RMS ''Quetta'' was a Royal Mail Ship that was wrecked on the

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...

coast of Australia on 28 February 1890. ''Quetta''s sinking killed 134 of the 292 people on board, making it one of Queensland's biggest maritime catastrophes. It was caused by collision with an uncharted rock in the

Adolphus Channel The Adolphus Channel is a channel located in the Torres Strait, situated northeast of Cape York, in Queensland, Australia. Geography The channel runs north of the Albany Island, one of the islands of the Manar group of the Torres Strait Isl ...

Background

RMS ''Quetta'' was a British-India Steam Navigation Company liner that travelled between England, India and the Far East. The Queensland Government negotiated to have a service between the United Kingdom and Brisbane, to ease the passage of people and mail. ''Quetta'' was specifically built for the Australia run, with refrigeration capacity for the frozen meat trade. The ship was launched in March 1881 and made her first voyage to Brisbane in 1883. The designation RMS indicated the ship's role within the Queensland Royal Mail Line. Her sister ships were ''Manora'' and ''Merkara''. The ship was initially designed for 72 saloon (first class) and 32 steerage (second class) passengers, although this was later altered to favour steerage class due to the large number of migrants using the service. In five-and-a-half years service ''Quetta'' made 11 London-Brisbane round trips; the twelfth would be her final attempt.

Disaster

StateLibQld 1 45887 Drawing of 'Quetta' going down

On the night of 28 February 1890 the ship's master was Captain Sanders, with Captain Keatinge aboard piloting the ship through the Torres Strait. Destined for Thursday Island, the ship turned into the

to round the Cape York Peninsula. The pilot was experienced, the weather fine and visibility good, but at 9:14pm the ship struck an uncharted rock in the middle of the channel near Albany Island. The rock ripped a hole through the plates from the bow to the engine room amidships, four to 12 feet wide, sinking ''Quetta'' in 5 minutes and sending 134 of her passengers to their deaths. At the time, ''Quetta''s loss was thought to be the worst maritime disaster of Queensland. At the time of the disaster ''Quetta'' had 292 people aboard: a crew of 121, comprising 15 European officers, 14 from other trades and 92 lascars from India; 70 Javanese in temporary deck houses, travelling to Batavia after working in the cane fields; and 101 other passengers. The ship's cutter floated clear of the wreck and capsized, surrounded by a large group of Javanese and lascar seamen. Quartermaster James Oates organised the baling of the

cutter Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter, aka Stanley knife, a form of utility knife * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Side cutter * Cutter, a type of hydraulic rescue to ...

and it headed towards shore. Only one of the ship's lifeboats survived: Number 1

starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...

lifeboat controlled by third officer Thomas Babb. It was damaged and largely awash. As it headed toward shore it picked up more survivors including Captain Sanders. Around midnight the two boats came together and those aboard were placed on the nearest island. Captain Sanders then ordered the cutter to search for more survivors. After spending a night and day without food and water on Little Adolphus Island the main group of ninety-eight survivors were rescued by ''Albatross'', that along with ''Merrie England'' had been dispatched from Thursday Island's Port Kennedy. ''Albatross'' took soundings and located the rock thought responsible for the disaster, about from where ''Quetta'' lay. Relics raised during salvage attempts months after the disaster, and later, can be found in the Quetta Memorial Church on Thursday Island, which was consecrated in 1893. She now lies on her port side in of water and is a protected historic shipwreck under Australia's '' Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976''.

Memorials

As a memorial to the lives lost on the ''Quetta'', the

Quetta Memorial Precinct The Quetta Memorial Precinct is a heritage-listed Anglican church precinct in Douglas Street, Thursday Island, Shire of Torres, Queensland, Australia. The precinct comprises the All Souls and St Bartholomew's Cathedral Church, the Bishop's H ...

was established on Thursday Island, comprising a church (later a cathedral), a rectory and a church hall.

Notable passengers

* Claudius Buchanan Whish, and wife, Anne Ker Whish (both died) * John Watson of

Watson, Ferguson and Company Watson, Ferguson and Company is the longest running printing company in Queensland, Australia. It was established by John Watson and James Ferguson in the mid nineteenth century as a firm specialising in book selling, stationery manufacturing, l ...

, and wife, Elizabeth Selim Watson (both died) * George (70) and Jessie Blanche Prentice (18), paternal grandfather and half-sister of

George Gray Prentice George Gray Prentice (25 July 1891 – July 1944) was an architect practising in Brisbane, Australia, during the first half of the twentieth century and was involved in the design and construction of numerous major buildings in South East Q ...

(both died) * Alexander Archer, manager of the Bank of New South Wales in Brisbane, brother of

Archibald Archer Archibald Archer M.L.A., J.P., (18 March 1820 – 6 February 1902) was a Queensland politician, a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, and Treasurer of Queensland. He was one of the Archer brothers, an early Queensland pioneering ...

, and wife, Mary Louisa, a daughter of Sir Robert Mackenzie, 10th Baronet (both died) * Reuben Nicklin, and wife, Jane Lahey Nicklin, paternal grandparents of future Premier of Queensland Frank Nicklin both died. Jane Lahey Nicklin was the daughter of the prosperous timber merchant Francis Lahey and her brothers formed Lahey's Canungra Sawmill. The Nicklin family home "Hatherton" became the

Queen Alexandra Home Queen Alexandra Home is a heritage-listed villa at 347 Old Cleveland Road, Coorparoo, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1886 to 1963. It is also known as Alexandra House, College of Tourism & Hospitality, Hatherton, and ...

. Their 19-year-old daughter Alice Elizabeth Nicklin was one of the few female survivors. She was a strong swimmer and clung onto floating objects including a grating, then a dead sheep, then a plank. She was in the water on the dark, moonless night, sleeping and paddling on the plank and eventually made it to shore about three hours into the next day.

References

Underwater picture propeller and rudder
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External links