Keywords: rahs royal australian historical society royalaustralianhistoricalsociety dunbar 1930 watson's watsons bay the gap jacobs ladder anchor DUNBAR - The Dunbar, a fast 'frigate built' ship on her second voyage from England to the Colony, struck the rocks at the base of Outer South Head (not at the Gap) in a furious south-easterly gale (not north-easterly as recorded on the plaque at the Gap) on the night of August 20/21, 1857 with the loss of 121 lives - there being only one survivor, the 23 year old James Johnson who was rescued from a ledge near Jacobs Ladder some 36 hours after the ship foundered. The remains of the victims together with those of the Catherine Adamson, wrecked a month later on North Head, were placed in a common grave at Camperdown Cemetery. Anchors retrieved in 1910 were subsequently placed at the grave site and at the Gap (1930). There is a carving in the rock just north of Outer South Head -'DUNBAR WP ESS' cut shortly after the sad event, recut in the early 1900's and again in 1992. A plaque was unveiled September 12, 1992 - positioning the site of the wreck. DUNBAR - The Dunbar, a fast 'frigate built' ship on her second voyage from England to the Colony, struck the rocks at the base of Outer South Head (not at the Gap) in a furious south-easterly gale (not north-easterly as recorded on the plaque at the Gap) on the night of August 20/21, 1857 with the loss of 121 lives - there being only one survivor, the 23 year old James Johnson who was rescued from a ledge near Jacobs Ladder some 36 hours after the ship foundered. The remains of the victims together with those of the Catherine Adamson, wrecked a month later on North Head, were placed in a common grave at Camperdown Cemetery. Anchors retrieved in 1910 were subsequently placed at the grave site and at the Gap (1930). There is a carving in the rock just north of Outer South Head -'DUNBAR WP ESS' cut shortly after the sad event, recut in the early 1900's and again in 1992. A plaque was unveiled September 12, 1992 - positioning the site of the wreck. |