The Gothenburg: 150 years on from one of Australia’s worst maritime disasters
The SS Gothenburg shipwreck holds an enduring connection to South Australia.
In 1875, a three-mastered, 500-tonne steamship, the SS Gothenburg, set off on a routine voyage from Port Darwin to Melbourne. The vessel carried 128 passengers, mail and a general cargo – as well as 93 kilograms of gold.
The Gothenburg was built to be one of the fastest, strongest and modern working vessels in Australia. However, eight days after the ship departed, she faced cyclonic weather conditions off the Queensland coast, with storm, high seas and flooding rains obscuring any sight of land.
Shortly after, she struck an edge of the Great Barrier Reef at full tilt on low tide.
The captain expected the ship to come off the reef when high tide came.
However, a final, fatal attempt to refloat her caused gaping holes in the hull, and strong winds and increasing seas caused the engine to become futile. The ship continued to heel over, while rescue attempts were doomed by treacherous conditions, causing boats and people to be swept away.
By the following morning, only the Gothenburg’s masts could be seen above the water. Several survivors in the water were rescued by a fellow steamer, and another group was found on the nearby Holborne Island.
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Tragically, 112 people perished in the tragedy, including a former premier of South Australia, a French Vice-Consul, a judge, and all women and children. Only 22 survivors were recorded.
This is the story of the Gothenburg, one of Australia’s worst maritime disasters.
Now, 150 years on, Department for Environment and Water South Australia Principal Maritime Heritage Officer, Mark Polzer, said the disaster had an immeasurable impact across the six British colonies, including South Australia.
“Among those that perished were residents of Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Woodville, Northfield, Gawler and Angaston,” Polzer said.
“When you’re a young colony, or young town and the population is not so large, something like this represents a huge impact.
“Most [are] not directly impacted by the wreck and loss of life, [but] almost everybody would’ve known somebody. It just ripples through the community.”
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The Gothenburg at dock (John Oxley Library). Image: supplied.
Approximately one-seventh of Darwin’s European population at the time perished in the accident.
Polzer believes a familial connection to the Gothenburg is still alive within South Australia.
“We have written accounts from that time and we have descendants still alive. It’s actually not that hard to be mindful of the human side,” he said.
Polzer said that shipwrecks like the Gothenburg depict a “microcosm of a community”, providing critical and unique information about the society, governance, people and culture of the time.
Divers are permitted to explore the Gothenburg with a legal permit, but are encouraged to “take only photos, leave only bubbles” to preserve its cultural and ecological benefits.
“In a way, they’re just like other archaeological sites on land,” Polzer said.
“And just like if there [are] some remains of some important building or structure on land, we wouldn’t think that it was okay for people to go and start digging and breaking things up just to see if there’s any sort of treasure or something of value there.”
South Australian James Fitzgerald was one of 18 who made it to the nearby Holborne Island. He brought a sea turtle shell, taken from a turtle killed for food, home with him after being rescued.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, Fitzgerald carved the names of all who remained with him on the island.
The plaque was donated to the Maritime Museum in Port Adelaide in 1932 and is still on display.
