Breadalbane (ship) facts for kids
.jpg)
Breadalbane and Phoenix near Beechey Island
|
|
Quick facts for kids History |
|
|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
|
| Name | Breadalbane |
| Operator | McNeil & Co. |
| Builder | Hedderwich & Rowan |
| Launched | 1843 |
| Crushed by ice: | 21 August 1853 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Merchant ship |
| Tons burthen | 428 bm |
| Length | 38.1 metres (125 feet) |
| Beam | 7.3 metres (24 feet) |
| Depth of hold | 5.5 metres (18 feet) |
| Sail plan | Barque |
The Breadalbane was a British merchant ship built in 1843. This three-masted sailing ship, called a barque, had an exciting but short life. It sank in the Arctic in 1853 after being crushed by ice.
What makes Breadalbane so special? It's one of the northernmost shipwrecks ever found. Plus, it's one of the best-preserved wooden ships in the world! The super cold Arctic water kept it from falling apart. Because of this, the ship is like a "time capsule" from the 1800s.
On August 21, 1853, the Breadalbane got stuck in a huge piece of floating ice. The ice squeezed the ship until it broke apart and sank. It went down near Beechey Island in Lancaster Sound, about 500 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Luckily, all 21 crew members were able to leave the ship safely. Another ship, HMS Phoenix, rescued them.
Years later, in August 1980, a team led by Joe MacInnis found the shipwreck. They were working from a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker. Three years after its discovery, the Breadalbane was named a national historic site. This was because the ship had been part of the search for John Franklin's lost expedition.
Contents
What Was the Breadalbane Like?
The Breadalbane was built in 1843 by Hedderwich & Rowan in Scotland. It was made for a group of Scottish merchants. For its first ten years, the ship sailed between England and Calcutta. It carried goods like wine, wool, and grain to different parts of Europe.
This ship was a 428-ton wooden sailing vessel. It had square sails, meaning they were rectangular and set across the ship. Its design was very common for ships traveling across oceans in the early Victorian era. The Breadalbane was about 38 meters (125 feet) long. It was 7.3 meters (24 feet) wide, and its cargo area was 5.5 meters (18 feet) deep.
Arctic Adventures and a Tragic End
In the spring of 1853, the Royal Navy asked the Breadalbane to help them. Its new job was to carry coal and other supplies to a supply ship called the North Star. The Breadalbane left the Thames River in England in 1853. It sailed with HMS Phoenix, which was the first ship with a propeller to go to the Arctic. They both arrived at Beechey Island later that year.
The Breadalbane's main mission was to deliver supplies to Sir Edward Belcher's expedition. Belcher's team was searching for the Franklin Expedition in the high Arctic. The Franklin Expedition had gone missing while looking for a way through the Arctic seas. Belcher's search was the biggest and last one sent by the Royal Navy.
Trapped by Ice
On August 21, 1853, the Breadalbane was anchored to a large ice floe. It was about half a mile south of Beechey Island in Lancaster Sound. The ship was surrounded by slow-moving ice. Just after midnight, a huge piece of ice broke through the front-right side of the ship.
The ship's captain, Captain Phillips, described what happened:
Around ten minutes past four in the morning, the ice moving past the ship woke me up. The door of my cabin opened from the pressure. I quickly put on my clothes. When I got up, I saw some crew members on the ice trying to save the boats. But the boats were instantly crushed! They didn't realize how much danger the Breadalbane was in. I went forward to call to the Phoenix for men to help save the boats. While I was doing this, the ropes holding us broke. A heavy squeeze from the ice hit the ship, making every piece of wood creak and the whole ship shake. I looked into the main cargo area and saw the support beams breaking. I yelled to those on the ice and told them how serious our situation was. They hadn't suspected it at all. I then rushed to my cabin, pulled my suitcase onto the deck, and yelled loudly for those in their beds to jump out and save their lives. The shock they felt was hard to describe. When they reached the deck, those on the ice called out to me to jump over the side, saying the ship was sinking.
The crew quickly saved as many supplies and personal items as they could. All 21 men then left the ship. Within fifteen minutes, the Breadalbane sank to the bottom of Barrow Strait. The crew was safely rescued by HMS Phoenix.
Finding the Shipwreck
The wreck of the Breadalbane was first found in August 1980. A team led by Joseph B. MacInnis made the discovery. They had tried twice before, in 1978 and 1979, but couldn't find any sign of the ship. This time, they used a special sonar device towed by the ship CCGS John A. Macdonald. They found the Breadalbane in about 100 meters (328 feet) of water. It was about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) south of Beechey Island.
The ship was lying upright on the seafloor. Two of its three masts were still standing, and its front was pointing east. In September 1981, MacInnis led another team. They used a robot submarine to take over 1,000 pictures of the wreck. The pictures showed a field of scattered items, a fallen mast, and the ship's lower hull, which was covered in copper. They also saw a small deckhouse with a compass and a signal light inside. Below this was the ship's wooden steering wheel. The ship was covered in soft, pink coral.
In 1983, divers went down four times, and the robot submarine went down six times. During these dives, the ship's steering wheel was brought to the surface. It was given to Parks Canada to be preserved and displayed for everyone to see.
Images for kids
-
The Breadalbane and HMS Phoenix off Beechey Island.
