Mariners and ships in Australian Waters

Whaling vessels . . . items of interest

 

When originally seeking information on the occupations of crew on Whaling Ships to enable accurate transcriptions I was fortunate enough make contact with a Mr. Hollis in New Zealand. With the information he generously provided, we now have a much wider understanding of possible reasons for the high number of desertions from these vessels, and to seek further information if desired.

There are two kinds of whaler. . .
  1. Vessels which stay at sea for up to three years and both catch and process the whales.
  2. Vessels which service the needs of shore whaling parties, they are basically traders and merchants.
In New Zealand waters, about 75% of the first type were from America; the second type were mostly of Australian origin.
1. This is a payment list (lay) from the first type of Vessel and was typical on the American East Coast in 1832.

Ref: The Old Whaling Days by Robert McNab, p. 1913. page:193
 

Rank
500 tons
350 tons
300 tons
150 tons
Captain
1/20
1/15
1/12
1/8
Chief Mate
1/35
1/25
1/20
1/12
Second
1/50
1/45
1/30
1/20
Third
1/60
1/50
1/25
  
Forth
1/70
      
Boat-steerers*, Carpenters, Coopers~, Blacksmiths 
1/110
1/100
1/75
1/40
A. B. #, Cook and Steward
1/175
1/140
1/120
1/50
Ordinary Seamen
1/200
1/175
1/150
1/65
Crew
35
30
22
18
L29 per ton old measure was allowed for oils; L7 10s. allowed for black oil.
* "Boat-steerers" were in charge of the small boat crew that killed the whales.
~ "Coopers" are the people that make the wooden barrels for holding the whale oil.
# "A. B. " stands for Able Seaman.
2. This is the"Dublin Packet" owned by the WELLER Bros. of Sydney. The Dublin Packet carried my GGgrandfather from Dunedin to Timaru in 1839.

You will note that it carried two "gangs" to two destinations. The leader is called the "headsman" and for the two gangs they were Thomas BROWN and Joseph PRICE. . .

Ref: Whaling in Southern Waters by Frank Tod, p. Dunedin 1982. page:82, photocopy of the original HARWOOD document, gives. . .

Mr Thos. BROWN's Gang  Saml. WILLIAMS
Chas. WATKINS
Robt. RIDLEY
Robt. THOMPSON
Robt. STEVENS
John HANNAH
John ANDERSON
John JENNETT
Joseph PETER
Joseph CLARK
Peter JOHNSON
James RANKIN
Wm. MOZZARONI
Wm. REID ----- PRICE
Irvine FISHER
Robt. HOLLIS
Thos. FLOOD ----- cooper
Wm. SMITH ----- carpenter
John LEWIS . . . 16 landed
Note:. . . Wm. REID and two others did not land.
Mr Joseph PRICE's Gang  Thos. PADDISSOCE?
Afrd. BRITTAIN
James HAY
Jas.cONNALLY
John BROWN
John SULLIVAN
Wm. REID
Saml. PATTASON ----- carpenter
Wm. BROWN ----- cooper
List of whaleboat crews taken from HARWOOD's original records at the Hocken Library.

Thomas BROWN was headsman for another of WELLER brothers' whaling establishments at Hikuraki Bay Bank's Peninsula. - Hocken Library

Samuel WILLIAMS was a boat-steerer at the whaling station. WILLIAMS stayed on at Timaru after the station closed and he was later proprieter of the Timaru Hotel. He died at Timaru in 1883, at the age of 64. A bluestone monument, apparently erected by his fellow citizens, describes him as the oldest resident of Timaru at the time of his death.

Philip RYAN was the cooper in 1839 and later left for Banks Peninsula"

    Terry wrote: "I thought you might be interested in some additional information that I have
    on the " Dublin Packet". . .

    Ref: Shipwrecks New Zealand Disasters, 1795-1950, Chas. W. N. INGRAM and P. Owen:
    WHEATLEY, A. H. & A. W. REED, Second Edition 1951, gives. . . page: 27

1839

'Dublin Packet', schooner: On the evening of June 9, 1839, the schooner was totally wrecked at Taieri Mouth, about 30 miles south-west of Otago Heads, three of her complement losing their lives when attempting to reach the shore.  

The 'Dublin Packet' sailed from Otago on June 6 for WELLER Brothers' Tairei whaling station, where she was to land stores and ship oil.

The vessel arrived at Tairei Mouth on June 9. A heavy sea was rolling into the bay and the schooner was moored with both anchors ahead. At dusk the same evening it was found that the 'Dublin Packet' was drifting, and in a very short time the heavy sea drove her on the reef, the vessel striking with great force. The crew sought refuge in the rigging, where they remained until the mast went by by board.

In the struggle to reach the shore three men drowned. They were the second mate, the steward and a mentally-deranged seaman from the American whaling ship 'Favourite', who was being sent as a passenger to Sydney, where he was to be admitted to a mental hospital.

An attempt at rescue by a boat from the shore was unsuccessful. At daylight on the following morning not a vestige of the 'Dublin Packet' was to be seen where she struck, but the beach was strewn with wreckage.

The body of the steward was recovered and buried.  

The wreck of the schooner was purchased by George WELLER for four pounds ten shillings.   The ' Dublin Packet' was a schooner of 108 tons register, commanded by Captain WELLS, and owned by Mr George WELLER, who had purchased the vessel in March, 1838.

The schooner was insured for 1,200 pounds, and her cargo, comprising 43 tuns of oil, one ton of bone, six tons of potatoes, and whaling stores, was insured for 2,000 pounds.

 

    Additional reference books, these are considered essential reading for any researcher of whaling and
    sealing around New Zealand and Australia. . .

Murihiku and The Southern Islands - A history of the West Coast Sounds, Foveaux Strait, Stewart Island, The Snares, Bounty, Antipodes, Auckland, Campbell and Macquarie Islands, from 1770 to 1829 by Robert McNAB p. Invercargill, NZ 1907.

Whaling and Sealing at the Chatham Islands by Rhys RICHARDS p. Roebuck Society #21, Canberra, 1982. ISBN 0 909434 12 3 

William Stewart - Sealing Captain, Trader & Speculator by J O'C ROSS p. Robuck Society #37, Canberra 1887. ISBN 0 909 434 28 8

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Mary-Anne Warner, 2002		 Mariner's home