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Distressing situation of the Guardian sloop, Captain Riou, after striking on a floating Island of ice, 1809 (aquatint)
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Distressing situation of the Guardian sloop, Captain Riou, after striking on a floating Island of ice, 1809 (aquatint)
7341664 Distressing situation of the Guardian sloop, Captain Riou, after striking on a floating Island of ice, 1809 (aquatint) by Unknown Artist, (19th century); 17.4x26.3 cm; National Maritime Museum, London, UK; (add.info.: Creator: Thomas Tegg (publisher)
A hand-coloured print with gum arabic. The Guardian was taking stores and skilled personnel to the straitened and newly established Botany Bay convict colony at Port Jackson (modern Sydney). Eleven days out from Cape Town, on 23 December 1789, its rudder and part of its keel were torn off by striking on a submerged spur of an iceberg in the Southern Ocean, in longitude 41 degrees east. Only the brilliant seamanship and force of personality of the commander, lieutenant Edward Riou, got the ship back to Cape Town after half the crew abandoned ship (half of those being lost). This is a much later image from one of a well-known series of sensational pamphlets about dreadful shipwrecks and not a factually accurate one: the ship is represented more as a frigate than a store ship. See also image number D7673.); © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Media ID 38177162
© © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London / Bridgeman Images
Accident Danger Dangerous Helpful Helping Helping Hand Helps Ice Berg Ice Bergs Iceberg Icebergs Life Boat Lifeboat Lifeboats Mariners Rescue Boats Rescue Ship Risk Row Boat Rowboat Rowing Boat Sail Boat Sail Boats Sailboats Sailing Ship Sailoress Seaman Ship Wreck Ship Wrecked Shipwreck Shipwrecked Threat Unsafe Accidents
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This aquatint print depicts the distressing situation of the 'Guardian' sloop, under the command of Captain Riou, after striking on a floating island of ice in 1809. The scene captures the chaos and danger faced by the crew as they struggle to navigate through treacherous waters in the Southern Ocean.
The 'Guardian' was on a mission to deliver supplies and personnel to the Botany Bay convict colony at Port Jackson when disaster struck. With its rudder and keel damaged by an iceberg, half of the crew abandoned ship while others were lost at sea. Only through Lieutenant Edward Riou's exceptional seamanship and leadership did they manage to make it back to Cape Town.
This print, hand-colored with gum arabic, is part of a series of sensational pamphlets depicting dreadful shipwrecks. While not entirely accurate in its representation of the ship as more frigate-like than a store ship, it conveys the dramatic nature of this harrowing event.
As we gaze upon this image from centuries past, we are reminded of the bravery and resilience shown by sailors facing perilous conditions at sea. It serves as a poignant reminder of both human vulnerability and strength in times of crisis.
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