HMS ''Beatrice'' was a 98-ton displacement,

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

launched in 1860 at Newhaven. She was acquired by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and the Colony of South Australia on 27 September 1862 and served on the Australia Station and was used as a survey ship, and in this role she surveyed areas of the north coast of Australia, assisted the 1866 expedition of

John McKinlay John McKinlay (26 August 1819 – 31 December 1872)
, Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

and surveyed the South Australian coast. In 1880, she was purchased outright by the Colony of South Australia, where she was converted into a hulk in 1881 as a mooring marker for the mail steamers at Glenelg. Later she was moved in 1888 to

Semaphore Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...

as a lightship. She was sold in 1890 to private owners. Re-rigged she was stranded near Port Lincoln on 4 February 1897 and after being re-floating was rebuilt.
An advertisement
in the Port Lincoln, Tumby and West Coast Recorder 16 September 1904 * Pt Lincoln Shipping Co * For Port Lincoln, North Shields, Louth and Tumby Bays, Beatrice sails Wednesday, Sept. 14. Freight prepaid. * A. J. Dorward, Agent. R. Fricker On a voyage to new owners on 14 July 1917 at

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

she encountered heavy weather and became stranded at Tamar Heads,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. While transporting a load of timber from Hobart for

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

she was wrecked off the south-eastern side of Waterhouse Island in

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...

on 9 April 1921. Her crew was saved and her gear salvaged.

Beatrice Islets Beatrice Islets are pair of islets in the Australian state of South Australia located in Nepean Bay on the north coast of Kangaroo Island about east of Kingscote. The islets and adjoining intertidal areas are notable as habitat for bird li ...

Nepean Bay Nepean Bay is a bay located on the north-east coast of Kangaroo Island in the Australian state of South Australia about south-south-west of Adelaide. It was named by the British navigator, Matthew Flinders, after Sir Evan Nepean on 21 March 1 ...

on Kangaroo Island are named after HMS ''Beatrice''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatrice (1860) 1860 ships Ships built in Newhaven, East Sussex Schooners of the Royal Navy Ships of South Australia Shipwrecks of Bass Strait