SCHOMBERG

Location

Peterborough, Curdies Inlet

VHR Number

S612

Date lost

26/12/1855

Year of construction

1855

Statement of Significance

Schomberg was a large clipper ship built for James Baines' famous Black

Ball Line. Schomberg has historical significance as one of the luxurious

ships built to bring emigrants to Australia, cashing in on the gold rush

era. The clipper is one of only three clipper wrecks in Victorian waters

that operated the England to Australia run. While the other two, Empress

of the Sea and Lightening, were built by the famous American

shipbuilder, Donald MacKay, Schomberg was built in Aberdeen. It was an

attempt to build a faster ship than MacKay and a vessel fast enough to

break the sailing record to Australia. Schomberg never got the chance to

break any records, sinking on its maiden voyage to Australia (Heritage

Victoria 2010). Schomberg has interpretative significance as part of the

Underwater Shipwreck Discvoery Trail (Lomdahl 1992) and the land-based

West Coast Historic Shipwreck Trail (Heritage Victoria 1994). The vessel

is badly broken up and the remains are heavily concreted. Schomberg is

not currently the subject of any archaeological or scientific studies.

Significance assessed against criteria defined in Guidelines for the

Management of Australia's Shipwrecks (1994) CRITERION 1: HISTORIC

Schomberg gas great historical significance as a representative example

of a large, fast clipper ship on the England to Australia run, carrying

emigrants attempting to cash in on the Victorian gold rush. CRITERION

2: TECHNICAL When Schomberg was built in 1855, the vessel was one of the

largest clipper ships ever built, during an era of large and fast

clipper ships. In an effort to make the vessel as fast as possible, it

was heavily sparred and carried 16,000 square yards of canvas sail.

Schomberg is representative of the technical advances made to break

sailing records between Europe and Australia. CRITERION 3: SOCIAL

Schomberg's social significance is aligned with its association with

Captain 'Bully' Forbes, one of the most famous - and dangerous -

captains of the era. The vessel also has social significance for its

brief role in carrying passengers immigrating to Australia on a promise

of finding gold. CRITERION 4: ARCHAEOLOGICAL The site is badly broken

up and there are no hull features visible. Railway tracks and large

girders can be seen. The site is heavily concreted. Some small artefacts

such as shoes and belt buckles can be seen cemented into the limestone.

Schomberg is not currently the subject of any archaeological studies.

Last recorded site visit 1986. There are 73 artefacts in Heritage

Victoria's Schomberg artefact collection, including a gudgeon and

pintles. CRITERION 5: SCIENTIFIC Schomberg is not currently the subject

of any scientific research. CRITERION 6: INTERPRETIVE Schomberg has

interpretive significance as part of the "Underwater Shipwreck

Discovery Trail" (Lomdahl 1992:Schomberg) and the land-based

"West Coast Historic Shipwreck Trail (Heritage Victoria 1994).

Schomberg's story is also the subject of shipwreck literature designed

for a general audience (Charlewood 1996 and Loney 1979). CRITERION 7:

RARE Schomberg is a rare example of the fast, luxurious clipper ships

bringing immigrants from England to Australia. There are only two other

examples of Black Ball Line clipper ships in Victorian waters -

Lightening and Empress of the Seas - but Schomberg is the only one built

in Aberdeen using a diagonal design. CRITERION 8: REPRESENTATIVE

Schomberg is representative, not only of the fast clipper ships, but

also the adventure and danger of sailing to the other side of the world

for the chance to find gold.

Physical Description

Construction Material Wood

Rig Full Rigged Ship

Propulsion Sail

Number of Masts 3

Length / Breadth / Depth 288.0 Feet / 45.0 Feet / 29.5 Feet

History

Builder Alexander Hall and Co.

Built Date 1855

Built Port / Country Aberdeen / Scotland

Registration Port / Country Liverpool / England

Details
Schomberg was a three masted wooden clipper ship, built in 1855 at Aberdeen for James Baine?s famous Black Ball line. The Schomberg story was almost the nineteenth century's Titanic; built at great expense, labelled the most perfect clipper ship ever built and designed to be the most comfortable vessel to sail to Melbourne?and sinking on its maiden voyage in 1855. Built with diagonal planking, Schomberg's frame was British oak with layers of Scottish larch fitted diagonally to the frame. Incidentally, pieces of hull with this design feature were washed up on the New Zealand coast and thought to be a part of the hull of Schomberg. The clipper was almost 88 metres long, 13.7 metres beam and almost 9 metres in depth at the hold. Schomberg left Liverpool on 6th October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3,000 tons of general cargo. The Captain, 'Bully' Forbes was aiming to get to Melbourne in 60 days, which would have been a magnificent feat. But a few windless days at the equator meant the vessel had no chance of breaking the record. The ship sighted Moonlight Head on Christmas Day but through a deadly combination of wind, currents and unmarked sand spits, the vessel ran aground. Fortunately the SS Queen was nearby and managed to save all passengers and crew. The wrecking of the Schomberg caused quite the public stir particularly in light of the fact the vessel was supposed to be, the most perfect clipper ship ever built, (Lomdahl 1992:Schomberg). The sinking of the vessel did have further ramifications. Part of the cargo was an iron railway bridge destined to open the railway crossing at Hawthorn. Another bridge was not opened until 1861. Captain Forbes was charged in the Supreme Court under suspicion that he was playing cards with two female passengers below decks when his ship ran aground. Despite a protest meeting, two inquiries and the court proceedings, he was found not guilty and cleared of all charges (Uhl 1985:24). The vessel was gazetted as an Historic shipwreck in 1982, inspected twice in 1986 and was re-gazetted in 1990. Schomberg is part of the Underwater Shipwreck Discovery Trail (Lomdahl 1992:Schomberg) and the land-based West Coast Historic Shipwreck Trail (Heritage Victoria 1994).

Voyage Details

Date Lost 26/12/1855

Voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne

Cargo
General

Owner James Banes & Co., Liverpool - The Black Ball Line

Master of Vessel Capt. James Bully Forbes

Weather conditions
SE force 2, clear day

Cause of Loss
Navigational error, vessel went ashore

Further Details

Number of Passengers 0

Number of Crew Members 0

Physical Description
Construction Material	Wood
Rig	Full Rigged Ship
Propulsion	Sail
Number of Masts	3
Length / Breadth / Depth	288.0 Feet / 45.0 Feet / 29.5 Feet

Builder	Alexander Hall and Co.
Built Date	1855
Built Port / Country	Aberdeen / Scotland
Registration Port / Country	Liverpool / England
Details	Schomberg was a three masted wooden clipper ship, built in 1855 at Aberdeen for James Baine?s famous Black Ball line. The Schomberg story was almost the nineteenth century's Titanic; built at great expense, labelled the most perfect clipper ship ever built and designed to be the most comfortable vessel to sail to Melbourne?and sinking on its maiden voyage in 1855. Built with diagonal planking, Schomberg's frame was British oak with layers of Scottish larch fitted diagonally to the frame. Incidentally, pieces of hull with this design feature were washed up on the New Zealand coast and thought to be a part of the hull of Schomberg. The clipper was almost 88 metres long, 13.7 metres beam and almost 9 metres in depth at the hold. Schomberg left Liverpool on 6th October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3,000 tons of general cargo. The Captain, 'Bully' Forbes was aiming to get to Melbourne in 60 days, which would have been a magnificent feat. But a few windless days at the equator meant the vessel had no chance of breaking the record. The ship sighted Moonlight Head on Christmas Day but through a deadly combination of wind, currents and unmarked sand spits, the vessel ran aground. Fortunately the SS Queen was nearby and managed to save all passengers and crew. The wrecking of the Schomberg caused quite the public stir particularly in light of the fact the vessel was supposed to be, the most perfect clipper ship ever built, (Lomdahl 1992:Schomberg). The sinking of the vessel did have further ramifications. Part of the cargo was an iron railway bridge destined to open the railway crossing at Hawthorn. Another bridge was not opened until 1861. Captain Forbes was charged in the Supreme Court under suspicion that he was playing cards with two female passengers below decks when his ship ran aground. Despite a protest meeting, two inquiries and the court proceedings, he was found not guilty and cleared of all charges (Uhl 1985:24). The vessel was gazetted as an Historic shipwreck in 1982, inspected twice in 1986 and was re-gazetted in 1990. Schomberg is part of the Underwater Shipwreck Discovery Trail (Lomdahl 1992:Schomberg) and the land-based West Coast Historic Shipwreck Trail (Heritage Victoria 1994).


Date Lost	26/12/1855
Voyage	from Liverpool to Melbourne
Cargo	General
Owner	James Banes & Co., Liverpool - The Black Ball Line
Master of Vessel	Capt. James Bully Forbes
Weather conditions	SE force 2, clear day
Cause of Loss	Navigational error, vessel went ashore

Number of Passengers	0
Number of Crew Members	0

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