A wooden ship, Aviemore, at Sydney, 1870, State Library of South Australia, PRG-1373-19-42
The North America was insured for $8,000 in New Bedford, and the same sum in New York. It departed on a whaling voyage on 12 June 1842 under the command of Captain Grinnell. By April 1843, when it arrived at Koombana Bay, it had 500 barrels of whale oil on board.
The North America was driven ashore in a gale and the wreck was bought and salvaged by Captain Daniel Scott, who was a whaler, miner and shipbuilder. He was also deputy harbour master at Fremantle from 1829, and harbour master from 1839 to 1851.
The North America went ashore again and became a total wreck. Scott began to dismantle the wreck, loading the timber and shooks of barrel staves onto the schooner Elizabeth. Also loaded were 32 casks of whale oil, which had been purchased by the merchant Luke Samuel Leake. On 17 November 1843 another gale struck, and the Elizabeth was driven ashore and wrecked. Nothing was saved except some of the casks of oil.
Reverend Wollaston bought the ship’s bell for £1.15.0 for his church at Picton.
Description
Ship rigged; two decks and a billet head
Size
Length: 95.5 ft (29.1 m) Beam: 26 ft (7.9 m) Draft: 13 ft (4 m) Tonnage: 285 gross
Latitude/Longitude
(-33.322229, 115.650462)
Sinking
The North America was in Koombana Bay, having let go only one anchor. The wind had been easterly, but during the afternoon of Monday 10 April 1843 a squall of wind and rain brought the wind round to the north-east. In the evening the wind began to blow ‘in gusts with great violence’, and increased further in the late evening. The North America began to drag its anchor, so a second anchor plus the kedge anchor were let go. The ship continued to drift and it struck on the eastern end of the bar at the entrance to Leschenault Inlet and there grounded. The next morning the ship was fast, but still had all its masts standing. On Wednesday morning (12 April 1843) the crew of the North America hove up the first anchor, which proved to be twisted and the shank broken. The second anchor was also broken, but by using it and the kedge the ship was hove off the bar into 5.5 m of water. During the day the North America drifted back to the bar and became stranded on the beach, where it lay with apparently little damage. Captain Daniel Scott purchased the wreck at an auction on 15 May 1843, and on 14 June he managed on to haul it off and back over the bar with little further damage. Scott wished to register the vessel as a colonial ship, which was refused. On 10 July 1843 the ship was blown ashore again. It finished on its side, the bottom stove in, and lying not far from the wreck of the Samuel Wright.
Underwater
The wreck of the North America is buried many metres under sand. When first uncovered by mining operations in 1963 the wreck was found to be lying in an approximately east-west direction close to the wreck of the Samuel Wright. The wreck was dismantled over the second half of 1843.
