The Geffrard was owned by Pirchet & Co. until 1862, and then Orange & Co until 1873. In 1873 the brig was sold and re-registered in Melbourne. It sailed mainly from Melbourne to Shanghai, and occasionally called at Western Australian ports en route. The bank in the area where the Geffrard was wrecked was still known as Geffrard Bank up to the 1950s, although the name never received official recognition.
GEFFRARD 1853–1875
Brig Leo of 281 tons, State Library of Victoria H99.220_3395
Description
Brig; one deck, a square stern, and a male figurehead.
Construction
Wood; copper fastened and sheathed with felt and yellow metal
Size
Length: 122.8 ft (37.43 m) Beam: 24.1 ft (7.36 m) Draft: 16.5 ft (5.03 m) Tonnage: 340 gross, 334 net
Built
Fredrick Clarke, St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands
Owner
Fred Davies, Melbourne
Sunk
12 June 1875
Location
Quindalup. Reports say that the Geffrard finally came to rest some 2.5 km east of the jetty. A report by the police constable at Quindalup stated that the vessel was on a sandbank about half a mile (800 m) offshore.
Latitude/Longitude
(-33.630842, 115.15882)
Sinking
On 12 June 1875 the Geffrard had taken on a full cargo of timber for Adelaide and was anchored in 8.2 m of water about 2.8 km from the Quindalup Jetty. At 6.00 am on the following morning a fresh breeze blew up from the north and quickly reached gale force. At 7.30 pm an anchor chain on the Geffrard parted, and the starboard bower anchor was let go with 83 m of cable paid out. This cable also parted and the fore topmast staysail and the main lower topsail were set in an effort to save the vessel. The brig continued to drift and struck the bottom with the aft end of the keel. The cargo and wreck were sold by tender.
Underwater
Quindalup. Reports say that the Geffrard finally came to rest some 2.5 km east of the jetty. A report by the police constable at Quindalup stated that the vessel was on a sandbank about half a mile (800 m) offshore.
Gallery
