StateLibQld 1 116272 Southern Cross (ship)

''Southern Cross'' is the name given to each of a succession of ships serving the Melanesian Mission of the Anglican Church and the Church of the Province of Melanesia. The first ship having this name succeeded the ''Undine'', a 21-ton

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 ...

built at

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

and in service from 1849 to 1857.

Ships

''Southern Cross'' No. 1

''Southern Cross 1'' was a

of 100 tons, built by Messrs. Wigram of

Blackwall Yard Blackwall Yard is a small body of water that used to be a shipyard on the River Thames in Blackwall, engaged in ship building and later ship repairs for over 350 years. The yard closed in 1987. History East India Company Blackwall was a sh ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1855; for £1,500. She arrived in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

on 19 July 1855, and she was wrecked on 18 June 1860 at the mouth of the

Ngunguru River The Ngunguru River is a river of the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It initially flows southwest before turning east to flow into a long, wide estuary which empties into Ngunguru Bay to the northwest of Whangārei. The town of Ng ...

, during an easterly gale. The first ''Southern Cross'' was funded by subscriptions provided by supporters of the Melanesian Mission. These included Charlotte Mary Yonge, who contributed the profits of her book ''The Daisy Chain''.

''Southern Cross'' No. 2

''Southern Cross 2'' was a 93-ton yawl-rigged

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Older ...

, which was built at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and was in service from 1863 to 1873. This ship carried Bishop John Patteson to

Nukapu Nukapu is one of the islands of the nation of Solomon Islands. It is in the Reef Islands group in Temotu Province; the easternmost province of the Solomons. The estimated terrain elevation above sea level is 15 metres. The island contains a memo ...

where he was killed, His death was followed by the punitive expedition to the island in 1871 and 1872.

''Southern Cross'' No. 3

''Southern Cross 3'' was a three-

mast Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to: Engineering * Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship * Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag * Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires * Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship * Radio mast ...

ed, two-

topsail A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails. Square rig On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a typically trapezoidal shaped sail rigged above the course sail and ...

schooner of 180 tons with auxiliary

steam power A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

of 24 H.P. She was built in Auckland at a cost of about £5,000, of which £2,000 was contributed from a fund collected by the

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) is a United Kingdom-based charitable organization (registered charity no. 234518). It was first incorporated under Royal Charter in 1701 as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Part ...

in memory of Bishop John Coleridge Patteson. This ship was in service from 1874 to 1892.

''Southern Cross'' No. 4

''Southern Cross 4'' (British Registry Official Number 98988) was a three-masted schooner, foremast,

square-rigged Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called ''yards'' and ...

, main and mizzen, fore-and-aft rig. 240 tons with auxiliary steam. The ship was built in Wivenhoe,

Essex, England Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

by Forrest & Sons in 1891 at a cost about £9,000, which was contributed by Bishop

John Richardson Selwyn John Richardson Selwyn (20 May 1844 – 12 February 1898) was an Anglican priest who became the second Bishop of Melanesia and then the second Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge. Life Selwyn was born in Waimate North, New Zealand, the younges ...

and others. This ship was in service from 1892 to 1902. When this vessel was sold, her engine was removed, and she operated as a

cargo vessel A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

around

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 ...

and New Zealand until being lost with all hands off King Island, Tasmania in 1920.

''Southern Cross'' No. 5

''Southern Cross 5'' was a steel three-masted schooner with an auxiliary steam engine. This ship was built in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

by Armstrong Whitworth & Co., with £1,000 towards construction contributed by the

Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) is a UK-based Christian charity. Founded in 1698 by Thomas Bray, it has worked for over 300 years to increase awareness of the Christian faith in the UK and across the world. The SPCK is th ...

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 ...

. She was launched by Bishop Cecil Wilson in 1903. Her officers in 1914 included: William Sinker R.N.R. (Captain), H. Burgess R.N.R. (

Chief Officer A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the ship ...

), R. Gardner R.N.R. ( Second Officer), W. Pitcher ( Chief Engineer) and J. Murray (

Bosun A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of a ship's hull. The boatswain supervi ...

''Southern Cross'' No. 6

''Southern Cross 6'' was steamer of 500 tons. The ship was wreaked in November 1932 on its first voyage into the islands. She was caught in a squall and driven onto a coral reef near

Aneityum Aneityum (also known as Anatom or Keamu) is the southernmost island of Vanuatu, in the province of Tafea. Geography Aneityum is the southernmost island of Vanuatu (not counting the Matthew and Hunter Islands, which are disputed with New Caledoni ...

island of

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

''Southern Cross'' No. 7

''Southern Cross 7'' (also known as ''Akanina'', “the ship of all of us”) arrived in

Tulagi Tulagi, less commonly known as Tulaghi, is a small island——in Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Ngella Sule. The town of the same name on the island (pop. 1,750) was the capital of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate from 18 ...

harbour several months after the loss of ''Southern Cross 6'' and her cargo, due to the immediate action by the Melanesian Mission Secretaries in both England and New Zealand. She was a twin-screw diesel powered ship, with a length of 110 feet and a breadth of 28 feet. She was 298.33 tons gross. She was sold in 1955.

''Southern Cross'' No. 8

''Southern Cross 8'' arrived in

Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lie ...

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

from Australia after 1955, and she was wrecked soon after during a storm at

Maravovo Maravovo (or alternatively Marovovo) is a village on the northwest coast of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. It is located by road northwest of Honiara. Mangakiki is in close proximity to Maravovo. The population is reportedly entirely Anglican. On ...

on the north west coast of Guadalcanal.

''Southern Cross'' No. 9

''Southern Cross 9'' was built in Australia in 1962 at the request of the

Bishop of Melanesia The Archbishop of Melanesia is the spiritual head of the Church of the Province of Melanesia, which is a province of the Anglican Communion in the South Pacific region, covering the nations of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. From 1861 until the inaugu ...

Alfred Thomas Hill Alfred Thomas Hill (2 November 1901 – 27 August 1969) was the fourth Anglican Bishop of Melanesia. He was consecrated on Trinity Sunday 1954 (13 June), by Reginald Owen, Archbishop of New Zealand and Bishop of Wellington, at All ...

. She is currently in service after refurbishing and rededication in 2005 by Archbishop

Ellison Pogo Sir Ellison Leslie Pogo KBE (also Pogolamana; 1948 – 13 May 2013) was a Solomon Islands Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Melanesia and Bishop of Central Melanesia from 1994 until December 9, 2008. He was the third Archbishop of Melanesia ...

. As of late 2009, the ship was based at the Taroaniara Anglican Mission Station on the

Nggela Islands The Nggela Islands, also known as the Florida Islands, are a small island group in the Central Province of Solomon Islands, a sovereign state (since 1978) in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The chain is composed of four larger islands and about ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Last Cruise of the second ''Southern Cross''
Serialized account by C. H. Brooke.

1900.

by Frances Awdry, 1902.

by J.W. Beattie, 1906. * ttp://anglicanhistory.org/oceania/sinker_reef1907.html By Reef and Shoal: Being an Account of a Voyage amongst the Islands in the South-western Pacific, by William Sinker1907 account.
The Wake of the ''Southern Cross'': Work and Adventures in the South Seas, by Cecil Wilson
1932 account.

by P.A. Micklem, 1936. Steamships Anglicanism Maritime incidents in June 1860