SYAurora

For other uses, seeAurora (disambiguation).

SYAuroraanchored to floe-ice during theAustralasian Antarctic Expedition
History
United Kingdom
Builder	Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd.Dundee,Scotland
Launched	1876
Fate	Declared lost byLloyd's of London,2 January 1918
General characteristics
Class and type	Steam yacht
Tonnage	580grt;380nrt
Length	165 ft (50 m)
Beam	30.5 ft (9.3 m)
Draught	18.75 ft (5.72 m)
Propulsion	Compound Steam Engine Cunliffe and Dunlop of Glasgow 98bhp
Sail plan	Barquentine

A 1912 envelope from the Aurora to New Zealand postmarked Hobart, 17 March 1913. From theJohn Clementecollection.

SYAurorawas a 580-tonbarque-riggedsteam yachtbuilt byAlexander Stephen and SonsLtd. inDundee,Scotland, in 1876,for the Dundee Seal and Whale Fishing Company. It was 165 feet (50 m) long with a 30-foot (9.1 m) beam. The hull was made of oak, sheathed with greenheart and lined with fir. The bow was a mass of solid wood reinforced with steel-plate armour. The heavy side frames were braced by two levels of horizontal oak beams. Its primary use was whaling in the northern seas, and it was built sturdily enough to withstand the heavy weather and ice that would be encountered there. That strength proved useful for Antarctic exploration as well and between 1911 and 1917 it made five trips to the continent, for both exploration and rescue missions.

Whaling

Between the years 1876 and 1910,Auroramade the annual trip fromDundee, ScotlandtoSt. John's, Newfoundlandto take part in the whale and seal hunt in the North Atlantic. There were a couple of notable events in this time. In 1884,along with other whalers in the areaAuroramade an attempt to rescue the controversialGreely Expedition,and its captain, James Fairweatherassisted with a repair to the US relief shipBear.In 1891, the ship came to the rescue of the crew ofPolyniawhen it was crushed in sea ice.

Australasian Antarctic Expedition

In 1910, it was bought byDouglas Mawson's deputy, CaptainJohn King Davis,for £6,000 for hisAustralasian Antarctic Expedition.On 2 December 1911Auroradeparted fromHobart,Australia forMacquarie Island,where a radio relay station was established. It left the island on 25 December, arriving atCape Denisonon 8 January 1912, where themain basewas built. It departed on 19 January, heading west to find a location for the western base, which was eventually sited in what is now known as Queen Mary Land, on 1 February 1912. After the western party was established on the stable ice shelf,Auroraleft on 20 February, arriving in Hobart on 12 March.

In December 1912,Aurorareturned to Cape Denison to find that the sledging expedition of Mawson,Xavier Mertz,andBelgrave Edward Sutton Ninniswas overdue. Davis had to pick up the party at the western base and risked the ship being iced in over the winter if he left it too long. He waited until 8 February but just after leaving, he received a wireless message asking him to turn back as Mawson had reached the base. He turnedAuroraaround but severe weather prevented the landing boat being put ashore, so, on the evening of 9 February, Davis decided he must steam west to fetch the western base party.Aurorareached the western base on 23 February, loaded quickly and headed north, arriving in Hobart on 15 March.

Over the subsequent months, Davis raised extensive rescue funds, and hadAurorarefitted. Departing from Hobart on 15 November 1913,Auroracollected the radio relay party underGeorge Ainsworthat Macquarie Island, and sailed on to pick up the relief party at Cape Denison. It arrived inCommonwealth Bayon 3 December 1913 and left on 25 December. After an extensive coastal exploration and oceanographic work, it arrived back in Australia at Port Adelaide on 26 February 1914.

Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition

Main article:SY Aurora's drift

In 1914, SirErnest ShackletontaskedAurorato help set up supply depots along the route for hisImperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.After being delayed bysea iceinMcMurdo Soundin January 1915,Auroramanaged to make its way further south, and sent teams off to set up the depots. It eventually made its way toDiscovery Bayon 12 March 1915, where it anchored and continued to offload supplies. In May,Aurorawas trapped in the ice, and was carried out to the sea, stranding the men that were setting up the depots. It remained trapped in the ice for the better part of a year, drifting some 1600 nautical miles. It was not until 12 February 1916 that the ship escaped from the ice, making it back toDunedin,New Zealandon 3 April.

1917 Ross Sea Party rescue

The Australian, New Zealand and British governments agreed to fund the refit ofAurorafor the rescue of theRoss Sea Party.An Advisory Committee was established inMelbourne,consisting ofRear Admiral Sir William Cresswell,Professor Sir Orme Masson,Captain J.R. Barter,Commander John StevensonandDr Griffith Taylor.

Shackleton's expedition funds were fully expended. After his legendary ordeal onEndurancein theWeddell Seasector, Shackleton arrived inNew Zealandduring December 1916. The three governments involved were adamant that he would not lead the rescue expedition and at their insistenceJohn King Daviswas appointed to captainAurora.After negotiation Shackleton sailed aboardAurora,but Captain Davis had total authority on the voyage. On 10 January 1917, the ship pulled alongside the pack ice nearCape Roydsand worked its way toCape Evans.One week later, the seven survivors of the original ten members of theRoss Sea Partywere headed back toWellington, New ZealandaboardAurora.

Fate

Aurorawas last seen in 1917, when it departedNewcastle, New South Wales,bound forIquique,Chile with a cargo of coal.Lloyd's of Londonposted the ship as missing on 2 January 1918; it was believed it was a casualty of World War I, possibly being sunk by a mine laid by the Germanmerchant raiderWolf.One ofAurora'slifebeltswas recovered from theTasman SeabetweenSydneyandBrisbanesix months after its disappearance.

Message on a bottle

In 1927, a G. Bressington was walking along the beach nearTuggerah, New South Walesand noticed an old wine bottle partly buried in the sand. Upon examining the bottle he saw an engraving of the picture of a ship and on the other side the following message: "Midwinter's Day, 1912, Shackleton Glacier, Antarctica. 'Frank Wild, A. L. Kennedy, S. Evan Jones, C. Arch. Hoadley, Charles T. Harrisson, George Dovers, A. L. Watson and Morton H. Moyes".

The story of the bottle is that it was one of three given to Sir Douglas Mawson when his expedition left England in 1911. The bottles were given by Mr J. T. Buchanan who had them left over from theChallengerexpeditionand wished the party to drink them on Explorer Day. Mawson passed one bottle on toFrank Wild,who led the Western Base Party whilstAurorawas under the command of John King Davis. When the wine was drunk on the day, the party's artist Harrisson engraved a picture ofAuroraon one side and the names of the party on the other. It is thought the bottle was still aboardAurorawhen it left Newcastle in 1917.

Tributes

A number of Antarctic features are named forAurora.These include:

• Aurora Glacier
• Aurora Heights
• Aurora Peak
• Aurora Subglacial Basin
• Mount Aurora

Captains

This is a partial list ofcaptainsofAurora:

• Alexander Fairweather (1880–1882)
• James Fairweather (1883–1888)
• Jackman (c. 1895)
• John King Davis(1911–1914, 1916–17)
• LieutenantÆneas MackintoshR.N.R. (1914)
• J R Stenhouse(1914–1916)

See also

• List of Antarctic exploration ships from the Heroic Age, 1897–1922

External links

• Media related toAurora(ship, 1876)at Wikimedia Commons