Loch Ard (ship)

File:Loch ard 1873-1878.gif

Loch Ard 1873-1878

The Loch Ard was a clipper ship which was wrecked at Mutton Bird Island just off the Shipwreck Coast of Victoria, Australia in 1878. The name was drawn from Loch Ard, a lake which lies to the west of the village of Aberfoyle, and to the east of Loch Lomond. It means "high lake" in Scottish Gaelic.

The Loch Ard belonged to the Loch Line, a major shipping line operating between Great Britain and Australia. It was a three-masted clipper ship, of 263' in length, with a tonnage of 1693 tonnes, and was constructed by Barclay, Curdle & Co. of Glasgow.

Final voyage and wreck

The Loch Ard departed England on 2 March 1878, bound for Melbourne, commanded by Captain Gibbs and with a crew of 17 men. It was carrying 37 passengers and assorted cargo. On 1 June, the ship was approaching Melbourne and expecting to sight land when it encountered heavy fog. Unable to see the Cape Otway lighthouse, the captain was unaware how close he was running to the coast. The fog lifted around 4am, revealing breakers and cliff faces. Captain Gibbs quickly ordered sail to be set to come about and get clear of the coast, but they were unable to do so in time, and ran aground on a reef. The masts and rigging came crashing down, killing some people on deck and preventing the lifeboats from being launched effectively. The ship sank within 10 or 15 minutes of striking the reef.

The only two survivors of the wreck were Eva Carmichael, who survived by clinging to a spar for five hours, and Thomas (Tom) R. Pearce, an apprentice who clung to the overturned hull of a lifeboat. Tom Pearce came ashore first, then heard Eva's shouts and went back into the ocean to rescue her. They came ashore at what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge and sheltered there before seeking assistance. Ironically, Tom Pearce was the son of James Pearce, captain of the ill-fated SS Gothenburg.

The Loch Ard Peacock, from the Loch Ard disaster, now at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum

The Loch Ard's cargo included a range of luxury goods, including a large decorative porcelain peacock made by Minton in England, intended to be displayed in the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. Remarkably, the peacock was recovered completely intact and was eventually able to be displayed a century later for the Victoria Pavilion at the Brisbane 1988 World Exposition. It is now on display at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool, along with a number of other relics of the wreck.

Play

Eva and the Cabin Boy by Sheila Dewey - produced at the Warehouse Theatre, Croydon in 1994 - concerned the Loch Ard shipwreck.

See also

• List of disasters in Australia by death toll
• Shipwreck Coast
• Loch Line
• Loch Ard Gorge

References

• The Loch Ard disaster / J.K. Loney (1970, ISBN 0-9599853-1-X)
• The wreck of the Loch Ard: end of a ship, end of an era / D.E. Charlwood (1971, ISBN 0-207-12316-0)
• Wrecks & reputations: the loss of the Schomberg and Loch Ard / Don Charlwood (1993, 3rd edition - ISBN 0-646-28006-6)
• The young hero schottische (music) / composed by Coleman Jacobs ... "dedicated by permission to Mr. Thomas R. Pearce, the gallant survivor of the 'Loch Ard'", including photograph

External links

• Shipwreck Discovery Trails: Loch Ard
• Interview with the Loch Ard Peacock, by Foundation Expo '88