RAPID 1807-1811

Description:

American China Trader 3-Masted Ship

Owner:

Andrew Ritchie, Captain: Henry Dorr and 20 crew

Construction:

Timber

Sunk:

1811/01/07

Size:

366 tons length 31.7m beam 8.7m draft 4.3m

Underwater:

7m depth Anchor and large rock ballast covering keel and some timbers

Built:

By Nathaniel Thomas in 1807 in Braintree, near Boston, USA

Location:

Ningaloo Reef off Pt Cloates

Sinking:

Rapid departed Boston for Canton on 28 September 1810, but was wrecked on 98th day of voyage. The next day, a storm was raging and crew set fire to the ship sacrificing everything, including the 280,000 silver dollars being carried on board. The captain and crew returned to the wreck site on the ship ‘Meridian’ and organised recovery of the majority of the coins – leaving some 20,000 coins in situ.

Longitude:

113.692643

Latitude:

-22.739438