The Artisan Wreck
Bass Strait is notorious for the ferocity of its storms and many a ship has run aground on the south-eastern shores. The 1901 wreck of the Artisan – a three-masted 1,155 ton wooden barque – is one such example. Accounts of wreck and the plight of the crew generated enormous excitement at the time and resulted in this bay coming to be known as Wreck Beach.
This interactive historical map narrative uses the Google Maps interface to combine historical accounts, old and new photos and literary references to map a tale of a vicious storm, a crippled ship, unlikely survival, a heroic rescue attempt, and local ingenuity.
References:
- Board of Trade, 1901, “Wreck Report for ‘Artisan’”, in PortCities Southampton. URL: http://www.plimsoll.org/resources/SCCLibraries/WreckReports/18166.asp. Accessed 04/09/17.
- Chambers, J. & L., 1987, Out to the Wreck, Wonthaggi: Wonthaggi & District Historical Society.
- Heritage Council Victoria, 2015, “Artisan” in Victorian Heritage Database. URL: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/shipwrecks/45#statement-significance. Accessed 04/09/17.
- Knight, J.L., “The Closing of the State Coal Mines, Wonthaggi”, Mining and Geological Journal, Vol. 6, No. 6, 1970.
- Langenberg, E. 1999 “Artisan 1881 – 1901” in Maritime Archaeology Association of Victoria. URL: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~maav/artisan.htm. Accessed 04/09/17.
- Love, Don, 2005, Shipwrecks on the South Gippsland Coast, Perry Bridge, Victoria Don Love.
- Unknown, LOSS OF THE ARTISAN. (1901, April 25). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 5. URL: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196061246. Accessed 01/09/2017.
- Unknown, THE LOSS OF THE ARTISAN (1901, April 26). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 5. Retrieved October 13, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196062180
- Unknown, MARINE DISASTERS. (1901, April 27). The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), p. 36., from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139159582. Accessed 01/09/2017.
- Unknown, MARINE DISASTERS. BARQUE ARTISAN STRANDED. (1901, April 25). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 5., URL: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10547386. Accessed 01/09/2017.
- Unknown, THE ARTISAN DISASTER. (1901, April 27). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 15., from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10547823, Accessed 01/09/2017.