'Catherine', 1851

The 26-ton, 12-metre wooden cutter Catherine was wrecked on 15 May 1851 at Bermagui River.

Details were reported in the Geelong Advertiser (quoting the Sydney Herald) on 7th June 1851:

The cutter Catherine sailed from Twofold Bay on Tuesday, the 13th inst., at 8 A M., and called at Bermagui River at 5 P.M., with the intention of taking on board some tallow, the wind at south, accompanied with heavy rain. On Wednesday, the 14th, strong breezes from the south-east, and raining very fast. On Thursday, the 15th, the wind from south-east to east, still accompanied with heavy rain ; at 11 A.M., the vessel parted her stern moorings ; and stemmed the current, swinging to her larboard anchor; the crew immediately cleared away the second anchor and let it go, giving the vessel chain on both anchors, and struck the topmast, the current running at the time about eight knots per hour, and washing down from the upper part of the river a number of large trees, which got foul of the vessel's bows, and about midnight the rise of the flood was about four feet, the current gradually increasing. Seeing no possibility of saving the vessel, the crew, with the master, deemed it advisable to abandon her, and almost immediately after she parted both chains, and was carried out to sea. In a few minutes afterwards she struck heavily on the beach where the sea broke heavily over her, bilging the vessel on both sides. The cargo consisted of 11 hides, 8 bundles sheepskins, 1 cask-tallow, l ton potatoes, 4000 treenails (wooden pegs used to fasten pieces of wood together), and 2500 shingles. The vessel became a total wreck, and no part of the cargo was saved. The master and crew arrived per Shamrock steamer.

Some parts of the vessel itself were salvaged. This advertisement appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on 6th June 1851:

THE CUTTER CATHERINE, 26 tons register.
MR. R. FAWCETT has received instructions to sell by public auction, on WEDNESDAY June 11, at his Commercial Sale Rooms, 481 George Street, at 12 o'clock precisely,
The cutter Catherine, 26 tons register, as she now lies wrecked on the Bermagui beach, near Twofold Bay, with the following articles saved: new storm trysail, 1 second jib, 1 third jib, 1 foresail, 1 fly-by-night, 1 mainsail, 1 big jib, blocks, gear, main boom, squaresail yard, topmast, 1 kedge anchor and warp, boat and 2 oars, 2 anchors and chains.
Terms, Cash.

The Catherine had been used for coastal transport of cargo and was registered in Sydney. It had been built in 1843 at Brisbane Waters by Thomas Humphries.