Could Delayed Letter Cause Shipwreck..?

Letter to the Surveyor 1825
Robin Williams Esq,
Surveyor of Ships,
Auckland.
Dear Sir,
We are in the process of building a 60ton schooner on the foreshore at Paihia in the Bay of Islands.
She is being built of timber salvaged from the three masted 432ton Brampton which was wrecked two years ago on a nearby reef.  
 The Church Missionary Society are extremely keen to have her in the water as soon as possible as construction has been hampered by the natives who intend burning her prior to launching.  
She will be the first vessel to be built in New Zealand and we are naming her HERALD.
This vessel will be used for trans-Tasman crossings as well as coastal voyages.
We are contacting you as we believe we may be related and look forward to hearing from you regarding your availability to assist us with our project.
Yours faithfully,
Rev Henry Williams,
Paihia.

Reply from Surveyor 2018...

rev.h.williams@churchmissionarysociety.co.nz
Hi Rev,
Thank you for your somewhat delayed letter
I have visited the site and apart from a monument, I could not locate your ship.
On investigation I understand she sunk in May 1828 while crossing the Hokianga Bar - the wreck being pillaged by local inhabitants.
Had I known of your vessel and her intended voyages, it would have been necessary to inspect her at various stages of construction to ensure suitability for her intended use.
As it is now too late to check MNZ records for Plan Approval, stability, electrical, bilge pumping systems etc, I can only advise you to phone your insurance company and start building another vessel.
My contact details are:  robinwillliams@xtra.co.nz 
Kind regards,
Robin Williams
(Quite possibly your great, great, great, great grandson).

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A box of seedlings...

Four ways to tell if YOU are 'out of date'

Vessel Manuals make great training aids...