The Batavia leaves Table Bay in southern Africa and continues its voyage across the Indian Ocean for the Dutch East Indies. Mutiny is brewing, resulting in a cruel attack on Lady Lucretia. The Batavia wrecks at Houtman’s Abrolhos, and the survivors struggle to find dry land.
Category: Maritime History
Batavia’s Graveyard – Part 1
The Batavia was a 17th century Dutch East India Company sailing vessel. It wrecked in 1629 off the coast of Australia, setting the scene for horrible cruelty by Jeronimus Cornelisz.
Black Sam Bellamy & The Whydah Gally
Samuel Bellamy, or “Black Sam” Bellamy, was an extraordinarily successful pirate, albeit for a very short time. Called the “Robin Hood of the Seas,” he abhorred violence, treated his victims humanely, and was very generous to his men. When he and his fleet captured the slave ship Whydah Gally, he scored a huge payday, but it all wound up lost for almost 300 years when the Whydah was wrecked in a storm off Cape Cod in 1717. This is the story of the Gentleman Pirate, a ship laden with riches, and the discovery of its treasure.
The Carlskrona: Pearl of the Swedish Navy
The Swedish naval ship Carlskrona met her demise on the 9th of August, 1845 in the Florida Strait.
The Wrecks of the U-53
The German U-Boat U-53 and Captain Hans Rose wreaked havoc on Allied shipping in October of 1916, after having a friendly visit to Newport Harbor, Rhode Island.
The USCGC Blackthorn
On January 28th, 1980 the United States Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn collided with the freighter SS Capricorn. 23 of its 50 crew died in the accident.
Christmas Eve Wreck of the Annie C. Maguire
On a cold Christmas Eve in 1886, the British three-masted barque Annie C. Maguire wrecked on the rocks in Portland Harbour, Maine. How the ship wrecked is a mystery and the subsequent behavior of the ship’s crew remains a fascinating and legendary tale.
The Mystery of The Sindia
The 1901 wreck of the Sindia in Ocean City, NJ left much speculation as to the cause and purpose of the shipwreck, and still remains a mystery.
The SS Eastland
On July 24th, 1915, the SS Eastland rolled on its side in the Chicago River, just 19 feet from the dock, killing 844 people.
The Mont Blanc: Tragedy at Halifax
On December 6, 1917, the French cargo ship SS Mont Blanc suddenly exploded in Halifax Harbour, producing catastrophic destruction to the city and surrounding neighbourhoods.