Ludwig (1891/03/24)

210 Km South South West Cape Leeuwin

Ludwig was built at Papenburg in Germany, and is referred to in various sources as either a barque or a 3-masted schooner, however Lloyd’s lists it as a 3-masted schooner sheathed with felt and yellow metal. It was built and owned by Abraham Beckmann and was en route Natal to Adelaide with a cargo of 400 tons of coal. The vessel had cost £4 600 to build and was insured for £3 500. The master, Captain Nicholas Merjanssen, had on board his wife and twin 8-month-old babies, and a crew of seven.
THE LOSS
On 19 March 1891, when the schooner Ludwig was 33 days out from Natal, fire was discovered in the cargo. The crew fought the blaze for four days but it was found that the masts had burnt through below deck. On 23 March, when some 130 miles (209 km) south-south-west of Cape Leeuwin they fell. All those onboard took to the one boat, which was only 19 ft (5.8 m) long with a beam of 6 ft (1.83 m). The boat was well provisioned and luckily the weather was fine so that the boat reached Flinders Bay some 60 hours later on 25 March 1891 with no lives lost.
On 29 March 1891 the police constable at Hamelin related:
I have to report that at Karridale on 28th March 1891, I accosted a stranger, who informed me that he was one of the crew who arrived at Karridale on the previous evening from Augusta—having landed there on the 25th in an open boat from the wreck of the German barquentine Ludwig which was burnt at sea. The remainder of his mates were at Augusta and I proceeded there to make enquiries. On my arrival, I learned from Captain Nicholas Menjausson [sic] that the crew, the Captain’s wife and two infants were all safe. The captain reports the Ludwig sailed from Natal 13th February 1891 with a cargo of coal, bound for Adelaide. At 4.30 a.m. in the morning of 19th March, fire broke out in the coal. He says the crew worked hard but the fire could not be controlled. At 3.30 a.m. on the 23rd the vessel was abandoned 120 miles south/south west of Cape Leeuwin. Captain says that the last they saw of the ship the fire had spread to the rigging, masts and all but the forepeak. The Captain, his wife and two infants are the guests of Mrs Ellis—The rest of the crew are at Karridale (quoted in Teahan, 2008: 30).