The Pastiche is a typical barque of the mid-19th century. The Nelson would have looked very similar.
There was no Jolly Roger flying nor was the sound of cannon-fire heard when pirates plundered 8000 ounces of gold from the barque Nelson in the early hours of Friday, April 2, 1852. The pirates rowed very quietly to the vessel, at anchor in Hobsons Bay, and boarded without waking those on board. The newspapers of the time reported that there were 22 men involved in the piracy.
While the barque was loading in Geelong before coming to Hobsons Bay, many of the crew of the Nelson had deserted to try their luck on the goldfields. All of the eight men aboard were asleep and the captain was ashore, trying to find a crew. Seven men were quickly overpowered but one man was not found and was able to hide until the thieves left the ship. The Mate was forced to show the location of the gold and all aboard were tied up. The boxes of gold were quickly lowered into the boats and the pirates rowed away into the night.
After they had gone, the man who had remained in hiding came out and released those in the cabin. The water police in Williamstown were quickly informed and the boats used were found abandoned the next morning. Several men were subsequently arrested and nine were brought to trial, but only five were found guilty. These were each sentenced to 15 years but only about 900 ounces of the gold was recovered.
In 1852 the value of the 8000 ounces of gold was £24,000 but today it would be around $22 million. It seems that most of the pirates received only £1000 for their part in the crime while those who organised it profited handsomely. Very few details of the crime came to light at the time but stories circulated about the many prominent citizens who benefited from the sudden deaths of their ‘rich uncles’.
A detailed account of this story, written by Marcus Clarke, can be found in the Sydney Morning Herald of Saturday, June 14, 1879, on page 4. This is available online through the Trove website of the National Library in Canberra and is well worth reading.
MAURIE HUTCHINSON
President, Peninsula Ship Society
The Peninsula Ship Society meets at Hastings Yacht Club on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 10am. Visitors are welcome depending on COVID-19 regulations. Evidence of double vaccination is required by the Hastings Yacht Club.
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