5' 10' 15' 20' 25' 30' 35' 40' 45' 50' 55' 143˚E 5' 10' 15' 20' 25' 30' 35' 40' 45' 50' 55' 144˚E 5' 10' 15' 5' 5' SHIPWRECKS & SAFE HAVENS When Australia rode 10' on the sheep’s back 10' The Loch Leven carried a cargo of wool from Victoria.The 6500 bales on board were valued at 15' Loch Leven 1871 15' £150,000—a huge sum at that time. Although the ship was a total loss, two-thirds of the cargo was salvaged, largely unaffected by its drenching.The salvage crew removed unbroken 20' 20' bales from the wreck, aided by an unprecedented spell of fine, still weather, which lasted until mid- “ The unforgettable sight of a clipper ship November. 25' To cope with the large quantities of loose wool 25' under full sail, high washed up along the rocky shores, all the available labour on King Island was pressed into service to collect, dry and repack the wool for shipping to Melbourne. 30' and dry on the reef… ” 30' GRAEME BROXAM AND MIKE NASH Tasmanian Shipwrecks Volume I 35' Navarine Reef 35' Harbinger Reef Neva wreck Rushing the first wool clip of the for the wreck in the lighthouse season from Geelong to the early whaleboat. In the words of one of Victoria Cove Loch Leven wreck Cape Wickham lighthouse 40' London wool sales, the Loch Leven the crew, King Islander William YOU ARE HERE 40' was only two days into her journey Hickmott, this is what happened: Phoques Bay when disaster struck. In heavy fog New Year Islands All went well until we attempted to 45' and boisterous seas, she was caught 45' round Cape Wickham, when it was Shannon wreck by the heavy current that rounds found impossible to stem the full force the northern tip of King Island of the gale, and the attempt had to be 50' and struck rocks at 2.30 am on 50' abandoned … on the return when off 24 October 1871. the point a huge sea broke right into the There was nothing that could be boat, completely burying her.The boat 55' done to save the ship. The crew and capsized.Three men managed to cling to 55' passengers made it safely to shore, the keel.The first officer Mr Mathews, and were taken to the safe haven of the steward, the lightkeeper and the 40˚ Sea Elephant 40˚ the Cape Wickham lighthouse. writer succeeded in swimming ashore, but Bay Captain Branscombe was drowned. Currie lighthouse and harbour Naracoopa The next day, Captain William Blencathra wreck Netherby wreck 5' Branscombe made a fateful decision Captain Branscombe was buried at 5' to try to retrieve the ship’s mails. Cape Wickham.You can see his British Admiral With a volunteer crew, he set out grave at Victoria Cove. wreck 10' 10' Cataraqui wreck Grassy Bay Grassy harbour 15' 15' Seal Bay Carnarvon Bay wreck 20' 20' Speed at what cost? Facts and figures In 1867 William Aitken and James Lilburn of But what cost did this emphasis on speed Top: The wreck of the Loch Leven, 25' Glasgow set up the Loch Line with an eye on extract? Of the 25 ships built for the Loch still under full sail, as it appeared in the Name Loch Leven Date 24 October 1871 Location Cape Wickham KING 25' Illustrated Sydney News on 25 November the lucrative Australian run.The Loch Leven, Line, 17 were lost while still operated by the Rig Ship Construction Iron Tonnage 1257 ISLAND an iron clipper ship built in 1870, made “some company, and the death toll from these 1871. —NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA MARITIME very fine running” on her voyage to Australia, disasters was high. Date built 1870 Place built Glasgow Place of register Glasgow Above: Detail from the Loch Leven’s TRAIL 30' covering 8,000 miles in 30 consecutive days. On the last major disaster in Bass Strait, survey documents. Length 225.8’ Breadth 35.8’ Depth 21.5’ 30' Described by the Melbourne Argus as “one of the Loch Ard struck a reef off Mutton Bird Owner Loch Line (William Aitken, James Lilburn) Master W. Branscombe the finest vessels that has ever entered the Island near the Victorian coast in 1878, killing Departure Geelong, Victoria Destination London, UK Cargo Wool bay”, she was racing her cargo back to all but two of the 52 passengers and crew 35' Crew 32 Passengers 2 Casualties 1 35' London to catch the early wool sales. aboard. KING ISLAND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION 3304 e.g. design/ThylaSign Systems 40' 5' 10' 15' 20' 25' 30' 35' 40' 45' 50' 55' 143˚E 5' 10' 15' 20' 25' 30' 35' 40' 45' 50' 55' 144˚E 5' 10' 15'.