''Lady Elizabeth'' is a wrecked

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts having the fore- and mainmasts Square rig, rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) Fore-and-aft rig, rigged fore and aft. Som ...

of 1,155 tons built by Robert Thompson Jr. of Southwick,

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 ...

and launched on 4 June 1879. Robert Thompson Jr. was one of the sons of Robert Thompson Sr. who owned and operated the family ran shipyard J. L. Thompson & Sons. Thompson Jr. eventually left the family business in 1854 to start his own shipbuilding business in Southwick,

. The ship was built for John Wilson as a replacement for the 658-ton, 1869-built barque which sank off

Rottnest Island Rottnest Island ( nys, Wadjemup), often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a island off the coast of Western Australia, located west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, Rottnest is an A-class ...

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in 1878.

History

The builders of the second ''Lady Elizabeth'' had also built the first ship. The ship had three masts and was just under average size compared to

s built by Robert Thompson. However, the later ''Lady Elizabeth'' was still the seventh largest ship the firm built. John Wilson remained the owner of ''Lady Elizabeth'' and was captained by Alexander Findley from Montrose until 15 March 1884 when he took out several loans from G. Oliver and also with the bank. Eventually, John Wilson declared bankruptcy and all of his ships, including ''Lady Elizabeth'' were sold off. The new owner was George Christian Karran who purchased the ship a few months later. Karrans' family owned several ships but this was George Christian Karrans' first ship. George Christian Karran also captained the ship for a few years. After owning the ship for a few years, George's elder brother Robert Gick Karran died leading George to take command of ''Manx King''. However, he remained the owner of ''Lady Elizabeth'' until 1906. In 1906 ''Lady Elizabeth'' was purchased by the Norwegian company Skibasaktieselskabet for £3,250. The company was managed by L. Lydersen and ''Lady Elizabeth'' was captained by Peter Julius Hoegh.

Events

*On 23 February 1884, ''Lady Elizabeth'' suffered substantial damage from a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

. She sustained damage to the front of the

poop deck In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or " aft", part of the superstructure of a ship. The name originates from the French word for stern, ''la poupe'', from Latin ''puppis''. Thus th ...

after it was stoved in. Many of her sails were lost or severely damaged. Despite the damage, the ship was able to make it to port in

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

where six crew members jumped ship. Another death occurred on the voyage when William Leach fell from aloft and later died from his injuries. This was the third voyage under the command of Captain Karran. *On 10 May 1890, Captain George Christian Karran stepped down as captain after six voyages and Captain H. C. Lever took command as the new captain of ''Lady Elizabeth''. *In January 1906, ''Lady Elizabeth'' was sold to the Norwegian company Skibasaktieselskabet of Sundet, Boroen.

Mystery of lost sailors

During Captain Julius Hoegh's command of the ship, two crew members went missing after suffering from malarial fever. ''Lady Elizabeth'' left

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists o ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

with a crew that included several

Finns Finns or Finnish people ( fi, suomalaiset, ) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland. Finns are traditionally divided into smaller regional groups that span several countries adjacent to Finland, both those who are native to these ...

on 26 September (year unknown, but between 1906 and 1913). Just after leaving port, one of the

, a man named Granquiss, became ill. Captain Hoegh diagnosed his condition as

malarial Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or dea ...

fever. A few days later, another Finnish crewman, Haparanta by name, also became ill with malarial fever. A third crew member also complained of feeling ill, but not as severely. The captain prescribed some remedies to help the sick crew members, and they were allowed to walk the deck to get fresh air. A short time later, Granquiss went missing and the crew were unable to locate him on the ship. Captain Hoegh concluded that the sick crew member must have deliberately jumped from the ship, taking his own life, as the fine weather that day made an accidental fall overboard unlikely. Around 7:00 pm, Captain Hoegh discovered the other sick Finnish crew member was also missing. A search turned up no evidence of him. It was concluded that the

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

had caused both men to become delirious and jump overboard, and Captain Hoegh ordered the crew to keep a close watch on the man with the less severe fever. ''Lady Elizabeth'' eventually arrived at

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 ...

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 ...

and filed a report with authorities. A consul from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

named H. C. Langwill held an official inquiry.

Final years

On 4 December 1912, ''Lady Elizabeth'' left

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bound for

Delagoa Bay Maputo Bay ( pt, Baía de Maputo), formerly also known as Delagoa Bay from ''Baía da Lagoa'' in Portuguese, is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Mozambique, between 25° 40' and 26° 20' S, with a length from north to south of over 90&n ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, with a shipment of lumber. The ship encountered severe weather halfway through the voyage and was damaged just off

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...

. Four crew members were lost overboard, along with the ship's two boats and part of her deck cargo. She also sustained damage to the deck fittings, wheel, moorings, and other parts of the ship. Captain Hoegh ordered the ship to the nearest port for repairs. ''Lady Elizabeth'' altered course for

Stanley, Falkland Islands Stanley (; also known as Port Stanley) is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is located on the island of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2016 census, the city had a populat ...

. north of Port Stanley, ''Lady Elizabeth'' struck Uraine Rock just off Volunteer Point and suffered a break in the hull and keel along with a hole. The ship began to sink but was able to get to Port Stanley for repairs. After she was examined, ''Lady Elizabeth'' was condemned (declared unseaworthy) because of the damage. In June 1913, she was condemned and converted into a

coal hulk A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Hulk may be used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, an abandoned wreck or shell, or to refer to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment ...

. She was sold to the Crown

Receiver of Wreck The Receiver of Wreck is an official who administers law dealing with maritime wrecks and salvage in some countries having a British administrative heritage. In the United Kingdom, the Receiver of Wreck is also appointed to retain the possession o ...

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

for £1,000. ''Lady Elizabeth'' remained stationed there until 17 February 1936 when her mooring lines broke during a storm and she drifted to where she now lies in Whalebone Cove in

Stanley Harbour Stanley Harbour is a large inlet on the east coast of East Falkland island. A strait called "the Narrows" leads into Port William. It serves the town of the same name – Stanley – as a harbour. Stanley has sprawled along the south shore of ...

Current status

''Lady Elizabeth'' is still intact and partially beached in Whalebone Cove. The ship has been reported to rock back and forth during high tides from the pounding waves. Many of the ship's accessories are still attached to ''Lady Elizabeth'' including the main crank for the anchor, the davits that would hold the two lifeboats, part of the

crow's nest A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point. On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land by ...

, part of the spiral staircase, and most of her wooden decking. However, most of the ship is suffering severe

rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH ...

and the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

has started to rust away leaving large holes. During high tide, the bottom of the ship is flooded. There are still sections of paint on the inside of the ship. Some of the iron rivets have rusted away causing the starboard bulkhead to spring out. In June 1984, the owner assessed the damage to ''Lady Elizabeth''. Using original reports from the assessment made on the damage in 1913, they found the foot-long hole in the keel and reported that this was indeed the reason the ship would not stay afloat. However, if ''Lady Elizabeth'' was towed for repairs in drydock, she could sail again. Unfortunately, there is no dry dock in Port Stanley. Since coming to rest in Whalebone Cove, the poop deck quarters have been removed from all wood and vandalized. The rudder of the ship is still intact but showing severe corrosion and is turned to port with the steering gears still intact but also corroded. The ship's wheel is missing. The original anchor has not been located; however, it is believed to be buried where ''Lady Elizabeth'' was used as a coal hulk. Plans were made by the Crown

s to salvage ''Lady Elizabeth'' and convert her into a floating museum. Due to a lack of funding, however, the project was never completed. In the winter of 2008, the ship's

bowsprit The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay that counteracts the forces from the forestays. The word ''bowsprit'' is thought to originate from the Middle L ...

broke during a storm. The Falkland Islands Museum & National Trust has discussed removing the bowsprit.

References

External links

{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919) Barques Windjammers Tall ships of the United Kingdom Tall ships of Norway Victorian-era merchant ships of the United Kingdom Merchant ships of the Isle of Man Merchant ships of Norway Maritime incidents in February 1884 Maritime incidents in 1912 Shipwrecks of the Falkland Islands Maritime incidents in 1936 Maritime history of Australia Coal hulks Ships built on the River Wear 1879 ships