The Viscount Melbourne
The Viscount Melbourne was a three-masted 680-ton carrier that operated during the reign of James Brooke of Sarawak. The ship was 150 feet(45 meters) long and 47 feet wide.(14 meters) The wood was assumed to be oak and beech. The wreck was found 90 miles north of Miri, Sarawak.
The ship departed London on 26 October 1840, bound for Calcutta, arriving safely in March 1841. After several months she left for China. In Singapore, she took on passengers, most notably Lieutenant Col Campbell, who was going to take charge of the 30th regiment, and a Mrs Sarah Dare and her two children, George and his infant brother Julius. The ship was captained by Captain Charles MacKenzie.
The ship departed Singapore with a full load of cotton, rice, wine and saltpetre.(Saltpetre is used in cooking. The idea that it was used to reduce carnal urges in men is a myth) On Christmas night 1841, it departed Singapore and encountered heavy weather that steered it off course. A strong current carried it close to the Luconia Shoals in the calm that followed.
On 5 January, the ship struck the Shoals and became grounded. Realizing they were taking on water, the Captain decided to abandon the ship. The 71 sailors were divided into lifeboats and set sail for Singapore. The first lifeboat set sail for Borneo to find water. The rest made it to Singapore after a 13-day voyage. It was said pirates attacked the boats.
Mrs Dare accidentally dropped baby Julius into the sea upon docking. He was thought dead but was revived by a doctor. Julius grew up to be a well know sportsman while his brother became a well-known businessman in the colony. The Dare family figured prominently in the early days of the Singapore colony. Captain Dare visited Sarawak, becoming good friends with Rajah James Brooke.
The first lifeboat made it to Sambas(?) and was treated well by Dutch authorities before returning to Singapore. Another lifeboat was set afire by pirates.
Maritime recovery efforts before 2015 (no date was given) included beer and wine bottles, fruit bottles (?), broken Dutch tablewares, mammal bone and bronze artefacts. The Captain and crew offloaded the valuables.
A spit of land where the Melbourne sank is known as Bering Patinggi Ali whose name was given by Sir James Brooke. The island is about 80 meters long, 30 meters wide, six meters above sea level. There are coconut trees. It is composed of coarse coral sand and coral fragments.
From: Hans Berekoven Short Note on the Ship Wreck of “Viscount Melbourne” in Northern Sarawak in the Sarawak Museum Journal December 2015
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