'Dunbar' Shipwreck - 1857
Hand-coloured lithograph inscribed: The Dunbar, 1321 tons, To Duncan Dunbar Esqre Owner, Capt J. Green and the Officers of the Ship, this print is most respectfully dedicated by their obedient servant Wm Foster".
The Shipwreck
On the night of 20 August 1857, the ship approached the entrance to Port Jackson from the south, but heavy rain and a strong gale made navigating difficult. The ship's captain, James Green, either erroneously believing he had already passed the harbour's southern headland or mistaking a smaller break in the coastline known as The Gap for the port's entrance, drove the ship onto rocks. There were 59 crew and 63 passengers on board under command of Captain Green. The ship was driven against the cliffs of South Head and rapidly broke apart. The force of the gale caused the Dunbar to break up.Only one out of 122 survived, Able Seaman James Johnson, who managed to cling to the cliff face until rescued some 1–2 days later. Crew member James Johnson was thrown against the cliffs from the impetus of the collision and managed to scramble to safety, however he remained undiscovered for two days. The remainder of the passengers and crew were drowned. Bodies and wreckage filled the harbour.
A funeral was held in Sydney for the dead which included several prominent residents and business people. There were seven hearses, four mourning coaches and a long procession of carriages. The city closed down for the ceremony and the streets lined with mourners while all flags flew at half mast across the city and harbour. A day of public mourning was declared. The remains of the bodies of twenty-two victims were recovered and interred in a single large tomb in Camperdown Cemetery in Newtown. Several other victims have individual monuments.
The ship's bell was recovered and donated to St John's Anglican church in Darlinghurst Road near Sydney's Kings Cross. It was installed in the bell-tower of the adjoining St John's Primary School (now demolished) where it became a tradition for generations of head-boys to announce the start of each school day by ringing it. A later enquiry blamed the disaster on insufficient navigational aids in the Harbour. As a result of this loss and that of the ship Catherine Adamson at North Head some 9 weeks later, the Government built the Hornby Light at the tip of South Head. James Johnson was eventually employed in Newcastle as the lighthouse keeper and on 12 July 1866, and was instrumental in rescuing the sole survivor of the paddle steamer SS Cawarra wrecked there in 1866. Memorial services for the victims of the Dunbar are held annually at St Stephen's Church.
Dunbar Memorial
The Dunbar Historic Shipwreck is located beneath the South Head cliffs near to the Signal Station. The site appears to have been relocated several times since the 1857 loss. The anchor that forms the memorial was recovered from the wreck, identified as Dunbar, in 1910. The Dunbar Anchor Memorial comprises a large (approximately 4-metres) iron Admiralty pattern anchor, attached to the natural sandstone rock cliff face above the southern end of The Gap. The rock face has been worked to a vertical surface to accept the anchor which is fastened to it, with a remnant shackle attached. The memorial includes a stone plinth bonded to the wall detailing the date and purpose of the monument. A timber safety rail fence surrounds the memorial precinct.
The second item, a rock cut inscription, was inscribed on the flat (horizontal) sandstone cliff top above the actual wreck site location. The inscription reads: DUNBAR C.P. 25th AUG 1857 RECUT BY E.S.S. 20 AUG 1906".
While recovered in 1910, the anchor was not established at the site until 1930. The rock inscription was carved by an onlooker at the scene of the shipwreck event on 25 August 1857, five days after the event, and apparently re-cut by another individual on 20 August 1906, 49 years to the day of the disaster.
About The Dunbar
The Dunbar was launched on 30 November 1854 for London shipowner Duncan Dunbar. She was one of a number of large sailing ships that began trading to Australia as a result of the Australian gold rushes. The Dunbar was built as a first class passenger and cargo carrier. Ship rigged and well fitted out throughout, the vessel was, at the time of launching, the largest timber vessel constructed in Sunderland. This was partly in response to the demand for ships to carry passengers to the Australian goldfields. The Dunbar however was initially deployed as a troop ship in the Crimean War and did not become involved in the Australian trade until 1856.The Dunbar was a timber full-rigged ship built from British Oak and East India Teak. Three masts, square rigged. Registered tonnage was 1,321 short tons (1,198 t). Copper fastened throughout, iron knees. Length of vessel: 61.5 metres (201.9 ft); Breadth: 11 metres (35 ft); depth: 6.9 metres (22.7 ft). Copper sheathed. Rampant lion figurehead carved by James Brooker of Maryport.
Condition
As at 15 July 2003, The shipwreck site has been greatly reduced due to the exposed nature of its setting at the foot of the South Head cliffs and its shallow depth (7–8 metres of water). The archaeological remains have been severely reduced due to the actions of salvage divers at the site since its re-discovery in the early 1950s. Without heritage legislation in force and a lack of understanding of conservation science and heritage protection, the Dunbar and other notable wreck sites, were severely damaged at this time. Uncontrolled looting at the site lasted until the 1970s, the use of explosives known from the earlier period of this activity. Today, the main elements consist of one Admiralty and one Porters iron anchor, concreted anchor chain, pig iron ballast blocks scattered through the sandstone rock gullies, and many fragmentary remains of cargo items, ships fittings and fastenings.The Dunbar anchor has been in outdoor exhibition since 1930 and was the focus of an intensive materials conservation seminar in 1991, held by Woollahra Council with the NSW Heritage Office. The anchor underwent conservation treatment at that time. Ongoing corrosion problems suggest that the anchor is in need of reassessment in terms of the conservation technique used. The rock inscription appears to have been hand carved and is still sharp and distinct. There appears to have been little physical weathering at the site. Due to extensive salvage by SCUBA divers in the 1950s and 1960s, the site's integrity has been severely eroded. Portions of intact archaeological deposits are retained on-site which might retain a moderate level of potential for future scientific examination.
Further information
The Dunbar disaster ranks as one of Australia's worst maritime disasters. The nature of the event is still retained in the social history of Sydney and NSW. The name Dunbar is widely known in today's society, and the wreck event gave rise to the naming of the cliff face where the vessel struck, as "Dunbar Head".The Dunbar anchor used in The Gap memorial appears to have been one of two anchors reported to have been removed from the actual wreck site in 1910 by a local syndicate interested in preserving the memory of Dunbar. The group relocated the wreck site in 1907.