Shipwrecks in
ISLA DE LOS ESTADOS y
PENINSULA MITRE

This is intended to be as complete a compilation as possible, but omissions are highly likely. As you can see, most of these shipwrecks happened since the San Juan de Salvamento lighthouse was built and the Salvage Station was established. Before that date, very few are recorded in the records. The reasons are various, but in principle we rule out pirates turning lights on or off as happens in Jules Verne's novel The Lighthouse at the End of the World. The last three decades of the 800 were characterized by the boom in cargo shipping; the explosive increase in passenger transport (from the east coast to the west of the United States and Australia); the boom in the construction of the last large and fast cargo sailboats; and for the establishment of a Rescue Station and lighthouse in San Juan de Salvamento, another in Bahía Thetis and another in Ushuaia, which made it possible to take note of the ships that passed through the area and also learn about the shipwrecks that occurred.

The navigators deposited in these facilities their tranquility knowing that they could find help and a light to obtain a real reference and thus be able to locate themselves on the chart; and even control the on-board timer. They took the landfall lighthouse as one to locate and, for many of them, this was a fatal miss. It was not until 1902 that the position of the lighthouse was changed and a new one was built on Observatory Island (declared a National Monument at the end of 1998). The San Juan de Salvamento lighthouse was abandoned and, in 1997, study work began on it. The Maritime Museum approached the project with the collaboration of the Museum of the End of the World and the Argentine Navy. A replica of it was built in Ushuaia (in the Maritime Museum) and France donated a monument that was installed on the same place as the previous one. This destroyed any possibility of archaeological work. The monument was installed with the authorization of the Ministry of Culture and the National Commission of Museums and of Monuments and Historical Sites, dependent on the Presidency of the Nation.

Many think that these shipwrecks were produced intentionally to collect insurance. He maintains that, given the advance of steamships over sailboats, the shipowners wanted to get rid of the latter. It is a difficult theory to prove, especially when there are many ships that did not have any insurance, such as Dr. Hansen, the Brisbane and a long list. For this reason, the captains negotiated the recovery of the cargo with the salvage companies at very beneficial percentages for the "raqueadores".

At the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, there is an information and research center that can be consulted by paying a fee (Maritime Information Center, of the National Maritime Museum of Greenwich).

This center has all the information on the sunken ships in the region and also on the lost or missing. This does not mean that they are sunk in the area, but that the latest available data give the region as a possible place of the accident. This information comes from the data recorded in the dispatch (or set sail), where the destination port was indicated. On the other hand, depending on the type of ship, there were more or less predetermined routes. There is also the information of those who saw them for the last time.

But the most important thing about this is that there is a lot of information about the sunken ships, since it is also possible to consult the Lloyd's Register. For Spanish ships there are good records in Seville and Madrid. We have consulted them, but for other ships, since they do not have records that involve the Island of the States. In short, it is possible to know a great deal about what happened, but without much detail. In addition to these records, all the data presented here were published by newspapers of the time.

Shipwreck log

Vayari: English Boat (1872). He was shipwrecked in Punta Fallows (Island of the States). The incident occurred while crossing the Strait of Le Maire. The castaways were picked up by another ship and taken to Europe. No further details of the incident are known.

Espora: Brig schooner with Argentine flag, owned by Don Luis Piedra Buena. Ex-Nancy from Smiley wolfdog. March 10, 1873. The shipwreck occurred on Isla de los Estados, in Franklin Bay. In several campaigns, the Ushuaia Maritime Museum carried out a study of the place with the support of the Austral Naval Area.

Lotus: English boat. July 1875. Coming from Rio de Janeiro and bound for the Callao bay, in ballast and under the command of Captain Saint Jaha. On the morning of July 6, she ran aground on a rock at the mouth of the Bay of San Juan del Salvamento (Isla de los Estados), two days later she sank. The crew boarded two boats, one of them manned by its captain and seven sailors. The fate of her was never known. The second, made up of five sailors, was picked up by the ship “Antoniette”.

Albert Gallantin: English frigate. October 1875. With a cargo of coal, she caught fire on the high seas. She was abandoned by her crew off the northeast coast of Isla de los Estados on October 10, 1875.

Prince Arthur: English boat. She ran aground on the eastern tip of Puerto Cook and shattered on the rocks on February 24, 1876. The boat had a size of 544 tons. log, with a cargo of stone coal and was under the command of Captain T. Nelson. She came from Liverpool and was destined for the city of Caldera. The owner of the ship and her crew were saved in the boats; they were later picked up by the schooner Sea Shell.

Mercator: Belgian boat. October 1876. Captain H. Micholson of the kite Luisa, of the Punta Arenas registration, informed the authorities of the colony that he approached him on October 24, 1876. He had attracted him with a signal at the top of the shipwrecked ship, while traveling to hunt sea lions on the rocks and islets near the Isla de los Estados. He passed the ship that he found abandoned. He was shipwrecked on the Isla de los Estados, and the antecedents tell us that, later, the captain and seven men drowned in maneuvers.

Cosmopolit: English frigate. July 1878. With a size of 1259 tons. Registry, under the command of Captain J. H. Lyons, on his way from Rio de Janeiro to Callao. She was shipwrecked on the night of July 4, 1878 on a shoal near Puerto Parry. The crew, which consisted of 23 men, was saved in a boat and headed for John Harbor Bay (San Juan). The knowledge of this incident was due to the eastern cutter Rayo, used in hunting sea lions. The castaways were picked up by the English boat Ryebale and the Bacaban de Bordeaux.

Juliet: August 1878. English boat of 1243 tons of bearing. On the way from London to San Francisco, California. During a calm the current swept her over Cape San Antonio and she went ashore on August 1, 1878. The 27 shipwrecks were picked up by the German brig Thetys.

Pactolus: On February 13, 1882, when Cape Horn resisted on its four anchors in Rock Harbor, one mile from Cook Harbor, the Anglo-American barque Pactolus, led by Captain WL McLellan of Nova Scotia, broke its chains and It was thrown by the fury of the waves and the wind against the rocks that constitute the bottom of the Bay of Puerto Pactolus. In an instant the boat shattered on the rocks. Giacomo Bove and Luis Piedra Buena, aboard the Cape Horn, were in charge of the rescue of the shipwrecked, who had taken refuge in Puerto Cook. The ship's captain, McLellan, was taken on board because he was ill and the rest stayed with supplies until they were rescued on February 18. The master of the Pactolus was called William Tobey, well known in Liverpool.

Ana: En route from Genoa to Valparaíso. On a calm windy day, January 20, 1885, the current swept her between Port Cook and New Year's Island. She was a boat of 800 tons. register with general cargo and 14 crew members. From the diary of Darío Saráchaga, commander of the Bahía Blanca cutter of the Argentine Navy, we read: “… On January 25 we returned to the“ States ”, arriving on the 30th and in time to save the castaways of the Italian boat“ Ana ”, lost on 28 between Puerto Cook and New Year. On February 18, the “Villarino” arrived and took the shipwrecked and I got on the cutter with the crew that I had made in Punta Arenas ”. On the way from Punta Arenas to San Juan de Salvamento, he sees the castaways and rescues them, taking them to the rescue station. They remain there until Villarino transports them to Punta Arenas.

River Ragan: In other references it appears as River Tugón or River Lagan. In all cases, the same date and place of wreck confirm that it refers to the same vessel.

The River Ragan was an English boat of 852 tons. of record and 1250 tn. general cargo. She had left Glasgow bound for Valparaíso. The fog, the wind and the calm sea caused that the boat was dragged on one of the islands of New Year, in the Island of the States. The shipwreck occurred on March 4, 1885.

The commander of the Argentine cutter Bahía Blanca picked up the castaways on board and took them to the Chilean colony of Punta Arenas de Magallanes. The local authority took charge of them, providing them with resources and accommodation.

The armored ship of S.M.B. Triumph embarked some of the castaways and took them to the port of Coquimbo, and arranged for the rest to be taken to Europe by the first steamer with that destination. 17 crew members were saved.

Let's see what the commander of the Bahía Blanca national cutter, Mr. Darío Sarachaga, tells us. She belonged to the South Atlantic Expeditionary Division of Augusto Lasserre's Squadron, made up of the Paraná gunboat (flagship), the Villarino and Comodoro Py transports, the Patagones and Bahía Blanca cutters and the Cabo de Hornos corvette.

It is interesting to read how he recounts the most significant events in the logbook. During the time they were on land or at anchor in the same place, annotations were usually made that mentioned the most important events, or summarized what that entire period of time covered. Thus, we find a reference to this shipwreck that, apparently, did not move Sarachaga much.

“February 21, 1885: We remained at anchor fixing the ship until March 8, when four shipwrecked boats were seen off Cape Forneaux, these arriving at the Sub-prefecture and their captain Guillermo Mahood declared that on the 6th he had calmed The strong wind to the "New Year's Islands" and the currents threw the ship, the boat "River Ragan" (on a trip from England to Valparaíso) to the rocks to the west of this island (it was anchored in San Juan del Salvamento ). "

“March 12: I rigged up and set sail, taking the shipwrecked captain to see the place of the shipwreck. Two hours after setting sail, the wind calmed me and we were thrown by the currents to the tip rips (tide rips) of Cape San Juan until 10 p.m., when a fresh NW current rose with a dark sky and horizon; I lost a boat that we were carrying by the stern. At 12 p.m. we sighted the San Juan lighthouse and entered anchoring at 2 a.m. "

“March 13: Harsh NW wind and wooded sea, bad-looking sky. We couldn't leave until the 15th, which was composed and blew from the SE fresh; Sailing with a curl hand, arriving in front of New Year began to calm down, remaining calm girl in front of the place where the ship was lost. The currents drove us to the mouth of Port Cook; at dusk with a breeze from the west we anchored in this port. "

“March 14: Throughout the coast you can see pieces of wood, trees and crates, most of them broken, that have belonged to the boat. On the 17th we were able to reach the accident and we found only a piece of the hull, from the stern to the place where the mizzenmast was. The place where the ship was lost is a place where all the winds raise heavy seas and it is for this reason that the ship was disposed of so soon. "

"March 18: We went through various ports on the island and found 25 boxes of sherry, port and 5 barrels of sweet wine, returning to San Juan on the 20th."

Mountaineer: Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1887-88 tells us: “Abandoned. Registration number 70910. Her captain was Mr. Doughty and she was an iron boat with a British flag, 1496 tons. net and the measurements in feet of her were: length 245.3; sleeve 38.0 and with a tip of 23.0. She was built in Sunderland by W. Doxford and Sons Ltd., 1875. Bought by G. N. Gardiner and Co. Registered in Liverpool. "

The Lloyd's Weekly Shipping Index for December 24, 1886 comments on the shipwreck and reports that she burned at sea. The crew took the boats and she was brought to safety on the Isla de los Estados on October 18. The ship was on its way from Hull to Wilmington, California.

Roberto Payró recounts this shipwreck very well, since it occurred right in front of San Juan de Salvamento. And we can say that the people from the lighthouse and the rescue station were witnesses, almost direct, of it.

III. Some time passed without news of other shipwrecks, until October 18, 1886, that of the English frigate Mountaineer occurred.

This ship, of 1886 tn. log, loaded with 2,100 coal, ran from Hull to Wilmington, California. She had 28 crew members.

On October 9, she rounded Cape San Juan towards the Pacific, and only on October 16, facing Cape Horn, was fire noticed on board. The captain promptly sent all the people to the hold to gather all the coal to the center of the ship. The atmosphere was unbreathable, and two of the sailors had to be removed, almost asphyxiated. He then gave up the task.

Directing his efforts in another direction, the captain ordered the hatches closed tightly, to try to put out the fire. The fire continued to increase. Hoses were assembled, an attempt was made to flood the cellars, but all to no avail. The dense smoke that escaped from all the cracks, was getting bigger and blacker every time ...

That day the Mountaineer spoke to another English frigate, the City of Athens, whose captain invited the former to continue further west or to abandon ship. The City of Athens would receive the entire crew on board. But the captain of the Mountaineer preferred to continue to the Isla de los Estados and call at one of its ports to try to save the ship.

On the 17th, being at 57 ° and 47 minutes of South latitude, and 69 ° 40 minutes of West longitude of Greenwich, explosions of the gases accumulated in the hold began to occur, and the abandonment of the ship became urgent.

There were three ships in sight, 4 or 5 miles apart; signs were made to them but they did not answer them and they continued their defeat .

On the 18th, at 10 in the morning, the Isla de los Estados was sighted at a distance of about 25 miles and they headed towards Back Harbor, which is exactly south of San Juan del Salvamento.

But unfortunately there was such a dense fog that it made it almost impossible to position the ship, while the danger increased at every moment, the explosions became more terrible each time, and through the stern and bow hatches, which had been raised, whirlwinds came out of smoke and flames ... impossible to stay on board one more minute ... it was 3 in the afternoon.

The boats were lowered, the entire crew embarked in good order, and rowing briskly they reached Back Harbor at half past five, where they disembarked exhausted from fatigue.

The captain did not save anything, neither his papers, nor a sum of money that he had in the chamber, with which from the beginning it was impossible to communicate.

The castaways had only managed to carry food for two days, and did not know of the existence of the San Juan Subprefecture. But the captain had seen light in Puerto Laserre, he supposed that there would be a lighthouse there, and consequently decided to send the next day a commission made up of the second pilot and 7 sailors to cross the isthmus that separates both ports. He urged to obtain provisions, otherwise the 28 shipwrecked were condemned to die of hunger in a short time.

The commissioners took to the northeast, arriving hours later in front of the Subprefecture, separated from it by the width of the bay. They made signals with smoke, firing some shots, and at 3 o'clock in the afternoon the people of the Subprefecture crossed in a boat to help them.

The sailors remained in San Juan, and the second pilot of the Mountaineer, with a man given to him by the sub-prefect to accompany him, went in search of his companions, who immediately set off, minus 4, who were ill, there were to go for them by boat the next day.

The Mountaineer, burned, passed by the current in front of San Juan, like an immense fire, and went to land on the east coast of Cape San Antonio, where later the remains of her were found ... "

From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Archive Section. Diplomacy and Consular. Year 1887. England. Box 345 - File N ° 6, we find a note in English with the following translation:

“The SMB legation, on April 25, 1887, thanks the generosity and good care received by the group of castaways and Captain JR Dougldy of the ship“ Mountaineer ”, mentioning especially Captain José Fregueiro, chief of the naval station in the port of San Juan, who hosted them from November 21 to 26, and Commander Federico Spurr, chief of the Argentine warship "Villarino", who took them to Punta Arenas. "

As we can see, although great humanitarian aid was provided and a true exercise of sovereignty was being carried out, we had to turn to Punta Arenas. At that time, Ushuaia was just a handful of houses with the intention of being a city, although it was already the capital of the National Territory. At that time, the "gold race" began. In Ushuaia, three general stores operated and in a short time the one of the Harberton ranch, founded by Thomas Bridge, would be opened to try to keep the little gold that the miners harvested in exchange for meat and other victuals.

Garnock: On the NE island of New Year, in calm weather, the English boat Garnock of 700 tons was shipwrecked on May 26, 1887. of registry and 1015 of general cargo, coming from London to Victoria, on Vancouver Island. Shipwrecked Commodore Py 16 were taken to Punta Arenas.

Dunskeig: Of this ship, on the trip from London to San Francisco, there are not many details. With 2400 tn. of general cargo, 30 men and a passenger, she sank on June 23, 1887 in Cabo San Antonio, Isla de los Estados.

17 people were saved. The passenger, James Johnston, was rescued by the Patagones cutter. The rest of the crew remained in place until August 19 when they were rescued with the shipwrecked Colorado boat, who had crossed the island on foot from Franklin Bay. It was the Chilean-flagged steamer Mercurio that rescued the Dunskeig and Colorado survivors. They were fed seafood and cocoa. They were taken to Buenos Aires.

It is interesting to clarify that the steamer Mercurio had been chartered by the Argentine government to take the Magellan shipwrecked to Ushuaia who were waiting in Puerto Deseado, Santa Cruz.

The English government awards a gold award to commanders Leonardo Ceesola (Mercurio) and Macedonio Bustos (Patagones cutter), gold medals for the rest of the officers and silver for the crew of the rescue boats. The Fuegian Indians on board the cutter received £ 2 each.

Regarding these shipwrecks and those that occurred during that year, the head of the San Juan de Salvamento Subprefecture in Isla de los Estados, Subprefect Francisco G. Villarino, writes in the 1888 memory a summary of what happened - document that we transcribe in part - and elevates it to the Maritime Prefect.

The subprefect Francisco G. Villarino is the same one who was in charge in 1884 when he arrived with the expedition of Don Augusto Lasserre. It refers to shipwrecks and the problems that this causes for the sub-prefecture, either due to the number of mouths to feed or the clothing to be supplied - since a castaway, in general, can save very little - and for necessary medical help. There was also the eternal problem of lack of communication due to not having an appropriate boat to navigate to Rio Gallegos, Punta Arenas or to the Malvinas Islands. For this, a cutter or steamer would have been necessary and not the whalers they had to move within the port and with calm sea. Following the letter, we transcribe a piece of news that appeared in the newspapers of the time that illustrates the subject for us. Francisco G. Villarino wrote:

“On May 25, the English boat“ Garnock ”with 17 crew members, including the captain, was wrecked on the NE island of New Years. They were housed in the Subprefecture and fed until August 8, when they were driven on the “Comodoro Py” steamer, which by chance arrived there, to Punta Arenas. "

“On June 24, the English frigate“ Duskeigs ”with 30 crewmen was wrecked and on June 28 the boat of the same nationality“ Colorado ”, with 15 men, and the second in Cape San Vicente (Tierra del Fuego) and at first in Cabo San Antonio (Island of the States). Due to an accident that is always common in these cases, these two crews met at Cape San Antonio, where they spent 56 days in the open in the snow and in the harsh winter, 20 men having perished, including the captain of the “Duskeigs”. some thrown and torn to pieces by the waves while trying to gain land, others, killed by the cold and the by the national cutter "Patagones" under the command of the ensign Macedonio Bustos, having been driven to the federal capital by the aforementioned steam and clothing and footwear for the one who signs, with clothes of the personnel of the distribution to his charge. "

"During the past year, the health of the personnel of this distribution has been satisfactory, despite the lack of meat at all because of the Magellan."

“This sub-prefecture had food until June 30: May 25, 17 shipwrecked people asylum and the food did not arrive until August 22. The same has happened afterwards until the arrival of the “Dawn”, the meat has been missing for 2 and a half months. "

"These inconveniences, Mr. Chief, it is not possible to save them, as long as this division does not have its own boat that can go to sea."

“The provision of meat is not possible by the ship of the race for two reasons: 1 ° because to buy it and have the security of getting it, it is necessary that the head of the distribution is on board the package to buy and pay for the merchandise . 2 ° because the number of animals to buy is necessary to calculate it for two months at the most, because carrying a greater quantity is so that they die due to lack of grazing on the one hand, and on the other, due to the difference in climate that has to deteriorate the farm, in a short time, to the point of being completely useless for consumption. "

"On this matter, I allow myself, Mr. Chief, to call you very seriously the attention of V.E."

"It is not possible to sustain a maritime distribution in the middle of the ocean, far from any resource center, without having a boat to provide them, it is not possible that the head of that sub-prefecture can therefore be in solidarity with the misfortunes that may occur due to lack of food. , when I have absolutely no means to provide them. "

“I must remind you that the closest port for resources is Punta Arenas or Las Malvinas, each of them 380 miles away, Rio Gallegos is the same distance, one or two shipwrecks that occur in the first days of arrival. and departure of the package in that port, there is therefore the security of having to keep the crew members saved for 4 or 5 months, I allow myself to make VS present the desperate situation in which the head of that distribution is placed, forcing him to eat and feed his subordinates sea lion meat so as not to die of hunger, as has already happened due to the loss of the Magellan transport"

"Everything is saved, sir, with an appropriate boat at the service of that division. Without this indispensable element, life is very difficult there. "

“During the year, the lighthouse in charge of this division has worked with all regularity and I can assure V.S. that the services he renders for navigating these coasts are immensely great: no less than 250 vessels are sighted and recorded by the lighthouse keeper when they round Cape San Juan heading to Hornos.

Glenmore: As the Maritime Information Center at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich made clear to us, the captain of the Glenmore was Lawrence. She was a steel hull rigged boat, with 725 tons. net. Its standing measurements were 190.0x31, 4x18.6 and it was built in Dumbarton by A. McMillan and Co. in 1876. It was owned by W. Porter & Sons and it was registered in Liverpool.

She was heading from Montevideo to Talcahuano in Lastre, when the currents made her collide with the rocks of Cape San Vicente on the night of April 7, 1888. Part of the crew rowed to St. John's in Isla de los Estados. The rest, apparently about 10 crew members, paddled out to sea when they saw a ship passing by. They were never seen again.

Let's see what the journalist Roberto J. Payró tells us about this shipwreck whose data he obtained during his stay in San Juan de Salvamento in 1899.

“… VII. On April 11, 1888, around noon, the lighthouse was notified to the Subprefecture that a boat with 16 men was heading for the port. "

“As they approached the lighthouse, they wanted to dock, which was impossible for them, due to the bristling of the coast, where the breaker is enormous at all times and would destroy any boat. The unhappy crew members of the boat were crying out for water. "

“As disembarkation is impractical there, they were signaled to enter the port, which they did, appealing to a last remaining force. Indeed, when they reached the dock, it was necessary to carry many who could no longer move, they were so exhausted. "

“They were shipwrecked, crew members of the English boat Glenmore that three days before had been lost in Tierra del Fuego, near Cape San Vicente, 3 and a half miles, more or less. The captain, two pilots and the three sailors of the boat were in the boat. The only resource left 5 cans of 2kg. of preserved meat, and not a single drop of water. On each of the previous days they had all eaten just one of those cans, trying to make them last as long as possible. "

“They arrived so exhausted and had suffered so much from the humidity and the cold that they could not speak, let alone walk. To make matters worse, the boat had opened a course that they set as best they could, but the water was coming in, and since they didn't have buckets, they were forced to shrink it with their hats and boots. "

"The Glenmore had gone with steel rails, from Maryport to Montevideo, from where she left in ballast for Talcahuano, on March 24th."

“Near Tierra del Fuego the wind suddenly changed, which threw it over the coast; the sea, very rough, ripped it to pieces at once. "

Seatollar: On July 28, 1890, between 4 and 5 in the morning, the shipwreck of the Seatollar occurred, one mile west of Cape Fourneaux. English flag boat, 558 tons. log and iron helmet. She was going from Glasgow to Valparaíso with general cargo.

Now let's see part of the story that appears in the aforementioned book by Roberto J. Payró:

"The boat" Seatollar "had been forced to land in Malvinas to repair some damage suffered during the trip, leaving from there on July 26, 1890, sighting land, to starboard, on the 28th."

Apparently sailing eastward, the captain ordered a bow to the north, which made her embark in the ravines at the edge of that coast. In any case, the reason for the collision with the coast is not clear, since she tried to get out to clean waters, that is, without obstacles.

Having sailed around the place with a sailboat (ketch Callas by Jorge Trabuchi, April 1997) we could see how the current pulled towards the coast, producing an immense wave that gave the sensation of a horror movie; and that there was no storm whatsoever.

The story of the castaways continues by saying that "as soon as the first collision with the rock was felt, the captain ordered a boat to be lowered to port, but a strong blow from the sea took them away along with two pilots and seven sailors." This can be due to the tremendous waves that, as we saw, are formed in the place.

“Captain William Jennings, rushing to near certain death to save his ship and the people from it, threw himself into the water, carrying out a line in order to tie it ashore and establish a lifeline. The furious breaker snatched him up, threw him into a cave of wolves (sic) and there crashed him against the rocks. "

The survivors

According to the survivors' account, the ship had sunk to higher than the deck. Only the bow tower was visible in the water. The sailors who were saved had managed to climb the mizzen pole, where they stayed for a few hours. From there they looked for a better place passing through the stays to the main mast, in whose sails they slept.

After sleeping as best they could, along the same road to the stays, they went to the foremast and then to the forecastle. After several attempts, the sailboat Silas Batties managed to pass a whip to land to climb the steep coast, which in that area is several meters above sea level.

With the whip tied, the pilot pilot Charles Surnbank, the cook Hardy and the sailors Clindinning and Brown passed by, the only ones who were saved.

Batties and his companions walked on foot to the Subprefecture, arriving half-dying and almost naked.

The following died in the wreck: Captain Jennings, pilot Pooley, pilot Bryden, practitioners G. S. Shell and J. Lumsden, carpenter Clark, and sailors Docharty, Collie, Hullin and Juan Valenzuela (Chilean).

After the shipwreck

What happened with this shipwreck is very interesting. It has been read that the castaways suffered twice: once for being shipwrecked and once for the treatment they used to receive from "raqueadores", pirates, Indians. If they were rescued, they had to stay in the rescue stations, forcibly collaborating in them or joining as sailors in some crew of a ship where manpower was lacking.

When the castaways are transferred to Punta Arenas in the Villarino transport, they make a statement to the authorities for the mistreatment received by Major Villarino, in charge of the San Juan de Salvamento Subprefecture in San Juan de Salvamento, and also by the commander of the transport Villarino, Don F. Mourefleir.

In the statements, they report that they were forced to do hard work, were shackled, and were poorly housed. They were also punished on the ship.

To further complicate matters, on April 18, the Standard newspaper published a telegram from Ottawa, Canada, in which the Canadian boat Maud S reported that on its voyage from Halifax it touched the Bay of Good Success and observed that they were being subjected to several shipwrecked British sailors, forced by the Argentine government to serve in a Rescue Station.

After several notes and inquiries between Canada and Argentina, the statements that appeared in the Standard were declared false. This was endorsed by Captain Nickiel de la Maud S who, currently ill with typhoid fever, told a Times reporter that what had been published was false.

On June 12, 1891, the British government - after the investigations carried out into the matter of the English sailors imprisoned in Suceso Bay - declared that the accusations were unfounded and had originated in a misintelligence.

A verbal explanation was also requested of the procedure given by the Ministry of War and Navy in the sense of the investigation into the lawsuit of the castaways of the Sea Toller, acknowledging the difficulties of communication based on distance.

By this date, the Argentine government, based on the investigations carried out and by taking statements from the pertinent persons, determined that such claims were unfounded and communicated it to the respective legations.

New York: Frigate en route from Swansea to San Francisco, California, loaded with coal. On April 20, 1891, she was shipwrecked by the strong current, closure and calm in the western part of the Isla de los Estados.

The 40 castaways were picked up on the 21st by the German boat Guttemberg, which was going from Blyth, Scotland, to Valparaíso.

On board the Guttemberg one of the shipwrecks died; the rest was left in San Juan de Salvamento because the boat was very short of provisions.

Technical data: she was carrying 2750 tons as cargo. of coal. Of 2699 tn. of record, she belonged to the firm Edward Bates & Sons, of Liverpool.

She was built by Caird & Co. of Greenock in 1858, with an iron hull. The dimensions of her were: length 328 feet; beam 40.2 feet; strut 33.5 feet.

She originally belonged to N.D.L. Steamer Sister to Bremen, bought by Bates & Sons around 1875 and renovated.

Crown of Italy: On December 23, 1891, between the shoals of Cape San Diego, NE part of Tierra del Fuego, on the Strait of Le Maire, the English boat Crown of Italy, registered in Liverpool, ran aground with 38 people board between crew and passengers. She was coming to the Pacific (San Francisco) with a shipment of general merchandise.

Here is the account of Captain Wade, who was the second pilot of the Crown of Italy, taken from a letter sent to Captain Spadaccini:

“My most memorable Christmas was one where, as the second pilot of the Liverpool ship, the“ Crown of Italy ”, we were shipwrecked in Tierra del Fuego, on November 23, 1891, at 8 pm. We took boats at 3 in the morning, Christmas Eve, arriving my boat and the captain's at the Cabo San Juan lighthouse.

We did it in the afternoon, I arriving a few hours after the captain.

That was the first of the 83 days lost there, waiting for our rescue, which arrived with H.M.S. "Cleopatra" who took us to Port Stanley. "

The Crown of Italy frigate and other Crowns belonged to the firm Robertson, Cruik-Shank & Co., of Liverpool.

On the basis of different sources, it was possible to put together the succession of the following events. The Golondrina steamer, from the Subprefecture of the Island of the States, was anchored in Thetis Bay, about 6 miles from San Diego, and saw the Crown of Italy cannon had just embarked. Apparently, she did not dare to take any action for the benefit of the crew, since the sea was rough.

Golondrina staff reported that at dawn, wrapped in the darkness of the strait, another ship appeared with alleged intentions of helping the shipwrecked, but this was not confirmed.

Two days later, the Swallow set sail from Thetis and passed by the boat, the one still standing with the deck out of the water, a boat on the davits, and the sail laid out. The Sub-prefect, Don Julio Fique, was on board with several sailors evacuating the holds, taking advantage of the low tide.

Some passengers of the Ushuaia steamship, which entered Puerto Cook on March 19, went by land Vancouver (the port that is to the south of the island) crossing the isthmus of about 500 meters wide that separates the two bays. There they found inscriptions made on shipwreck wood that the sea had thrown on that beach.

"Ship lost in the Strait of Le Maire - December 23, 1891 - Crown of Italy - Crew left Cook for San Juan de Salvamento - January 27, 1892 - Pray for her"

Indeed, they arrived in San Juan, where the Argentine authorities hosted them until March 12, when they were evacuated by the frigate Cleopatra, with the insignia of the chief ship of the S.M.B. in the southern seas of America, under the command of Captain Mr. W.A. Long. This frigate had entered the port of San Juan by chance on March 7 and found 33 shipwrecked compatriots, to whom she left enough food for several days. In addition, he promised to collect them after doing a study through the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia. She returned to port on March 9 and set sail on March 12 for the Falkland Islands, from where they were later repatriated, depending on their destination.

On the return trip to Puerto Argentino, Cleopatra relates that 5 of the castaways were sick, possibly because food shortages had forced them to eat sea lion meat and a dead whale.

One of the castaways, the one who was sicker, found his brother, who was embarked on the Cleopatra.

Guy Mannering: English boat that with coke and coal went from South Shields to Callao. She was lost on December 16, 1892 in Penguin Rockery. Reasons: fog, calm and treacherous currents.

Louisa: Leaving San Juan, the English cutter Louisa, 35 tons. of record and with 5 men of crew, she was shipwrecked on February 1, 1893. In a calm wind, the tide threw her over the coast and she sank in 30 fathoms of water.

In Tierra del Fuego, Cortés had been forced to request the capture of J.B. Potter, captain of the Louisa, of the Montt & Walles firm, which was shipwrecked at the beginning of February 1893. He was a blond with mustaches, around 40 years old and had panned for gold on the island's shores. The crime consisted of having seized the boat that would later sink and having fled with all its cargo to Malvinas.

Amy: On July 8, 1894, the Danish frigate Amy, with 1,399 tons, was shipwrecked at the western tip of Crossley Bay. of record, which was going in ballast from Santos to Iquique.

A snowstorm and an estimation error make it crash against this point. The captain and the 19 men of the crew were saved.

She originally she had left Southampton and, on her way to Iquique, she was to take a shipment of saltpeter.

The Villarino transport, of the Argentine government, picked up the castaways and drove them to Buenos Aires.

Calcutta: English boat loaded with guano en route to London. She opened the hull offshore and was abandoned 20 miles SE of Cabo San Juan on September 17, 1895.

Esmeralda: German flag boat. She had three masts and, with 1400 tn. general cargo, went from Antwerp to Talcahuano. She was shipwrecked by error of estimation, closure, calm and current on April 11, 1897, between Puerto Hoppner and Cabo San Antonio. The 16 crew members of her managed to save themselves.

The captain of the Esmeralda, with the help of a boat from the San Juan de Salvamento Subprefecture, tried to recover part of the cargo, but I cannot go up Cape Colnett.

The following day, April 14, an assistant from the Subprefecture, Nicanor Fernandez, with the second boatswain, Isaac Jobisen, Corporal Morgan and 5 sailors, along with the first pilot of the Esmeralda boat, left in a light boat. In the shipwrecked lifeboat, under the command of the assistant Carlos Larrayán, with the first boatswain Carlos Andreu and 8 sailors, the captain and the second pilot of the Esmeralda were passengers.

The 15th dawned rainy with a NE wind and very choppy seas, but, taking advantage of the low tide, they left the Subprefecture at 9:30 - rowing, since the wind was from the bow - until they were in front of La Nación cove. They hoisted sails and set course for Cape Fourneaux; a quarter of an hour later another boat came out.

The sea was still very rough, so they decided, after embarking water at Fourneaux, to break off the coast and pass between the two large New Year's islands; the second boat did much the same and then headed for Puerto Cook.

Passing the islands, they reached Port Hoppner very quickly. The passage between the islands is always difficult, as it is a place with a lot of current. They arrived in the afternoon and upon disembarking they improvised a harness with the anchor and 40 fathoms of cape. Then they made a fire and ate. At dusk, the wind and the sea calmed down. Then they went to sleep waiting for the other boat. With the cold, the wet and the rats that infested the island, the night was endless.

The next day, and although the other bit had not arrived, they took advantage of the tranquility of the sea to go aboard the Esmeralda in search of food, since what they had had run out. At 7 in the morning they had already started sailing towards the boat, which was 3 miles leaning on the port side and playing from stern to prow, as if it were on an axis.

“A fire was made in the kitchen, while the pilot and some of the sailors went to the pantry to look for the necessary provisions; Corporal Morgan proceeded to prepare the food at the same time that we took out three sails to make tents in the camp, and put them in the boat and in another that we managed to throw into the water, along with all the luggage of the captain and the pilots, some groceries and preserves, liquor bottles, etc. "

"In the chamber the water reached our knees and in the pilots' cabin and pantry, located on the port side, it was above the waist."

After eating something, they boarded the boats and returned to the camp. At that moment the assistant's boat arrived, with which they had lost contact. The castaways reported that they had spent the night in Puerto Ano Nuevo.

At night, with the candles, trunks and branches they built tents that allowed them to protect themselves from the freezing rain that fell continuously.

On the 17th it was impossible to get close to the boat, because the sea was extremely choppy; On the 18th the captain was able to retrieve all of his papers, which were under lock and key.

The next day, the 19th, paintings, brushes, notebooks, blocks, etc. were recovered. On the 20th, things got complicated: "In the rain we went to the boat, from which we took out some pieces of canvas, two barrels, plates and cups made of polished iron, and other miscellaneous items, which we were loading into the boats or piling them on the cover for the people, when suddenly the sea from the north began to come, and to break with force on the beach where the "Esmeralda" was beached. I ordered to shit as much as possible, to go to the port immediately. "

The Esmeralda began to creak, the deck was split by the mouth of the main hatch, very close to the mast, while the stern was raised by the waves: “… the knobs of the mizzen and the major, were approaching us threateningly. The mainmast, which was made of iron, seemed every moment that it was going to collapse (…) we abandoned everything to rush to the boats and get away from the boat. But the sea was so rough, that about an hour of effort cost us to get out of the breakers to go to Hoppner ... "

Two days after leaving what was left of La Esmeralda, they managed to arrive in San Juan: “… We had worked nine days, in the open, short of food, exposed at every moment, to save but a handful of almost worthless things some, despite the good condition of the wrecked ship ... With a steamer and in less than fifteen days, I am certain that all the cargo would have been saved, like that of so many other ships that have not had salvage in the Island…"

Eagle: English boat. The exact date of the accident is not known. His disappearance is known from references. She was shipwrecked at the west entrance to Crossley Bay.

Capricorn: On February 21, 1888, the whaler Manuel Carreras, of the Malvinesa schooner Juchechetighiu, found the English ship Capricorn in the external anchorage of the San John port (San Juan), which needed help against the fire that had spontaneously taken over of the coal it carried.

The ship had lost her anchors and it was by Manuel Carreras that they took her to the bottom of the port, where she was moored to put out the fire. Between Carreras and Captain Ress, of the English ship, they agreed on the following: Carreras made his schooner available to transport the shipwrecked crew to Malvinas, and from the salvaged cargo, he was given a reward of 45% of the value of everything recovered , including the ship that had been launched and moored to the ground, provided that it was in a position to provide any service.

Giacomo Bove says: “All this took place in ignorance of Piedrabuena and me, since we would not have allowed the assistance to be sold in Argentine waters under such an onerous pact, and we only learned about it when I visited Puerto San John. The second, Davies, of the Capricorn, who had been left in the custody of the abandoned ship by Captain Thomas and most of the crew, told me that the fire had broken out on board in the vicinity of Cape Horn and that hardly once this happened, he had ordered a course towards the Falklands. "

The NE winds prevented touching the islands and so it was that with real reluctance on the part of the captain and the crew, the order was given and executed to set sail for the Island of the States ... "

Note: the story first mentions Captain Ress and later it does so with the name or surname of Thomas, without having found more specific data so far.

Gulf of Eden: English passenger steamer that sank on March 19, 1889, near Cape Tres Montes. Of the 80 people on board, only 13 managed to save themselves. The rest died in the sinking of the ship or were lost in the boats.

Fervaal: French frigate. The transport of the Argentine Navy May 1 was sailing towards Cook port (Island of the States) and approached the coast for having seen smoke on the cliffs, west of Cape Forneaux. This is how he found that they were shipwrecked, asking for help.

The bad weather did not allow him to stop at that moment, but he made the castaways understand that they had been seen and he continued towards the port. Shortly after, the ship returned in front of the indicated place and launched a boat that reached 10 meters from the coast, and by means of a line, one of the castaways who were on land was able to embark on an intense cold without any tents or shelter.

The rescued turned out to be the captain of the French frigate Farvaal, Mr. Bautista Dubedat, who had been shipwrecked several days ago with the crew of the ship under his command, stranded in False Cook Bay.

The next morning, the transport approached 1,500 meters from the coast and, after great efforts, due to the deep sea and the strong breakers of the shores on the shore, it was possible to embark the rest of the boat in two boats. the castaways, who were in a pitiful state from cold and hunger.

The shipwreck: The ship had gone over the coast due to the rudder breaking down and not being able to steer well. She then she was carried by the currents and the storm on the coast of False Cook Bay, on whose shores she crashed in the early morning of July 31, 1901 at 1 a.m.

The Fervaal was a 2300 ton steel frigate. of record, built in 1899 in Saint Nazaire. She had left Le Havre on June 1 with 3,600 tons. of cement.

In the shipwreck, 2 crew members died due to the intense cold. The captain thanked him and his government for the help provided by the transport of the Argentine Navy "May 1", his commander, the second, the doctor and the rest of the personnel.

Lina or Lina from Hamburg: This ship is anyone's guess. The reference of her shipwreck is brought to us by a journalist who was a correspondent for El País and who was in an official delegation that went to assess the situation of the Puerto Cook Military Prison, on the Isla de los Estados. To be more precise, the date that he cites in his shipment is August 13, 1901 and, after referring to the bad situation of the place, he continues: “… The remains of the crew of the boat“ LINA ”rest in the cemetery. , from Hamburg, who on March 15 of last year found Major Juan Grandón at Cape Cornell (N. of A: could be Cape Conett, about 10 miles to the west), in the center of the northern part of the island . The other graves indicate the following deceased: Alfonso Seguel, from Patagones; Teófilo Martinez and Marcos Bordet, from Entre Ríos, the 3 soldiers from the picket line; Fermín Bazán, sailor, and the convicted Simón Rodríguez, Paraguayan; Pedro Royal, Belgian; Vicente Ávila, from Santa Fe; Cruz Amorales and Manuel Puebla, from Mendoza; Enrique Rojas, from Entre Ríos. To which we must add 3 more convicts, of which I only remember the names of Martin Rodríguez and Pedro Carrasco. "

Hamburg harbor boat with German flag. It is likely that the name is not correct, but it is certain that in that cemetery there are burials of castaways. There is even a legend that always appears. It is about the occupants of a tomb that has a worked iron fence, with a beautiful cross, evidently from the beginning of the century. As I first heard in 1983, this was the final rest of a ship's captain and his wife. It is said that they had buried their valuables in the same place. Later I learned that it was dug up and nothing was found. The truth is that the fence draws a lot of attention, and you don't know who it was that decided to put it up and when he did it.

As you can see, what is transcribed does not contribute anything. My intention was only that this newspaper clipping that fell into my hands by chance, would be reflected somewhere and that we at least remember some names of those who occupy these graves.

Muncaster Castle: English frigate. On May 20, 1901, on one of the New Year's islands. Some castaways sought refuge in Puerto Cook, the rest were rescued by Navy personnel, stationed in the port.

This frigate had left Port Falbot (Ireland) on March 18 bound for Iquique (Peru at that time). Her cargo was coal. She was commanded by Captain John Henderson and carried 29 crew members. All were saved. The ship and cargo were lost.

Astree: The commander of the Chaco transport of the Argentine Navy, Lieutenant Juan. I. Peffabet, in a telegram dated November 12, 1907 in Puerto Comodoro Rivadavia, addressing the Minister of the Navy, says: “… In Puerto Cook I embarked 24 shipwrecks from the French boat“ Astree ”. This ship with cargo of coal, was on its way from Newcastle to Valparaíso and was abandoned by the crew on October 8 between Cape Forneaux and Cape San Juan, because a fire had started in the cargo 8 days before and could no longer support board the temperature nor the explosions and gases that were released. "

“The abandonment was carried out in 4 boats, of which two arrived at San Juan de Salvamento with the captain, first and second pilots, and 10 sailors; Another of the boats ran aground on the coast when heading to the lighthouse, landing 11 men. "

"The fourth boat with 6 sailors, the clothes of the entire crew and supplies, could not make landfall assuming that they had been picked up by a sailing vessel."

Prussia: North American boat. June 1907. She was shipwrecked on the Isla de los Estados. The crew were rescued by the small steamer "Oreste", belonging to Mr. Grandi.

Indore or Yndores: English boat. In 1866 she was sold to Eyre Evans, of Liverpool. On her way from Hamburg to San Francisco, she was shipwrecked on July 23, 1907 on the shores of Isla de los Estados. She perished 4 crew members, the rest were rescued by the "Oreste".

She built in 1885 with an iron hull and 2088 tons. register. Her measurements in feet: length 279; sleeve 40.7; strut 24.6.

Builder: Richardson, Duck, Stockton.

Note: in other references she appears under the name Ymdores. As the date and place coincide, we consider that she is the same ship.

Swanilda: Wrecked on March 28, 1910. Captain Alberto J. Paine. He was traveling with his wife on their honeymoon. She ran aground on the rocks of Isla Año. Both died and were buried in the Port Cook Cemetery.

Tekla: German ship. She was shipwrecked and totally lost on July 9, 1911 in the Strait of Le Maire. In the accident 10 of the crew members perished. The survivors were picked up by a steamer from Punta Arenas.

Yess: By reference to Captain Davies, second of the Capricorn, the Yess was lost over the New Year's islands in 1880. She was a magnificent iron ship of 2000 tons. registry and her last trip was to Valparaíso, where she was driving coal and spirits.