Catterthun

The wreck of the Catterthun remains one of the most dramatic and tragic episodes in the maritime history of New South Wales. This book places the drama in the context of 1895, bringing to life the Sydney of Banjo Paterson and the Push. It follows the Catterthun’s last voyage and reconstructs the classic courtroom drama that follows. The sole surviving ship’s officer, Alfred Lanfear, is caught in a clash between civil and maritime authorities in the colony. But once the enquiries are over and blame sheeted home, there still remains the question of the gold that went down with the ship. Anxious to offset their heavy losses, the ship’s insurers engage the top divers of their day and equip them with the best equipment available in the world. They set records in a marathon salvage effort, enduring months of frustration, beset by currents, gales, sharks and mishap before they recover much of the Catterthun gold. But they did not get it all....

“I heartily applaud Chris’s book on one of New South Wales’ most tragic shipwrecks.”
Max Gleeson - leading Australian wreck diver and underwater photographer and recognised authority on NSW shipwrecks.