Pocklington Reef
Pocklington Reef is a coral reef and a mostly submerged atoll in the far southeast of Papua New Guinea. It is 162.4 km (100.9 mi) from the closest island, Loa Boloba, which is a tiny coral islet within the fringing reef near Cape Deliverance, the south east point of Rossel Island (Yela) in the Louisiade Archipelago, and belongs to Milne Bay province, Samarai-Murua District, Yaleyamba Rural Local Level Government Area. Pocklington Reef sits on top of Pocklington Ridge, which extends north-east from Rossel Island. The reef is 32 km (20 mi) long and up to 4 km (2.5 mi) wide. Its longer axis is north-east-south-west. The rim of the reef encloses a deep lagoon. The northern rim reaches closer to the surface, and several above water rocks with heights between 0.9 and 3 m (2 ft 11 in and 9 ft 10 in) high lie along its length. There is a small spit of sand about the size of a football field (less than one hectare or 2.5 acres) at the north-east end. It is isolated from other reef systems by deep water and relatively pristine. Before Papua New Guinea achieved sovereignty in 1975 it was decided Pocklington Reef should be part of the new nation.[2] HistoryThe reef was discovered and named by the captain of the Sydney whaler Pocklington in 1825.[3] HMS Renard under the command of Lieutenant G.E. Richards surveyed the reef in 1880 and noted there was no anchorage around its perimeter.[4] On 28 April 1962, the Panamanian vessel SS Dona Ourania (8,716 tons)[5] grounded on Pocklington Reef.[6] In April 1974 the soviet vessel Fedor Litke spent a week at a sandbank on the reef. An Australian naval vessel visited the site soon after and it was reported a concealed electronic monitoring device was found there.[7] Illegal drugs worth $30 million were hidden in a wreck on the reef in 1978. Stored in watertight bags, the cannabis had been left by a trawler from Thailand.[8][circular reference] Shipwrecks The ship Reindeer by Alexander Hall & Sons, Aberdeen Maritime Museum A number of vessels have been wrecked on the atoll.[9] Brig ReindeerAt midnight on the 26th September 1855 the Clipper ship Brig Reindeer was lost upon Pocklington Reef. The captain Edward Storey reported it as there had been a moderate, breeze and hazy, when at 11:30pm the look out on the forecastle reported breakers on the lee bow. The vessel was put hard to the port, but the vessel struck hard on the reef and filled immediately to the level of the water outside. The masts were cut away but the mizen hit two of the boats on the deck. The ships 20 ft long boat was got away with navigation instruments, 17 gallons of water, ships papers and some arms and was pulled through the surf zone. The following morning at daylight the crew saw the small grouping of rocks about 8 miles to the north. They set up a tent from oars and sails and set about removing more materials from the Reindeer. The crew remained on the small outcrop for 9 days and departed on the 6th of October at 8:30am with all 19 crew (among the crewmen aboard was Walter Powell) by 4pm they had cleared the Western end of the reef having run at 5 knots for 7.5hrs.[10] After being at sea for 42 days they reached Port Curtis on the 16th of November [10] The Reindeer was a wooden sailing vessel built by Alexander Hall & Co, Aberdeen in 1848 in yard number 168 and was 328 nrt and a length of 141.5 ft (43.1 m) with a breath of 22.7 ft (6.9 m) and a depth of 21.5 ft (6.6 m) and had been built for McTear & Vining. Of Liverpool [11] before being sold onto Jervis R. Wardley In 1850 the Reindeer made the fastest Tea run of 107 days [12] Earl of HardwickThe Earl of Hardwick (280 tons) was on the way from Newcastle, New South Wales, with a cargo of coal to Hong Kong in 1862 when it was wrecked on 10 June.[13][14] GuinevereThe vessel Guinevere (Official Number 59969 - Mercantile Navy List)[15] is variously spelled Guinivere (Quebec Appropriation Books)[16] and Genevieve in contemporary newspaper reports. The vessel was a A1 rated composite ship sheathed with yellow metal over felt fastened with copper or yellow metal bolts of 1,021 gross register tons (GRT) and a length of 190.0 ft (57.9 m) with a breath of 34.9 ft (10.6 m) and a depth of 21.8 ft (6.6 m) bulit in Quebec by Dining[17] in 1870 (registered 31 August 1870)[18] for Samuel and Walter Stephens of 4 Lime St Sq London the anchors and chains were tested under the superintendence of Lloyd's Register[19] The Guinevere arrived in Australia on the 12 July 1874 and was described as a smart looking clipper primarily being engaged for most of its career in the China trade and was under the command of Captain Edward H Tidmarsh.[20] Captain Tidmarsh was a regular visitor to Australia and had previously commanded two other vessels which has sunk under his command (The Golden Sunset wrecked on Enderbury Island on 12 Dec. 1866[21] and the Underley[22] wrecked on 27 September 1871 at the Isle of Wight) Upon arriving Captain Tidmarsh had the whole of the crew for charged for the wilful disobedience of orders and the court offered the crewmen an opportunity to apologise and returning to work but as they as a group refused to do so and were sent to gaol for 14 days [23][24] The Guinevere departed Melbourne bound for Manila on the 19 August 1874 with 40 tons of flour as cargo. At 5:25am on the morning of 4 September 1874 whist running at 11.5 knots the vessel stuck Pocklington Reef. The foremast fell over the side and was soon followed by the mainmast. The ship had been driven upon the reef and was only in 4 ft of water.[25] On the 6th the crew abandoned the vessel with Captain Tidmarsh in the Longboat with 13 others and the mate with 7 others in the pinnace and finally the second mate with six others in the gig. It took a day for the boats to find a way through the reef and depart for Queensland [25][26] A boat containing the seven sailors and the chief officer of the Guinevere arrived at Townsville on Sunday 20 September [27] Captain Tidmarsh in the longboat arrived in Gladstone Tuesday 22 September [28] with the third boat arriving in Bowen The wreck of the Guinevere was put up for sale and described as “wrecked on the east end of Pocklington Reef” with only 4 ft (1.2 m) of water at low tide, with a large quantity of planks sufficient to raft all of the stores away which could be taken to the lee side of the reef and put on lighters[29] By the 5 January 1875 the 90-ton schooner Princess Louise with Captain Craig had returned to Sydny after having been to Pocklington Reef to salvage what it could of the Guinevere. The Princess Louise arrived at the site on the 9 November 1874 After approximately 13 weeks the whole bottom of the ship had been completely smashed in and the wreck was high over the reef with the mizenmast still standing, the Princess Louise could get no nearer to the wreck than 5 miles. After securing materials they left the site on the 21 November. The Princess Louise returned with 300-fathom (1,800 ft; 550 m) of large chain and 45-fathom (270 ft; 82 m) of small chain and the 2 bow anchors some food stuffs (beef, pork and flour) as well as rope, paint and oil and four tons of copper [30][31] Captain Largie, of the Woodlark, ship, bound from Brisbane to Hong Kong: reported sighted a vessel ashore at the south-west end of the Pocklington Reef. She had nothing standing but the mizzen mast and bowsprit, and evidently had been on the reef some time [32] Amigi MaruThe Japanese ship Amigi Maru (280 ft (85 m),[33] 2,249 tons) ran aground during a cyclone in May 1972.[34] It could not be saved and had to be abandoned.[35] FishingA Taiwanese fishing vessel was detected illegally fishing off the reef in October 1979 within PNG’s 200-nautical-mile (370 km; 230 mi) fishing zone. The skipper was fined 1000 kina and the vessel’s fishing gear was seized.[36] Sports fishing takes place off Pocklington Reef.[37] Marine protected areaPocklington Reef Marine Park is a proposed marine protected area.[1] References
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