- Betsey (ship)
The " Betsey " was a ship that was abandoned off the coast of
New Zealand in 1815.On 28 December 1814, the "Betsey" under the command of
Philip Goodenough leftSydney forMacquarie Island where the ship arrived on 13 Feb 1815. Goodenough landed a sealing party of thirteen men and then headed North to theAuckland Islands to undertake further sealing. Contrary winds meant that the "Betsey" was unable to return either to Macquarie Island or to Sydney. Food and water began to run out and the crew started to suffer fromscurvy . Heavy winds drove the ship towards New Zealand and on 18 September the "Betsey's" rudder was smashed by the heavy seas. Twenty miles from theBay of Islands , with several of his crew dead from scurvy and the remaining crew starving and parched from lack of water, Goodenough ordered the ship abandoned. Fourteen Europeans and sixLascars had left Macquarie Island. At the time of abandonment only twelve men were alive. Four were placed in thejollyboat as they were so sick they could not crew a boat and the remainder placed in thewhaleboat . The jollyboat was tied to the whaleboat and under the command of Goodenough headed for New Zealand. Progress was very slow, and soon after abandoning the "Betsey", Goodenough ordered the rope between the jollyboat and the whaleboat to be cut. The four sick sailors were never seen again. Eventually Goodenough made land and shortly after landing a Lascar died, followed by Goodenough on 1 November 1815.The six survivors were captured by
Maori and eventually released to the brig "Active " on 23 Feb 1816. The "Betsey" itself was eventually blown ashore nearGreat Exhibition Bay and went to pieces.The "Betsey" was probably owned by James Underwood, was some 222 tons and had been built at
Chittagong ,India and registered atCalcutta by Hogur & Co. [ "Australian Shipwrecks - vol 1 1622-1850",Charles Bateson , AH and AW Reed, Sydney, 1972, ISBN 0 589 07112 2 p51 ]References
External links
* [http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/fahan_mi_shipwrecks/journals/Shipwrecks/swbetsey3.pdf The Shipwreck Watch - the "Betsey"]
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