Which steamship was wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef in 1875?

The SS Gothenburg was a steamship that operated along the British and then later the Australian and New Zealand coastlines. In 1875, she left Darwin, Australia en route to Adelaide when she encountered a cyclone-strength storm off the north Queensland coast.

Gothenburg was launched stern-first on 1 April 1854. On launching, she collided with the steamship Clyde, which sank in the River Thames. Gothenburg was severely damaged at the stern. Her propellers were also damaged.

The ship was still heading south in almost cyclonic conditions with fore, top and mainsails set and the steam engines running at full speed.

At approximately 7:00 pm, and for reasons undetermined, he altered course and shortly afterwards, at full speed, hit a section of the Great Barrier Reef.

Gothenburg struck with such force that she was left high up on the reef. Immediately, an order came out to lower the sails. At first, there was no panic and many passengers returned to their cabin bunks expecting Gothenburg would come off the reef at high tide.

The ship was wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef north-west of Holbourne Island on 24 February 1875. Survivors in one of the lifeboats were rescued two days later by Leichhardt, while the occupants of two other lifeboats that managed to reach Holbourne Island were rescued several days later. Twenty-two men survived, while between 98 and 112 others died, including a number of high-profile civil servants and dignitaries.