Seal Rocks wrecks

Since the very early days mariners were always concerned about the surrounding reefs off Sugarloaf Point and the two Seal Rocks. Even with the construction of the lighthouse in 1875 and the advantage of well-marked charts, vessels continued to be lost in the vicinity. After the loss of the E & A steamer Catterthun, a further hydro graphical survey was carried out. Despite claims by some that an uncharted reef existed in the area, no such reef was found. The Catterthun was the area's most tragic victim, however there were a number of other vessels that ended their days in the waters around one of the most beautiful regions along the N.S. W coastline.

Just north of the Lighthouse is the tranquil Seal Rocks Bay. Over .the years this tiny bay has been the setting for a number of historical maritime Incidents. The boiler of the 1864 shipwreck Rainbow can still be seen on the beach. The salvage vessel's crews, which were to recover the Catterthun's gold, spent many days and nights anchored off this beach waiting for the weather to subside. Well protected from the south east winds, there were also two separate occasions when shipwrecked survivors were transferred to other vessels.

 

Harvester

Wrecked 9th June 1900

The American barque, Harvester, was the first vessel lost this century, as a result of striking one of the Seal Rocks. The Harvester was forty-one days out from Capetown on her way to Newcastle. While the vessel was passing through Bass Strait she encountered severe gales raging up the coast. Because of cloudy conditions, the captain was unable to take solar observations for several days. Early on the morning of the 9th June, 1900, a revolving light was spotted and assumed by the vessel's master to be the Sydney light. The beam, however, was from the Sugarloaf Point lighthouse and shortly after the Harvester collided with the Big Seal rock. The barque glided off the reef and after inspection of the hull, pumps were put into motion. Towards 2.00 am the vessel took a substantial list and her master decided to abandon ship. The survivors, in two lifeboats, spent a cold night in wild conditions.

Off Charlotte Head, at 6.30 am the castaway's spotted a steamer making her way down the coast. The vessel was the Macleay, under the command of Captain Baillie, on her usual voyage from the Macleay River to Sydney. Using a handkerchief attached to a lifeboat's oar the survivors waved down the Sydney bound steamer. The Master of the Harvester still had no idea of their exact location until told by his rescuers. Captain Baillie decided to change his destination to Newcastle as it was the intended port of the Harvester. Resuming his journey he steered his vessel close to the Big Seal Rock showing his guests the cause of their dilemma. Baillie should have paid greater attention to the position of the smaller Seal Rock. In a little over three years time the good captain would pass this tiny island -unfortunately for his vessel, just a little to close.

Croki

Wrecked 13th September 1903

The near new steamer, Croki was the next casualty of the Seal Rocks. In the early hours of September 13th, 1903, the Croki under the command of Captain Donovan, collided with the Little Seal Rock. It was her fourth voyage on the North Coast run, the ship had only arrived in Australia from the UK in June that year. The vessel's hull was broached in the collision and the captain steered the ship up to the beach just inside Treachery Head. As the seas were calm the passengers and crew remained on the vessel till 8.00 am, then made their way up to the lighthouse.

St.George

Wrecked 21st December 1903

Just a few months later on the morning of December 2lst, 1903, the steamer St,George struck the southern side of the Little Seal Rock. The vessel was under the, command of Captain Baillie, who had rescued the survivors of the Harvester in 1900. The captain ran the ship up on the beach on the southern side of the lighthouse. Luck was on the captain's side as the vessel was saved by a team from the Sydney Marine Underwriters Association. Two days later the ship was able to \sail from Seal Rocks, to Newcastle and eventually to Sydney for major repairs.

 

Satara

Wrecked 20th April 1910

Although the greatest loss of life occurred in the 1895 wreck of the Catterthun, it I was not the largest vessel lost in the vicinity. This unenviable honour belongs to the British India Steam Navigation Company steamer, Satara.

In September 1900, BI placed an order for a cargo steamer at the Dumbarton yards of Denny Brothers. The vessel was to be given the name Satara. BI usually named their vessels after towns in India and this ship was no exception. Satara is a modest inland town one hundred miles east of Bombay. Costing eighty nine- thousand one hundred and seventy pounds, the vessel was launched on the 30th October 1901. Designed with seven watertight compartments and five holds, the Satara was the last of three sister ships built at Denny's yard that year .The other two vessels were the Sangola and the Santhia.

In September 1902, under the command of Captain C. Goss, the Satara made the first of seven voyages to Australia. For the next seven and a half years Satara's direction of travel around the Australian coastline would remain unchanged, with her first port of call Fremantle and always leaving Australia via the Torres Strait.

At 6.50 am on the morning of April 20th, 1910, the Satara departed Newcastle Harbour. The vessel had taken on four thousand five hundred tons of coal as cargo land an additional twelve hundred tons for her bunkers. On board the vessel was a complement of ninety-one. In addition to the ten officers, there were sixteen "boys" in the saloon from Goa and sixty two lascars from Calcutta employed as deck and engine room hands. Also on board were two passengers by the name of \ Asplin and Power. The Satara's next port of call was Gladstone, Queensland to load approximately one hundred horses, remounts for the British Army in India. These two men were to take charge of the animals. Making up the last man was the Torres Strait Pilot, Captain Frank Binstead.

The local pilot guided the Satara out of Newcastle Harbour to the open sea. Conditions were only fair at the time with a heavy sea running and cloud threatening. With the permission of Captain Hugill, Pilot Binstead took charge of the navigation of the ship. Third officer, John Passmore was sharing his first watch with the pilot. Just before the captain left the bridge he instructed the third officer to take bearings and put the course down on the chart. However, Binstead replied: "it was all right" as he was going to steer from point by point. This method was not I at all acceptable to Captain Hugill. He again addressed the third officer and said: "do as I have said." ,

Sugarloaf Point and the Seal Rocks now lay ahead of the Satara. It was Binstead's , intention to get out of the southern current and take the Satara on the inside track between the point and the two rocks. In daylight he had navigated many six thousand tons registered, Japanese and German steamers through the passage. Binstead believed from Newcastle the inside passage would save five miles steaming to Queensland.

At Seven minutes past twelve noon -just eight minutes from disaster, the captain made his way up to the bridge and asked the now on duty second officer to show him their position on the chart. Hugill scrutinised the dangers of the inside track, paying particular attention to the Edith Breaker, a small reef rising to twenty feet from the surface and positioned two and a half miles south-west from the Big Seal Rock. Binstead was familiar with the hazard and checked the compass at this critical part of their journey through the inside track. He found the Satara heading almost directly between the Sawtooth rocks and the

Seal Rocks -in his opinion directly on course. At 12 15 pm, just as the captain was leaning over the handrail, the Satara's hull bumped heavily on a shallow reef. Binstead immediately stopped the engines. However, the captain asserted: "what's the use of stopping, full speed ahead?" The ship had just begun to move through the water again when she struck the reef for the second time. Down below in his cabin Chief Engineer Thomas Black was almost knocked off his feet. He instantly ran down to the engine room to survey the hull for any water entry. It was already apparent to him the vessel was badly damaged. To the captain, Black reported the grim news from below deck. With the pilot the two men discussed the options now left open to them and all agreed their best chance of saving the ship was to steer the vessel to the beach on the northern side of the lighthouse. Although they knew the Satara was taking water, neither were fully aware of the extent of damage below.

Hugill called his officers together and told them to get the boats into launching position and to organise the crew to their posts. He then took several bearings and made his way down to the chart room. He would later comment at the Court of Marine Inquiry that the fixes he took five minutes after the grounding put the ship "pretty well on the Edith break." Within minutes the captain was back on the bridge. In the short time he had been below the seriousness of the situation was now very evident. The ship was noticeably down by the bow and as such would not answer her helm. Any chance of beaching her north of the lighthouse was gone. The only option left was to attempt to ground the foundering steamer on the southern side of the lighthouse. With her bow sinking deeper and deeper in the water the vessel edged her way ever so slowly, closer to the shore.

Meanwhile making her way up the coast for Byron Bay was the North Coast S. N. J company's vessel, Orara. At approximately 12.30 pm, those on her bridge, sighted a large steamer south of the Seal Rocks. Her master had just come up from below and asked the officer on watch " What steamer is that?" He replied " A BI boat going north. " Her commander, Captain Hunter continued to observe the mystery vessel for the next ten minutes, then remarked to his officer that she was "trimmed very much by the head. " The Orara passed abeam of the Satara and continued on her northerly course until she was almost off Sugarloaf Point. It was then, Hunter concluded that the steamer was in need of immediate assistance. He turned his ship around and headed back to the foundering BI steamer.

The stern of the Satara had risen well out of the water making the vessel almost ungovernable. Her massive four bladed propeller began to, race every time the swell passed under the steamer. Each time this occurred, the vibration could be felt over the entire length of the ship. Waves were breaking over the forecastle head and with no chance of beaching her, the captain had no alterative but to give the order to abandon ship. Giving orders in their own language, the Lascars were organised and placed into the five of the six lifeboats by the officers. Remaining on the bridge, coordinating the evacuation of the vessel were Captain Hugill, Pilot Binstead and Chief Officer Hughes. In addition to these men two Lascars were ordered to stand by. Also enduring the last minutes of what had been his home away from home was the captain's dog.

At 1.10 pm, before the remaining five men could scamper to the last lifeboat, the Satara disappeared into one hundred and fifty feet of water (45 metres). Those on the bridge had no alternative but to jump for their lives as the vessel disappeared in a cloud of steam, vapour and spray. F or hundreds of yards around the sea was littered with floating debris from the wreck. All five men in the water secured pieces of flotsam to support their weight, however, there was little anyone could do for them right now, as the Orara was still in the process of receiving the remaining lifeboats.

The North Coast Company's steamer, Dorrigo had now arrived on the wrecksite. After passing Sugarloaf Point, on her usual voyage to Sydney, her officers were surprised, to say the least to see a large steamer with her stern section facing skyward. The Satara foundered just prior to the Dorrigo's arrival on the location. In the pouring rain she cut a path over to the Orara, manoeuvring past vast amounts of floating wreckage, including hen coups, house stalls and deck fittings. After speaking to her master the Dorrigo then proceeded further north following the drift of the wreckage searching for the five missing men who had gone down with the ship. Captain Hugill was found kneeling on apiece of grating with his dog by his side. The Dorrigo had to manoeuvre several times to get within throwing distance, before Hugill could be hauled aboard the steamer. The dog was left to face the elements. Initial reports stated the animal was lost, however, several days later the dog was found alive and well by the lighthouse keeper at Sugarloaf Point. Eventually all hands were picked up by the North Coast steamers, although the first papers released in Sydney stated that two Lascars were lost.

April 20th, 1910 was certainly a day of high drama, a day not likely forgotten for those who were involved with the loss of the Satara, Seal Rocks largest shipwreck.

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Extracts from "Shipwrecks, Storms & Seamen"

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