History: Shipwreck of two crews with different outcomes - team play on one side, cannibalism on the other
Morten Strauch
· 17.05.2025
Sydney in November 1863: tonnes of sandstone blocks are loaded onto the small square-rigged schooner "Grafton" to increase the existing cast iron ballast to a total of 25 tonnes. The ship is to be taken on a daring mission to Campbell Island in the southern Pacific. This lies in the middle of the "Furious Fifties", the notorious zone below the 50th parallel, where the winds chase around the globe unchecked. Rumour has it that there is a profitable tin mine on the uninhabited island that is just waiting to be exploited.
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The crew consists of just five men, as it is only a reconnaissance party that is to locate and claim the mine without making a big fuss. Captain Thomas Musgrave and the Frenchman Raynal, a gold digger and survivalist, lead the expedition. The party is completed by two sailors and a cook horribly disfigured by leprosy.
On 2 December, the anchor drops off Campbell Island, but no mineral resources can be found despite an intensive search. Disillusioned, the men decide to set sail for Sydney again at the end of December. On the way back, they want to pay a short visit to the Auckland Islands to hunt sea lions and seals, whose tran would at least bring in some profit.
Accident of the "Grafton" in January 1864
On New Year's Day, the "Grafton" cruises into the strait between the main island and Adams Island to the south. Hordes of the coveted marine mammals can be spotted through the telescope; the crew is in high spirits. In a few days, they want to fill their barrels with the liquid gold. The men probe and sound their way further and further into the bay, first to the west, then to the north. On the afternoon of 2 January, the "Grafton" finally drops anchor in seven fathoms of water, but without sufficient safety clearance from the rocks. A second ground anchor is supposed to correct this situation, but during the night a gale comes up and an anchor chain breaks. The remaining anchor begins to slip. An escape under sail is impossible, so the schooner is thrown onto a reef.
The men desperately secure provisions and equipment to the towering stern. The crew themselves take makeshift shelter under a tarred canvas and hope for God and the next morning.
In daylight, the undamaged dinghy is successfully lowered to leeward so that the entire crew can escape ashore with some of their equipment. On the beach, the soaked and shivering crew sheltered under a makeshift tent. They would rather have drowned quickly in the water than suffer an agonising death of starvation on a storm-torn island.
"Seals were more than just meat for the 'Grafton' crew. Their oil was used as lamp oil and for soap. The skins for clothing. Even the blood was used: as ink for the diaries."
But they quickly gather new courage, as there is a lot of material on the wreck that can be used to build a shelter. And one thing is clear to the motley crew of very different characters from the very first minute: they only have a chance of survival if they stick together!
So the men haul planks, cordage and tools such as pickaxes or hatchets ashore to build a sturdy tent. In addition, several sacks of salt, a sextant, a rifle, gunpowder, pots, pans, 100 pounds of rusks, 50 pounds of flour, tea, sugar, spices and even six pounds of tobacco can be salvaged. Not the worst conditions for survival, but the men realise that a rescue ship might not arrive for at least ten months - if it is sent out at all.
Start of the southern winter
Captain Musgrave in particular falls into depression at the thought of his family. However, Raynal always manages to motivate his comrades with his wealth of ideas. They quickly agree that a house must be built to survive the subarctic winter. They also show discipline when it comes to eating. The first roast sea lion is gobbled down reluctantly by the castaways, as the unappetising meat smells and tastes unappetising.
Completed after two months of construction, the 24 x 16 foot hut is a small masterpiece. It is strategically located at the mouth of a stream on a hill overlooking the bay. Local ironwood, flat rock rubble and mortar made from burnt shell limestone were used in addition to mast sections for the framework. The centrepiece is a stove whose flue pipe is made from the copper plates of the hull cladding. There is also a table, two benches and a small bookshelf. Daylight is provided by three small windows made of glass panes from the "Grafton". The men ceremoniously christen their house "Epigwaitt". A North American Indian term meaning "near the big water".
The masses of blowflies prove to be a nerve-wracking nuisance, infesting everything that could serve as a breeding ground for their eggs, whatever the weather. On warmer days, sand flies also chew up every bit of exposed skin. A troop regularly goes seal hunting, either on foot or by dinghy. Seabirds, mussels and fish sometimes provide variety on the menu.
Clear rules ensure survival
In preparation for the approaching winter, some seals are cut open, salted and hung up as hams under the rafters. Nevertheless, the sailors suffer from malnutrition, which manifests itself in nausea, intestinal problems and exhaustion. There is a lack of carbohydrates as well as sugar and vitamin C. The remedy is a stinking rosette plant, which is a welcome side dish when cooked.
The group goes to great lengths to nip disputes in the bud. The fear of a possible escalation, which could have fatal consequences for everyone, is too great. Musgrave is democratically elected group leader, regardless of his rank. With his friendly but firm manner, he ensures order, monitors compliance with the rules and allocates daily tasks. To prevent abuse of power, the community agrees with its leader on the right to dismiss him in such cases and appoint a new one.
"Invercauld" sinks off the Auckland Islands in May 1864
Around 20 miles north-west of Epigwaitt, the Scottish square-rigger "Invercauld" runs aground on a reef in the Aucklands, tearing off the keel and washing the crew into the raging waters. The ship sinks in no time at all, not all the men are able to swim and reach the rescuing beach.
"The officers of the 'Invercauld' order the ship's boys to fetch water from a nearby stream. They prefer to drink from one of the stinking boots rather than pull themselves up."
As the new day dawns, the roll call reveals that nineteen men have survived. The narrow, horseshoe-shaped beach where they are huddled lies at the foot of an almost perpendicular cliff that towers more than three hundred feet high. As they search the washed-up wreckage for food, they find only two pounds of soggy biscuits and the same amount of cured pork. Captain Dalgarno seems paralysed and does not allow an orderly search for shelter or food. Disputes and selfishness characterise their interactions from day one. For days on end, the men vegetate on the beach and feed on seaweed, small fish or plants that grow out of the cracks in the rocks.
The group then decides to attempt the ascent in order to find more promising surroundings. They leave an injured sailor, who is unable to climb, on the beach. His death sentence. Up on the cliffs, some of them manage to kill a small pig. The raw liver is eaten immediately and the blood is licked up from the ground. The rest is hastily prepared on a fire and devoured.
The next morning, the cook and three other men set off on their own in the hope of killing more pigs. Nobody stops them, the captain is still mired in apathy. So the sailor Holding tries to lead his comrades on, most of them barefoot and in poor health.
It is pouring with rain and the temperature is just above freezing. But lacking the rank of officer, Holding has no authority, and as soon as dusk falls, the troop refuses to move a single step further. While making a fire, the hunters rejoin them, but without pigs - and without the cook, who had given himself up exhausted. There are now 17 survivors. The group continues to disintegrate.
Epigwaitt, 23 May 1864
First snowfall. The sea lions leave the bay. The men of the "Grafton" regularly set off on long forays in search of food. But despite the manageable size of the small island, it is almost impossible to reach the northern part - it is too overgrown and rugged. More than once, Musgrave stands on the highest point of Auckland to scan the sea for sails and sketch the island. He has no idea what drama is unfolding in the north at the same time.
Ten survivors of the "Invercauld" have now made their way to a stretch of beach in the north-east. They find limpets and are able to hunt fish and seagulls. At the beginning of June, they come across the ruins of the Hardwicke settlement, which was abandoned twelve years ago. The initial euphoria quickly disappears, as everything useful has been taken away by the settlers. The horror continues to escalate, as one after the other dies of hunger and exhaustion. There is even manslaughter in the heat of the moment, followed by cannibalism.
Christmas 1864 on the Auckland Islands
The mental low point is reached in Epigwaitt, as the hope of rescue is finally gone. With the courage of desperation, the decision is made to modify the dinghy in order to make the escape to New Zealand. An ambitious plan, as there is a lack of the necessary tools and equipment. Making them is already a Herculean task: Raynal spends a week working on a bellows made from wreckage and seal skins so that he can later use it to make tools. A peat-covered pyre is built for the charcoal also needed for the forge.
In an ongoing learning process, pickaxes and iron rings are turned into new tools such as pliers and drills, as well as moulds for making nails, chisels and saws. Meanwhile, the last three survivors around Captain Dalgarno cross over to Rose Island, just 500 metres away. There are wild rabbits and baby seals in abundance here, which improves morale and team spirit somewhat.
22 May 1865
One year after the shipwreck of the "Invercauld", the miracle happens: the Spanish ship "Julian" sails into the opposite bay of Port Ross before their very eyes. They light a fire and scream their hearts out. And indeed, a dinghy is launched to take the stranded men on board. 22 of their comrades were less fortunate and died in agony.
In mid-June, the new masterpiece of the "Grafton" crew is also ready for the risky crossing. The boat, named "Rescue", was lengthened to 17 feet, raised and fitted with a deck. The only catch: the modified boat can only take three people, the remaining two have to stay on the island.
Musgrave sails the boat through the turbulent winter sea to New Zealand in five days and rescues his comrades left behind in a seven-week odyssey on an oyster fisherman. They all survived.
The Auckland Islands
The islands were discovered in 1806 by the British whaler Captain Bristow, who released pigs there for the first time. In 1840, the British explorer James Clark Ross anchored with his ships "Terror" and "Erebus". Ross drew maps, released domestic animals into the wild and planted berries and vegetables before sailing on towards Antarctica. He later suggested establishing a penal colony there. But instead, Charles Enderby attempted to colonise the islands in 1849 in order to establish a whaling base.
Around 150 men, women and children were settled on the remote archipelago to earn their living by growing vegetables. Less than three years later, the experiment was cancelled due to the adverse conditions and excessive violence and alcoholism, and the islands were left to nature again - until the "Grafton" and the "Invercauld" were shipwrecked there in 1864. Later, rescue centres were set up to help future castaways survive. The islands have been a strictly protected UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. Visits ashore are only permitted in exceptional circumstances and under escort.
