Comet (1893/09/13)

Between Bunbury and Fremantle/Lake Clifton

Comet was built by Thomas William Mews at his Fremantle yard, and had one deck and a counter stern. The owners were John and Charles Tuckey. The schooner left Bunbury with a cargo of wheat for Fremantle on 12 September 1893, under the command of Captain William Robinson Hocking, with mate John Henry Hocking (brother of the captain), and crew of John Byrne, P. Yelland and Charles Copp. Earlier in June the Comet had been driven ashore near Quindalup (see entry) and, although got off, was subsequently known to have leaked. The agent for the schooner was John Joseph Higham of Fremantle.
THE LOSS
Two weeks after leaving Bunbury the Comet had not arrived at Fremantle, and the newspapers reported that a quantity of wreckage had been found about 20 miles (32 km) from Mandurah. The wreckage consisted of spars, a bowsprit, hatch coamings, hatches and a dinghy, and all were supposed to belong to the Comet (Inquirer, 29 September 1893: 11c). There was no sign of any survivors. A police search of the coast found further wreckage, including a mast, cabin, several beams and a tank, some ten miles (16 km) further south. The vessel was last seen by people on board a steamer, one of whom was George Butcher, a local pilot. A severe storm was blowing at that time. The wreckage was subsequently found offshore of where the Comet was last seen.
INQUIRY
Although the results of any Court of Inquiry are not known, it was supposed that the leak may have caused the wheat to swell and thereby damage the hull, which resulted in the Comet foundering. Comparisons were made with the loss of the cutter Gem, sunk near Rottnest Island some 16 years earlier by a cargo of swelling wheat.
SITE LOCATION
Divers from the Western Australian Museum in May 1995 carried out an inspection on a wreck on Bouvard Reef, and speculated that the material may have come from either the Bee or the Lass of Geraldton, both lost in this vicinity (see entries). The GPS position of the site inspected is 32° 50.492 S and 115° 35.166 E, almost ten miles south of Cape Bouvard. This site seems to fit best with that of the wreck of the Comet as Captain O’Grady stated that the Lass of Geraldton was wrecked 10–11 miles south of the Peel Inlet.