Empress of the Sea (1853-1861)

Initially, the vessel sailed between America and the rich trading ports of the world in 1858 it was sold to a flamboyant and powerful ship owner James Baines.

It then became part of the Black Ball Line, a shipping company which brought immigrants and cargo from Britain to Australia.

In December 1861, the Empress of the Sea was moored at Portsea and about to begin its journey to Britain when it perished in a fire.

The wreck was rediscovered in 1984 lying in shallow water in Nepean Bay. Some features of the old clipper are still visible, however the remains are scattered.

Ships Construction

A feature of the Empress of the Sea was a female figurehead in white and gold which formed a beautiful ornament on the bow.

The ships saloon accommodation was luxurious. It was finished in mahogany, and decorated with comfortable sofas and gold edged mirrors.

The ship was very large and measured 240ft (72.7m) in length, 43ft (13m) in width, 27ft (8.1m) deep and had a gross tonnage of 2200 tons.

Despite its vast size, the Empress of the Sea was said to look as beautiful and graceful as a luxury yacht.

It was certainly one of the best fitted merchant ships in the world with strong spars, perfect style of rigs and sails finished without regards to cost.

The Final Voyage of the Empress of the Sea

Some of the crew deserted the ship to seek their fortunes on the goldfields and new crew had to be found.

The goldrush also lured farm labourers and city workers, creating a shortage in the labour market and a downturn in export trade. So, it was many months before the Empress of the Sea had sufficient cargo and crew to return to England.

On the 18th of December, 1861 under the command of Captain J (Bully) Bragg, the Empress of the Sea , finally left Hobson Bay with 12 passengers and 45 crew, some of whom had little or no seafaring experience.

The ship was also carrying a very valuable cargo - $80,000 pounds worth of gold, 2711 bales of wool, 100 casks of whale oil, whale bone, bags of leather and woollens, wheat , flour and 180 tons of copper ore.

Late one evening, the vessel arrived at Queenscliff where Captain Bragg and his first officer went ashore to find more crew. While they were away, a fire broke out in the forward hold and spread quickly through the ship.

A Port Phillip Pilot, Mr Kennedy who was on board the Empress of the Sea, and another passenger, took command and ordered the ships pumps to send water down to the hold.

Unfortunately the pumps handle could not be found and the crew had to resort to passing buckets of water by hand.The fire was soon out of control and the Pilot decided to beach the ship at Point Nepean in order to save the cargo and the ships hull.

He steered the vessel toward the shore where it became grounded in very shallow waters. Lifeboats were lowered and the passengers, crew and gold were off-loaded.

The passengers and most of the crew had been rowing towards Queenscliff but another boat with five crew and the gold could be seen disappearing towards the heads. A pilot boat managed to apprehend the crew and their "Loot" and direct them towards Queenscliff.

A Court of inquiry held shortly after the wrecking, found that the fire was deliberate act of arson. Goldman, the German quarter master was the chief suspect.

He had previously been convicted of murder, his sentence was reprieved on the gallows scaffold. In spite of suspicions circulating in the press, there was insufficient evidence to convict him.

In late December, the hull and remaining cargo of the Empress of the Sea were sold at auction for $3,750 pounds.

Check this wreck on the Shipwreck Map

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