Hokitika (1872/11/02)

10 miles off Cape Leewine in 30 fathoms 5 miles from shoreGeographe Reef

Hokitika was clinker built by Alexander Hall & Sons as their yard number 268, at a contract price of £3 950. It was launched in November 1871, and had one deck and a round stern, one bulkhead, no galleries and a female demi-figurehead, and had been cemented. The barque was owned by the brothers John and David Spence of Melbourne (registered Melbourne 23 of 1872). It had left Newcastle, NSW, on 7 October 1872 with a cargo of 426 tons of coal for Mauritius, under the command of Samuel Findlay with a crew of eleven. Captain Findlay had been around Cape Leeuwin ten times previously, often, according to him, closer in than he went on this occasion. His chart was dated 1858. This was the maiden voyage of the Hokitika.
THE LOSS
At noon on 2 November 1872 the Hokitika was estimated to be 10 or 12 miles off Cape Leeuwin with a south-westerly wind blowing. A bearing taken at that time by the second mate, James Hunter, showed Cape Leeuwin bearing N by E (11°). The vessel was heading NW by ½W (about 310°), and it was doing 8 knots. The course was maintained until suddenly about 3.00 p.m. the vessel struck, and then struck again. There was a heavy swell running and nothing to indicate shoal water. Estimates of the distance from land when the barque struck were 15 or 16 miles by the captain, and about 14 miles by the second mate.
The pumps were immediately manned, and a sounding showed 3 ft (0.9 m) of water in the hold, but within 20 minutes this had risen to 6 ft (1.83 m). The barque immediately stood in for the land, and a short while later had 10½ ft (3.2 m) of water in the hold. About 45 minutes to an hour after striking, the Hokitika foundered in about 30 fathoms (55 m) of water some 5 miles offshore.
The crew took to the two boats and reached shore near a small creek (probably Turner’s Brook just south of Cape Hamelin). The following morning (3 November) they made towards the north, reaching Busselton at noon on 5 November 1872.
INQUIRY
On 18 November a Preliminary Court of Inquiry was held before John George Slade, Resident Magistrate, John Frederick Stone, J.P. and acting collector of Customs, and Edward Marsh, captain of the barque Fitzroy, nautical assessor, which recommended an appearance before a Court of Inquiry. The subsequent court, composed of Leonard Worsley Clifton, collector of Customs, John Frederick Stone and Edward Marsh reached the decision that:
After careful consideration of the evidence the Court is of the opinion that no blame can be attached to the master, mate, or any of the crew of Hokitika on account of her loss on an outlying danger off the Leeuwin on 2nd day of November, 1872 at 3 o’clock p.m. (quoted in Herald, 30 November 1872: 3d).
INITIAL SALVAGE
With instructions to search for the wreck of the Hokitika, and to place above the high-water mark ‘any Valuable Property found Drifted on Shore from the Recent Ship Wreck near Cape Luen [sic] on or about the 2nd inst.’, police constable Thomas Stack arrived at Augusta on 15 November 1872. On the beach he found a water barrel, many planks (he thought them to be from the deck) and half a ship’s yard with some rigging still attached. After questioning the settlers at Augusta he also obtained eight cabin doors, a chest of drawers (very little damaged), two chairs, part of a bed and some planks, all originally collected by Michael Bredy [Brady?] and his wife. However Constable Stack did not find the wreck (Police Daily Occurrences Book, Blackwood Station, 15 November 1872). On 26 February 1873 police from Quindalup travelled to Augusta to collect further articles that had come ashore from the wreck of the Hokitika.
The only other items saved from the wreck were the two boats in which the survivors reached shore. These were subsequently sold at Busselton.
SITE LOCATION
The second mate thought that the Hokitika was about six or seven miles (11–13 km) from land when it sank. A report by Constable Richard Furlong stated that Captain Findlay reported to him that the Hokitika went down in 30 fathoms (55 m) of water, five miles (9.3 km) from shore.
The distances from Cape Leeuwin given in evidence at the Court of Inquiry by the crew of the barque appear to be over generous. In contrast to his statement to Constable Furlong, Captain Findlay claimed at the Court of Inquiry that the Hokitika was 15–16 miles (27.8–29.6 km) from the shore when it struck. It is probable that the vessel was pushed northwards towards the coast by a current which, according to the Admiralty Pilot ‘is subject to variability, and after strong southerly winds, especially in summer, may be found running, temporarily, northwards…Currents, with considerable rates, have been experienced setting towards the land, in the vicinity of the cape at all seasons of the year’ (Australia Pilot Vol. V, 1959: 422). Nicolas Baudin aboard the corvette Géographe experienced just such a current in this area in January 1802, and wrote: ‘It seemed to us that a strong current must have carried us very rapidly North’ (Baudin, 1974: 295). On 10 January 1822 Phillip Parker King in the Bathurst, sailing north after rounding Cape Leeuwin, also reported a strong current in this area. ‘At six o’clock in the evening we passed Cape Naturaliste, having experienced a strong current, setting N11ºW, at nearly two miles per hour…’ (King, 1969: 160). Such a northward setting current may well have contributed to the loss of the Hokitika.
It is interesting to note that Commander W.E. Archdeacon, a highly regarded naval surveyor, intimated to the Colonial Secretary considerable doubt as to the accuracy of the evidence presented at the Court of Inquiry. He also expressed serious doubts about the sobriety of the master and the first mate, and considered that the vessel had probably been taken much closer to the cape than was prudent. He reported that ‘a herd boy, on the coast in the vicinity of locality where the ship sank, stated that the vessel was [so] close in that he saw the people on her decks’ (Archdeacon to Colonial Secretary, 6 December 1872, CSR. 727, folio 216). This would indicate the vessel was very much closer to the coast than the distances given in either of the master’s statements, or that of the mate.
There are many rocks in the area between Minns Ledge and Cape Leeuwin that may trap a vessel sailing too close to the coast. After passing Cape Leeuwin and being set to the north, the most likely unseen dangers to be encountered would be Cumberland Rock, 8.3 km north-west of Cape Leeuwin and about 2 km from the shore, although with a height of 10 m above sea level this should have been easily seen and avoided. Another possibility is Geographe Reef, about 7.5 km offshore and 15 km west-north-westward of the cape. This latter reef consists of two steep-to rocks only 180 m apart, and having less than 2 m of water over them. Minns Ledge, to the east of them, is another danger; however, as it stands 1.8 m above water it would most likely have been seen and avoided.
According to the captain’s evidence after having struck, the Hokitika was sailed towards the land, taking on water at a very rapid rate before sinking some 45–60 minutes later. The wind was south-westerly and the speed of the barque was 8 knots prior to striking. This speed would probably have dropped to only a knot or two, and therefore the vessel would most likely have sunk only two to four kilometres from the scene of the accident.