She was built by Chantiers de la Loire, Nantes for V.Vincent, Nantes.
Launched under the name MARIE ALICE.
Tonnage 1.114 gross, 999 net.
Barque rigged.
1889 Completed.
Not much is know of the voyages the MARIE ALICE made.
She was posted missing since 12 February 1895. At that time she was on a voyage and under command of Capt. Ancelin from Sydney, Australia bound for Antwerp. The book “The Bounty Ships of France” gives that she was loaded with grain, but I believe that is wrong, Sydney was not a grain loading port, most grain was loaded in South Australia. It looks more that she was loaded with wool; Sydney was used mostly for loading wool cargos.
News reached Lyttelton of a wreck on Auckland Island on 19 October 1895, after the Government steamer HINEMOA returned from a voyage to the outlying Southern Islands.
Capt. Fairchild reported that he found a large and new iron vessel wrecked on the north east corner of Enderby Island. He reported the rocks were strewn with spars, rigging, decking and fittings, and also an abundance of Australian wool.
But noting was found to identify the vessel, not any marking on the wool. Not any crewmember was found, so it was assumed that they perished during the stranding.
First it was thought that she was the British STONELEIGH who sailed from Melbourne on 27 February 1895 bound for London. She was spoken by the steamer ROTOMAHANA between Australia and New Zealand, thereafter noting was heard of the vessel.
The wreckage found on Enderby Island did however not correspond with that of a vessel of the STONELEIGH’s build.
The Australian Shipping News of 27 July stated that the DUNEYRE, which sailed from Sydney on 23 February for the U.K. reported on 13 March that she had encountered a severe storm, sometimes with hurricane force from the south east, and that she on 14 March had passed lifeboat wreckage, rudder, sternpost etc.
The DUNEYRE had spoken the STONELEIGH in a position about 146 West, so it was most unlikely that it was the STONELEIGH what was lost on the Auckland Islands. It was also believed that she carried a cargo of wheat.
26 November 1895 HMS LIZARD returned from her voyage to the Auckland Islands, to look for survivors of the wreck, noting was found, and not any clue could be found which vessel was wrecked.
Most probably the wreckage found on Enderby Island did belong to the MARIE ALICE she was posted missing when she was 200 days out.
She is given as a steel barque, 999 tons, dim. 210.9 x 33.5 x 20.5ft.
(Stanley Gibbons collect ships on stamps gives that she was a schooner, what is not correct.)
Dahomy 1967 80f sg 286, scott ?
Source: The Bounty Ships of France by Villiers & Picard. New Zealand Shipwrecks by C.W.N Ingram. The Australia Run by Loney and Stone.