A visit
to the Philip Kennedy Centre at Largs Bay a few years ago sparked my interest in
the wreck of the Vivid. It was there
that I discovered a painting of the vessel.
A similar
thing has happened to me again after seeing this photo of the Hereward at the Philip Kennedy Centre: -
Unlike
the Vivid, however, the Hereward is not a South Australian
shipwreck. She was wrecked at Maroubra, NSW in 1898.
Her total wrecking in 1898 occurred in two separate incidents, with the
second incident breaking her in two.
According
to http://www.randwick.nsw.gov.au/about-council/history/historic-places/shipwrecks , “Its fateful last trip began in
the Dutch East Indies port of Surabaya, bound for Newcastle to load coal for
South America. On 5 May 1898, the Hereward was battling up the New South Wales
coast in appalling weather, with wind velocities recorded up to 47 miles per
hour. The Hereward was flung towards the shore by the winds, and with sails
torn to shreds the captain, Captain Gore, was helpless to keep the vessel from
the shore. The Hereward had blown onto soft sand at the northern end of
Maroubra Beach, luckily avoiding two rocky reefs. The crew of 25 was brought
safely ashore, and a party of seamen made their way to the nearby Maroubra wool
scouring works to raise the alarm.
“The ship
was insured for 6,000 pounds, and was sold a few months after being stranded
for 550 pounds to a Mr Cowlishaw, who bought the wreck for salvage. Despite
several enthusiastic attempts to refloat her, the Hereward ended up once more
stranded on the beach, with the waves finally managing to break her in two on 9
December 1898.”
The web
page goes on to state, “As with other wrecks on this part of the coast,
thousands of sightseers made the long trek to the remote south of Sydney to
view the wreck. The wreck of the Hereward lay on Maroubra Beach for many years,
and by 1937 the only visible sign was a triangular shape above the water line.
In 1950, Randwick Council feared injury to surfers from the wreck and began
blasting the remnants. Further blasting in 1965, and by Navy divers in 1966 and
1967, has removed all trace of the Hereward.”
“Site of Shipwrecks, Maroubra
'Hereward': An iron clipper wrecked at northern end of
this beach between two reefs of rocks on 5th May 1898. No lives lost.
'Tekapo': A steamship wrecked on shallow reef at
southern end of this beach on 16th May 1899. No lives lost.
'Belbowrie': A coastal freighter ran aground on almost
same site as Tekapo on 16th January 1939. No lives lost.
The
'Hereward', a Glasgow built 1513 ton iron clipper, was a well-known trader to
the colonies frequently running between London and Sydney with general cargoes.
On
the night of 5th May the 'Hereward' was battling up the coast in gale force
winds. The ship's master, Captain Gore, estimated the ship to be about 70 miles
off the coast when a man on the bow spotted breakers. Unable to turn in the
rough conditions the ship bumped heavily shoreward onto soft sand between two
reefs of rock at the northern end of Maroubra Beach. As she showed no signs of
breaking up the crew determined not to leave her and prepared to wait out the
night until daylight. By 2.00am the weather cleared and a lifeboat was
launched. In three trips the entire crew of 25 were brought safely ashore.
The
'Hereward' lay on the beach for six months before salvage attempts commenced.
However, all attempts were doomed when storms thwarted salvage operations and
on 9th December 1898 the final demise of the 'Hereward' occurred when large
waves broke her in two.
For
many years the 'Hereward''s remains graced Maroubra Beach but by 1950 Randwick
Council, fearing injury to surfers, began blasting the remnants.”
According to the web page found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereward_(ship) ,
“Hereward was a British trading vessel that travelled between Britain and her
colonies, especially between Sydney and London. It was shipwrecked on Maroubra
Beach, Sydney on Thursday 5 May 1898. The Hereward was wrecked while travelling
from Sourabaya, a port in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) to Newcastle
New South Wales where it was to have picked up a load of coal bound for South
America. While travelling north along the New South Wales coast on 5 May, it
encountered a large storm with wind speeds as high as 47 miles per hour (76
km/h). The winds destroyed the sails of the ship and blew it towards the shore
leaving the captain, Captain Gore, unable to avert the disaster. The Hereward
was forced onto the northern end of Maroubra Beach, however it avoided the two
rocky reefs present there. All 25 crew members were safely brought ashore and
made their way to the nearby wool scouring works to make the shipwreck known.
The ship had been insured by its owner for £6,000.”
It goes on to state, “On 9 December 1898, (Mr.
Cowlishaw) attempted to refloat the Hereward. By pulling on the rope connected
to the anchor 300 metres (980 ft) out to sea and using steam winches on board,
he got the ship into 14 feet (4.3 m) of water. However, as the ship was nearly
free, a southerly gale blew up and pushed the Hereward back onto the beach
where it was battered by high seas and broken in two. The wreck was slowly
washed out to sea afterwards and by 1937 only a triangle dorsal fin was visible
above sea level. In 1950, Randwick Council feared of the danger that the
remains posed to surfers and swimmers and had the remains blasted such that by
1967 it appeared that there was nothing left of the ship. In recent times, on
various occasions, due to large swells and sweeping currents, large amounts of
sand had moved off the sea floor and had exposed extensive portions of the
Hereward which were once thought to be destroyed and lost forever. In March
2013 after large seas, extensive portions of the ship's metal hull, along with
mast and engine pieces were exposed to a greater extent than they ever had been
before. This provided an interesting and enjoyable snorkelling experience for
Maroubra locals and tourists alike.”
“The Maroubra Seals Club Board authorised the cost of
restoration of the cannon and it was shipped over to the WA Museum Conservation
Laboratories in Fremantle. The restored cannon was then returned to Maroubra
for the first time in 117 years to be displayed in the foyer of the Seals Club.”
A photo of the Hereward
beached at Maroubra can be found on page 50 of “Sail in the South” by Ronald
Parsons. The photo is one of the shipping photographs to be found in the
Edwardes Collection in the State Library of South Australia. Another photo can
be found opposite page 33 of “Sea Adventures and Wrecks on the NSW South Coast”
by Jack Loney. Details about the vessel are on pages 55-6.
The book provides further insight in to the attempted
recovery of the vessel on 9th December 1898: -
“By steadily pulling on a cable connecting the vessel to
an anchor about 300 yards out to sea she was gradually worked seawards until
she stuck on a sand bar and resisted all efforts by two tugs to free her.
However, using steam winches the men on board freed her and had her riding in
14 feet of water when a southerly gale blew up. Being lightly laden the
HEREWARD tossed badly and eventually her cable parted and she drifted ashore
where she was battered by heavy seas, becoming a total wreck.”
