Was built in France as a three masted Barque and being loaded with timber when a gale struck
ARISTIDE 1873-1889
French wooden Barque d’Ostende
Description
French timber three masted Barque
Construction
Timber
Size
399 tons 38.3m length 8.6m beam 5m draft
Built
1873 by J.Dubigeon and Son, Nantes, France
Owner
Louis Coriton Owner and Master
Sunk
25th October 1889
Location
The wreck of the Aristide is thought to lie on the shore about 4.6 km north of the Hamelin Jetty, about 200 m north of Twin Rocks.
Latitude/Longitude
(-34.215282, 115.033273)
Sinking
The wind had reached gale force and the Aristide was riding to both anchors, each weighing over one tonne, when about 10.00 p.m. the port cable parted. With squalls from the west-south-west reaching hurricane force, a cable was bent to the spare anchor and it was let go. The stream anchor was also dropped. However after midnight, with the squalls continuing, the barque began dragging all three anchors. Around 2.00 a.m. on 25 October the cable of the stream anchor parted and the Aristide dragged until by 3.30 a.m. the vessel’s stern was almost in the breakers. Here the two remaining anchors held for about twenty minutes until, dragging again, the barque struck heavily 2½ miles (4.6 km) north of the Hamelin Bay Jetty. The Aristide swung broadside onto the beach about 50 m out from the high water mark, with the deck canted towards the sea. The crew scrambled for safety over the bulwarks and on to the hull.
Underwater
the wreck was so broken up by the seas that there is probably very little remaining apart from possibly the lower section of the hull.