Turtle shell commemorative plaque - SS Gothenburg
Turtle shell is inscribed with the list of survivors from the SS Gothenburg shipwreck. It was created 50 years after the event and presented to individuals who assisted in the rescue.
The SS Gothenburg traded along the British and then later the Australian and New Zealand coastlines. In February 1875, enroute from Darwin to Adelaide it encountered a cyclone-strength storm off the north Queensland coast. Gothenberg was wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef north-west of Holborne Island on 24 February 1875. Survivors in one of the lifeboats were rescued two days later by the Leichhardt, while the occupants of two other lifeboats that managed to reach Holborne Island were rescued several days later. Twenty two men survived, while between 98 and 112 others died, including a number of high profile civil servants and dignitaries.
Associated locations: Holborne Island, Great Barrier Reef, Darwin, Adelaide
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