''Grace'' was launched at Ipswich in 1811. She spent most of her career sailing to South America. However, she was returning to Britain from New South Wales in 1822 when a fire that started in her cargo destroyed her.
Career
''Grace'' entered ''
Lloyd's Register
Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...
'' (''LR'') in 1812 with Smith, master, changing to J. Kerr, and Bond & co., owner.
[''Lloyd's Register'' (1812), Supplement, Seq. №17.]
/ref> Later, the British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
licensed her to travel east of the Cape of Good Hope.
''Grace'', Lethbridge, master, left Cowes on 20 April 1821 with merchandise and passengers. On 11 July she struck some rocks coming into port at Hobart, Van Diemen's Land, although she was under the control of a pilot. She could not be gotten off until she was lightened. She arrived in the Derwent on 10 August. She was not holed and by 1 September she had completed her repairs and was again ready for the sea.
Loss
''Grace'' was under the command of Captain Robert Lethbridge when she left Sydney on 19 February 1822 carrying a cargo of whale oil and wool. During the journey, which took 14 weeks, gales badly battered ''Grace''; the oil sprung a leak and saturated the wool, which with the movement eventually spontaneously combusted. ''Grace'' was in sight of Simon's Bay
Simon's Town ( af, Simonstad), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern si ...
at the time the fire was discovered. 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 ''Grace''. However, the crew were unable to keep the fire under control and as she neared Struys Bay (), she burst into flames. The remaining crew were taken on the longboat and the tow was cut. ''Grace'' grounded and burned down to the water line. The passengers and crew reached the shore without harm and six days later made it overland to Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
.
While most of the mail was lost, dispatches from Governor Macquarie
Major General Lachlan Macquarie, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821, an ...
were saved and for doing so, Captain Lethbridge was awarded at Bridgeman, near Singleton
Singleton may refer to:
Sciences, technology Mathematics
* Singleton (mathematics), a set with exactly one element
* Singleton field, used in conformal field theory Computing
* Singleton pattern, a design pattern that allows only one instance ...
, when he settled in New South Wales in 1825. Twenty-one barrels of oil and 38 bales of cotton drifted ashore.''Lloyd's List'' №5728.
/ref>
Citations
References
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{{1822 shipwrecks
Maritime history of Australia
Shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean
Ships built in England
Sailing ships
Individual sailing vessels
Maritime incidents in June 1822
1811 ships