Wrecked on Bowen Island

Monday the 8th of April 1895 3 men arrived on foot at Cape St George
lighthouse  after walking over rough bush tracks from Bowen Island at the entrance to
Jervis Bay.  At the time the men had been living aboard the fishing smack Carina which had been
anchored in the shelter of Bowen Island for some days. 

At 5 p.m on Saturday the Carina was making her way out to the fishing grounds when she went ashore on the north west corner of Bowen Island and became a total wreck.

The Carina was built in Scotland as a sailing vessel,  being imported by Captain Gascoigne 
aide-De-camp to Lord Carrington during his term as Governor of  New South Wales,  and
was bought out to Sydney on the deck of a sailing vessel.  The Carina sailed in various
races but was unsuccessful.  Captain Gascoigne disposed of the yacht to a Sydney gentleman
and she subsequently became the property of a couple of fishermen who took her to
Jervis Bay and employed her in connection with the coastal fisheries.

The week before becoming a wreck the tug Newburgh met the smack at the bay. 
The Carina had just been through a torrid ordeal outside the Bay,  losing two dinghies 
one was carried overboard off the deck,  and the other broke adrift while towing astern. 
The smack also lost a kedge in Jervis Bay.

The Carina carried 4 hands at the time of the incident including a Chinaman  who was
employed curing the fish for the market, all hands were saved.

Meaning -  Kedge - a small anchor.
              -  Fishing smack - a type of traditional fishing boat that has a well amidships. The
well was filled with circulated external water, which kept fish alive until delivered.


The Tug Newburgh,  was a well known Sydney tug used for towing sailing
vessels into Sydney Harbour.  Sydney tugs like the Newburgh would ply the coast north, 
and south as far as Jervis Bay  looking for sailing ships,  charging a fee for towage back
to and inside the harbour. A becalmed ship or a ship under stress could take many
days to get to Sydney Harbour,  stranding valuable cargo at sea, the arrival of a Sydney
tug was a welcome sight.


https://www.shf.org.au/archives-research/photographic-collections/the-graeme-andrews-collection/workboats-and-tugs/