Ada and Ethel
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Ada and Ethel |
| Owner: | Edward Davies, Charles Frederick Messell |
| Port of registry: | Sydney |
| Identification: | registration number: 34/1886; official number: 93496 |
| Builder: | Edward Davies /Mr. Roderick at Williams River (New South Wales), New South Wales, Australia |
| Launched: | 9 January 1886 |
| Christened: | 9 January 1886 |
| Completed: | May 1886 |
| Maiden voyage: | 16 April 1886 for Macleay River |
| Fate: | Wrecked 1887/10/26 Seal Rocks, New South Wales, 10 miles SE |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Wood Schooner |
| Tonnage: | 73 GT |
| Displacement: | 73 NT |
| Length: | 25.05 m |
| Beam: | 5.974 m |
| Draught: | 1.950 m |
| Propulsion: | sail |
The Ada and Ethel was a wooden schooner that was wrecked 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Seal Rocks, New South Wales on 26 October 1887.
Ship description and construction
On Saturday 9 January 1886, Mr. Roderick of Eagleton launched a new vessel built to the order of Messrs. Captain C. T. Messell and E. Davies, of Sydney.[1] The baptismal ceremony was performed with champagne by Miss Ada Messell, Captain Messell's daughter. The vessel was named after Ada and her infant sister Ethel May, who died approximately 12 months later.[2]
The Ada and Ethel was then taken to Sydney and rigged as a fore-and-aft schooner, intended for the coasting trade. Her dimensions were 82.2 feet (25.05 m) long, 19.6 feet (5.97 m) beam, and 6.4 feet (1.95 m) depth, which gave her a registered tonnage of 73 tons.[3] She was substantially built of the best colonial hardwood, coppered, and copper-fastened. She was a sister boat to the Julian, which was launched about eight months prior, and belonged to the same firm.
The Ada and Ethel entered Sydney Heads at half-past eleven on the night of 19 February 1886 in tow of the steamer Malua and was brought up in Pyrmont Bight to have her mast and other fittings installed. The passage down from Williams River was made in 10 hours.[4]
Shipwreck event
The Ada and Ethel left port on the afternoon of 26 October 1887 under the command of Captain Frederick and five crew members. They soon found that the ship was taking on water so rapidly that by half past seven the vessel became unmanageable, and Captain Frederick endeavoured to make for Port Stephens, where he intended to beach her. However, it was soon apparent that they wouldn't reach the shore, and the sinking ship was abandoned off Seal Rocks.[5]
References
- ↑ Country News, The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 January 1886.
- ↑ Funerals, The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 February 1887.
- ↑ Exports, The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 May 1886.
- ↑ Exports, The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 February 1886.
- ↑ "Foundering of the schooner Ada and Ethel", The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 October 1887.
Further reading
- Wrecks on the New South Wales Coast. By Loney, J. K. (Jack Kenneth), 1925–1995 Oceans Enterprises. 1993 ISBN 978-0-646-11081-3.
- Australian Shipwrecks - vol1 1622-1850, Charles Bateson, AH and AW Reed, Sydney, 1972, ISBN 0-589-07112-2, Call number 910.4530994 BAT
- Australian shipwrecks Vol. 2 1851–1871 By Loney, J. K. (Jack Kenneth), 1925–1995. Sydney. Reed, 1980 910.4530994 LON
- Australian shipwrecks Vol. 3 1871–1900 By Loney, J. K. (Jack Kenneth), 1925–1995. Geelong Vic: List Publishing, 1982 910.4530994 LON
- Australian shipwrecks Vol. 4 1901–1986 By Loney, J. K. (Jack Kenneth), 1925–1995. Portarlington Vic. Marine History Publications, 1987 910.4530994 LON
- Australian shipwrecks Vol. 5 Update 1986 By Loney, J. K. (Jack Kenneth), 1925–1995. Portarlington Vic. Marine History Publications, 1991 910.4530994 LON
External links
- Australian National Shipwreck Database
- Australian Shipping - Arrivals and Departures 1788-1968 including shipwrecks
- Encyclopaedia of Australian Shipwrecks - New South Wales Shipwrecks
Coordinates: 32°36′S 152°42′E / 32.6°S 152.7°E