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Dreadful shipwreck, in the channel, of the NORTHFLEET emigrant ship, loss of over 300 lives
Dreadful shipwreck, in the channel, of the NORTHFLEET emigrant ship, loss of over 300 lives

Dreadful shipwreck, in the channel, of the NORTHFLEET emigrant ship, loss of over 300 lives

Printer (c 1850 - c 1880)
Date1873
Object number00017421
NameBroadsheet
MediumWoodcut engraving and printed text on paper mounted on card.
DimensionsOverall: 252 x 190 mm, 0.022 kg
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis broadsheet features a ballad about the wreck of the emigrant ship NORTHFLEET in the English Channel. It depicts an engraving of survivors in a lifeboat. NORTHFLEET was bound for Tasmania carrying 300 passengers, mainly immigrants and equipment for railway construction in the colony when it sank in January 1873. Broadsheets were sold by street hawkers and were a popular form of entertainment in the 19th century.HistoryThe NORTHFLEET was a 951-ton British passenger ship built at Northfleet in 1853. For the majority of its career NORTHFLEET travelled between Britain, Australia, India and China, becoming a famous clipper ship on the Chinese trade run known for its exceptionally fast passages. In January 1873 on a voyage to Tasmania, carrying passengers and railway equipment the vessel encountered bad weather and was forced to anchor. It was then struck by the Italian steamship MURILLO which disappeared after the collision. Although many vessels were close to NORTHFLEET they were unaware of the incident and provided no help. The vessel is reported to have sunk in 30 minutes and 320 lives were lost. SignificanceThis broadsheet represents the wreck of NORTHFLEET and the loss of 320 lives, predominantly made up of immigrants planning to start a new life in Australia. It demonstrates the production of sentimental ballads often made after a tragic shipwreck.