Grace (ship)

The Grace was a ship that was totally destroyed by fire in 1822.

The Grace, a ship of 245 tons, was built in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. Under the command of Captain Robert Lethbridge, the ship left Sydney on 19 February 1822 carrying a cargo of whale oil and wool. During the journey which took 14 weeks the ship was badly battered by gales and the oil sprung a leak and saturated the wool which with the movement eventually spontaneously combusted. The ship was in sight of Simmon's Bay at the time the fire was discovered and while five men stayed on board to fight the fire, dowse the hatches and keep them sealed, the remaining passengers and crew stood off in a longboat, towed behind the Grace. However, the crew were unable to keep the fire under control and on nearing Struys Bay the ship burst into flames. The remaining crew were taken on the longboat and the tow was cut. The ship went to ground and burnt down to the water line. The passengers and crew made to shore without harm and six days later made it overland to Cape Town. While most of the mail was lost, dispatches from Governor Macquarie were saved and for doing so, Captain Lethbridge was awarded 1000 acres at Bridgeman, near Singleton when he settled in New South Wales in 1825.