipwreck salvage activities and the impact that uncontrolled access to these fragile sites can generate. The collection, now owned and managed by the Australian National Maritime Museum, is representative of the types of materials imported to Australian during the 1850s. It holds potential for research into conservation standards and applications.][
The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.
The Dunbar shipwreck is significant, particularly in relation to its interpretative potential, as a rare example of a shipwreck associated with a significant loss of life in close proximity to a major port and centre of population. Recovered from the wreck site in 1910 and established as a public memorial in 1930, the resulting anchor monument is unique in New South Wales for its scale and visual setting. As an easily accessible monument to a significant shipping tragedy at the entrance to Sydney, the memorial and associated rock cutting, demonstrate the contemporary community's reaction to the impact of the Dunbar disaster to their world. The monument continues to form a component of the city's cultural fabric, as a rare example of a public venue established to keep the memory of those lost, current.][
The Dunbar Admiralty-pattern anchor is characteristic of the type of large iron anchors employed by international sailing vessels during the mid nineteenth century. It comprises one of the "bower" or main anchors from the vessel, another example of which is retained on the wreck site underwater. Comparable government memorials to shipwrecks in NSW include the Walter Hood 1870 memorial near ]Bendalong
Bendalong (Bendy) is a small town situated on the South Coast of New South Wales. It is located in the region of Ulladulla, in the City of Shoalhaven
The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the south-eastern coastal region of N ...
; and the Ly-ee-Moon Cemetery (1890) at Greencape.[
The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales.
Representative, particularly in relation to its historical attributes, of the dangers associated with immigrant travel in the mid 1850s. The Dunbar anchor memorial and the cliff-top cutting are unique items in NSW in terms of land-based memorials to historic shipwreck events. Such was the impact of the 1857 disaster that the contemporary population wished it to be retained in living memory. Comparable government memorials to shipwrecks in NSW include the Walter Hood 1870 memorial near Bendalong; and the Ly-ee-Moon Cemetery (1890) at Greencape.][
]
See also
* List of disasters in Australia by death toll
This is a list of disasters in Australia by death toll.
100 or more deaths
50 to 99 deaths
20 to 49 deaths
Between 10 and 20
Gallery
Image:Port arthur outside.jpg, The Port Arthur massacre claimed 35 lives in 1996 when Martin Bryan ...
* ''The Wreck of the Dunbar or The Yeoman's Wedding
''The Wreck of the Dunbar or The Yeoman's Wedding'' is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Gaston Mervale starring Louise Lovely. The plot concerns the shipwreck of the ''Dunbar (ship), Dunbar'', one of Australia's worst maritime disasters. ...
''
References
Bibliography
*
*
* Christopher, Peter. ''Australian Shipwrecks. A Pictorial History.'' Axiom Publishing, Stepney, South Australia, 2009. .
Attribution
External links
Dunbar Head
* Creative Commons license">CC-By-SA
A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright license
A public license or public copyright licenses is a license by which a copyright holder as licensor can grant additional copyright permissions to any and all pers ...
]
{{1857 shipwrecks
Shipwrecks of the Sydney Eastern Suburbs Region
History of New South Wales
Maritime incidents in August 1857
1853 ships
1857 in Australia
1851–1870 ships of Australia
Ships built on the River Wear
Merchant ships of Australia
Full-rigged ships of Australia
New South Wales State Heritage Register
Watsons Bay, New South Wales
Troop ships of Australia
Transport in New South Wales
Monuments and memorials in New South Wales
Tourist attractions in New South Wales
Maritime history of New South Wales
Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register