National maritime museum grant to restore
deadeyes from shipwrecked Queen of Nations
They were meant to support the masts of the old sailing ships, but the deadeyes of the Queen of
Nations were not enough to keep anything standing when it ran aground in 1881.
The vessel wrecked off Corrimal Beach on the 31st May 1881 when its intoxicated captain is said to
have mistaken the burning coal heaps of Mt Keira mine for the lights of Port Jackson.
The deadeyes, which are currently on display at the Illawarra Museum, will be restored later this
year using funding from the Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPPS).
We are very fortunate to have the deadeyes,said Illawarra Museum Manager Carol Herben.
Queen of Nations is the most renowned of all shipwrecks on the Illawarra coastline because of the
notorious way in which it was wrecked.
After an alcohol soaked journey from England, Queen of Nations struck hard on a low reef north of
Wollongong, damaging the rudder and causing the mainmast to crash overboard.
Passengers and crew later testified that it had been a most unpleasant journey. According to
reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, the captain and first mate were hopelessly drunk when
the ship was wrecked, the latter brandishing a revolver when the passengers attempted to leave
the vessel.
The cargo of ceramics, cemetery stone, 2400 bottles of brandy and other items, washed ashore,
attracting a large crowd out of Wollongong.
The shipwreck caused a scandal in the new colony and the captain was expelled from his duties for
twelve months.
Queen of Nations was one of the fastest and most highly-regarded vessels of the Aberdeen White
Star line and made several voyages to Australia before the wreck. The vessel was firmly involved
in the Shanghai tea trade.
The deadeyes are part of the museums wreck collection, which also include an eggcup and a
bottle of unidentified contents. Just a food bottle, I am afraid, Mrs Herben explained dispelling
suspicions that it might be one of the salvaged rums.
The Australian National Maritime Museum will contribute $3500 towards the conservation of the
vessels deadeyes, recovered from Corrimal Beach at low tide in 1937 by Walter Blaker.
Queen of Nations is an important story in Australias maritime history, said Peter Rout, Assistant
Director of the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney. We are pleased to be able to
continue to support the preservation of its history through the Maritime Museums of Australia
Project Support Scheme (MMAPPS).
The MMAPPS scheme, which the museum funds with Australian Governments Distributed
National Collection Program, helps regional museums, community groups and volunteers to
promote and protect Australian maritime heritage. For more information, phone (02) 9298 3777 or
10 November 2009
Media Australian National Maritime Museum Bill Richards (02) 9298 3645; 0418 403 472
Images and interviews are available upon request from brichards@anmm.gov.au