Carlisle Castle (Shipwreck Site)

Values

· The place has historic value as the ship’s cargo was going to be used to build a number of significant projects around Perth during the economic boom of the 1890s including the Golden Pipeline. It’s also a representation of sea transport transporting people and materials from overseas to Australia during the 1800s.
· The place’s historic value has been marked by a memorial plaque on the shipwreck itself and a memorial at Fremantle cemetery to commemorate the loss of the Carlisle Castle and the City of York on the same night in 1899.
· The frequent occurrence of ships being lost en route to Australia, particularly those ships that were sunk very close to the Western Australian coastline like the “Carlisle Castle”, had a social impact on many of the coastal communities of Fremantle and Mandurah during the late 1800s.
· The place has scientific and historic value for Marine Archaeologists, as it appears on the Maritime Museum of Western Australia’s – Shipwrecks register where it can be used for educational purposes.

Physical Description

The shipwreck of the “Carlisle Castle” lies on the western side of Coventry reef, close to the lee side of breaking swells in 7.5 meters of water sitting on an exposed rock bottom. The stern is just below the waterline and the bow pointing into deep water. The site is exposed to swells and moving water. The ship’s cargo included stone relics, iron railings at the aft end, firebricks, locking bars and piping in the bow. The wreck is “…spread over an area of 50 metres by 50 metres with large and small sections of the hull lying flat on the seabed. There are also pieces of the hull broken up on the reef. Other pieces of the wreck include two anchors; the larger anchor is concealed under sea grass standing up in a set position on the seabed and the smallest of the anchor is nearby lying flat. No chain is attached on either anchor. There are also several artifacts found on the wreck site including bottles, with some evidence of looting.

History

In 1893-94 the “Carlisle Castle” was converted into a barque rig when sold to J.Robertson after which it was used to transport cargo. The “Carlisle Castle” was built according to A1 Lloyd’s design specifications, Lloyd’s then lists each ship on their register. The Lloyd’s Register is used to cover the insurance of vessels leaving the ports of Britain and Europe in case of sinking or damage to the hull. The A1 classification is the top classification given to all merchant ships of 100 tones or more. Factors that determine a vessels classification include the quality of construction and materials used to construct the hull, masts, rigging and other equipment. It is believed the A1 at Lloyd’s specification first appeared in 1775-1776. The Lloyd’s Group was established 1760s as a maritime Classification Society and independent risk management company. Today Lloyd’s is a multinational corporation, which has diversified into the media, oil and gas production, processing industries and nuclear power. In 1888 “Carlisle Castle” left the port of Glasgow for Fremantle under the command of Captain Lindsay. 11th July 1899 “Carlisle Castle” was recorded lost following ‘a force ten westerly storm that swept Fremantle’ it is also recorded that the same storm wrecked a number of smaller ships including the “City of York” that was carrying a similar cargo for the colony. The “Carlisle Castle” and the “City of York” were carrying cargo that was to be used mainly for the construction of C.Y O’Connor’s Goldfields Water Scheme. The “Carlisle Castle” was carrying 2365 locking bars consigned to Messrs G. and C. Hoskins of Midland Junction who were the contractors for the pipes on the project when it sunk. Other cargo the “Carlisle Castle” was carrying included: railway irons, water pipes, house bricks, cloth, wines, spirits, ale and other groceries for projects during the economic boom of the 1890s.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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