Ship Wrecks

S.S. WAIRARAPA SHIPWRECK ON ROUTE, from SYDNEY to AUCKLAND N. Z. 1894

On Monday, October 29, 1894, the S.S. Wairarapa, with more than 230 passengers aboard, besides the crew, crashed on to rocks at Miner’s Head on Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. Captain McIntosh, the master, and initially134 passengers and crew were quoted as having perished (later figures were higher). The covers rescued from the wreck are rated as rare, and the numbers in existence are probably unknown. Here

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T.S.S. KANOWNA SHIPWRECK OFF WILSON’S PROMONTORY, VICTORIA 1929

The ‘Advance Australia’ postcard was postmarked with a squared circle PORT ADELAIDE/ 3/ DE 20/ 06/ S.A. on the pink ‘ONE PENNY’ stamp of South Australia, and the message read “Dec 20 1906 Arrived here this morning. I will be in Melb on Saturday & back in old F.C. (Fish Creek) about the end of the month, hoping all are well, Yours ( ). The addressed woman lived at Fish

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BARQUE ADOLPHE, SHIPWRECK from NEWCASTLE, N.S.W. to CORNWALL

The undivided postcard was addressed to Miss M. Bullett, “Criffel”, Trevethan Rd, Falmouth, Cornwall, England and it has two New South Wales stamps, a green ½d and the red ‘ONE PENNY’ Shield stamp, cancelled by a illegibly dated duplex NEWCASTLE/ N.S.W. with a barred numeral ‘55′ (Figure 1). The reverse of this R. H. Hunter of Newcastle postcard shows the wreck of Barque “Adolphe” on the Oyster Bank, Newcastle, 30/9/04.

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H.M.A.S. KANOWNA, AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL SHIP, WORLD WAR ONE

The ‘On active service’ stampless cover was postmarked with a black A.I. FORCES POSTAGE FREE/ 24 NO.17/ VIC which partially obscured a purple double oval handstamp, (—-) AUSTRALIANHOSPITAL SHIP/ KANOWNA. It was addressed to Mr. D.O. McIntyre, Estate Agent, Ryrie St, Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). My first thought was that the cover was addressed to the father by a daughter who was a nurse

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ELEANOR LANCASTER SHIPWRECK, NEWCASTLE MEDAL, & DR. W. SWAINNOVEMBER 7, 1856

When I first considered this paper I could not find any information on the addressee of this letter, so I decided to discuss this ship which had a short but interesting sailing history, with journeys to and from Australia, and finally its demise on the coast of New South Wales. Its association with Australia is shown on this cover which is addressed to W.D.P. Swain Esq, Barque Eleanor Lancaster, Port

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THOMAS SLOMAN, BANKER/PASTORALIST: SHIPWRECK of S.S. SCHOMBERG

The cover has a ms. Per Clipper Ship Schomberg from Liverpool, Octr. 5.1855 and was addressed to Thomas M Sloman Esqr. Merchant, Bathurst, New South Wales Australia, Via Sydney N.S. Wales. The stamp had washed off but most of the EXETER/ OCT 2/ 1855 was legible, and at the left hand border, in another hand, were the words Paid by Stamp (Figure 1). The reverse has a transit SYDNEY/ B/

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