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Tasmanian Seafarers' Memorial
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SV Sally (1826)
The plaque reads ...
S.V. Sally
13.6.1826 the Colonial schooner sailed
from Hobart with stores & settlers for
the VDL Horse Co's Station, Ringarooma
Bay. Wrecked off Cape Portland 30.6.1826.
13 lives lost: T Johnson, J.Whatham,
Elizabeth Willett & 5 children,
J. Brown, Sarah Pilcher, Sarah Hooker
& 2 seaman. Only 1 of 19 dogs saved.
Recently returned from a sealing/reconnaissance trip of six months to New Zealand and surrounding islands, the ‘Sally' had been chartered by Mr. B. B. Thomas agent for the VDL Horse Company to transport settlers newly arrived from England to establish a settlement at the bay opposite Waterhouse Island. ‘Sally' was a wooden hulled schooner of 40 tons owned by Capt. W. Wilson and registered in Hobart in the names of William Wilson, Walter Angus Bethune and John Grant. She was built at Cook's River, NSW in 1821, and measured 41ft. 9 ins. x 15 ft. 9 ins. x 8 ft. 2 ins.
Laden with passengers and goods the 'Sally' left Hobart June 13 th 1826 on her voyage via the East Coast with a crew of five.
"Sailed - the schooner ‘Sally', Thomas Crabtree master, for Waterhouse Island with 12 bundles iron, 40 casks implements, nails, &c 17 packages farming implements, and a supply of seeds, slops, flour, tobacco, rum, chalk, candles, rope, tar, a mill, 6 grindstones, and a cart, for the new establishment forming opposite the island. Passengers - Messrs. Henry Widdowson and Kingdon Cleeve, John Brown, John Newland, George Willett, Jonathon Whatham, Luke Flanders, Thomas Johnson, Josiah Pitcher, William Wells, Elizabeth Willett and 5 children, Sarah Hooker and Sarah Pitcher” HTG 24.6.1826
In heavy weather on the night of June 30th , she dragged her anchors and struck on a reef of rocks not laid down on any charts, in the large bay opposite Waterhouse Island and near Cape Portland. One boat was swept away with no-one in it. The whaleboat soon followed with just a handful of people. The rest clung to the vessel until she broke up in the surf. Those who could do so drifted ashore on pieces of wreckage. Thirteen lives were lost including the three women and five children on board. Early accounts relate that only one of the nineteen dogs on board survived.
The exhausted survivors including Capt. Crabtree, reached George Town in the whaleboat on July 13 th .
Among the survivors were also two young Maori crewmen who were the subject of an article in the HTG of 9.6.1826 referring to the earlier voyage of the Sally to New Zealand under Captain Lovett:
"Mr. Lovett brought with him two New Zealanders who are interesting lads. They are found to be very useful in the vessel; one of them is a chief's son. His father came along-side the Sally in a canoe, and gave his son's services to Mr. Lovett, for the voyage, on the promise of a musket! when he returned. It is probable, that Lieutenant Governor Arthur may be induced, on the part of the British Government, to bestow some trifling presents to these young New Zealanders for their native country; for similar liberality has always been shown by the Governors of Australia on such occasions.”
The bay where disaster had stuck the ‘Sally' is known as Ringarooma Bay. Usually considered to be of aboriginal origin, some believe Ringarooma is derived from the Maori language - ‘Reinga' being a place for departed spirits or where spirits took their final plunge, and ‘Roma', a channel or current.
Thus Reinga Roma … Ringarooma (refer: Ringarooma History Association