''Margaret'' was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

-built

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 ...

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

that was launched in 1799 and wrecked in 1803. ''Margaret'' was constructed in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1799 and registered to a company called ''Turnbull & Co''.

John Buyers John Buyers was the first officer of the brig ''Barwell'' in 1799 on her voyage to China. Later he was the first officer of the brig ''Margaret'' as an investment he and John Turnbull made in Turnbull and Co., John Turnbull being his second of ...

, as her master, received a letter of marque on 28 May 1800. Buyers and John Turnbull, who had known each other from a 1799 voyage to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

on the ''

Barwell Barwell is a civil parish and large village in Leicestershire, England, with a population of 8,750 residents, Increasing to 9,022 at the 2011 census, the name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that ...

'', entered a venture with some London merchants to explore trade options. ''Margaret'' left London on 2 July 1801 and arrived in Sydney in February 1802. Buyers and ''Margaret'' left

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 ...

on 5 June 1802, bound for the

Society Islands The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the F ...

on a

seal hunting Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. Seal hunting is currently practiced in ten countries: United States (above the Arctic Circle in Alaska), Canada, Namibia, Denmark (in self-governing Greenland only), Ice ...

expedition. Along the voyage the ship was the first European to discover both

Makemo Makemo, Rangi-kemo or Te Paritua, is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago in French Polynesia. History Makemo is the home of legendary Polynesian hero Moeava. The first recorded European to arrive to Makemo Atoll was English pearl merchant Joh ...

Taenga Taenga, or Taunga-hara, is one of the Tuamotu atolls in French Polynesia. It is located 32 km to the northeast of Makemo Atoll and 27 km to the northwest of Nihiru Atoll. Taenga Atoll is roughly triangular in shape. It measures 27 ...

, and rediscover

Nukutepipi Nukutepipi, or Nuku-te-pipi is an atoll in French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Duke of Gloucester Islands, a subgroup of the Tuamotu group. Nukutepipi's nearest neighbor is Anuanurunga, which is located about 22 km to the W ...

in March 1803. On 17 April 1803 the ''Margaret'' was grounded on a

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

. The crew cut away her mast but by midnight they had to abandon ship. The crew reached shore in a small boat, which natives promptly stole; also, natives speared two of the crew. The crew constructed two small boats from the wreck and sailed off the island, eventually making it back to Sydney by 30 September 1803.

Footnotes

1799 ships Ships built in London Brigs of Australia Maritime history of Australia Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean History of New South Wales Maritime incidents in 1803 {{ship-stub