Report: ‘David Witton’ Anchor - (Anchor belonging to ‘David Witton’ brig)
by Amanda Ward, MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY, FLINDERS UNIVERSITY
This report is a comprehensive exploration of the historical anchor belonging to the ‘David Witton’ Brig (Using illustrative techniques acquired in class to focus on documenting the historical maritime anchor known as ‘David Witton’. Presenting documentation about the anchor and its vessel including position fixing, measurements, drawing, site survey and photography detailing 2D and 3D illustrative methods. Creating a detailed report that includes the object's description, a historical background, and a curated bibliography is enclosed in this report.)
‘David Witton’ bower anchor.
The ‘David Witton’ anchor *See figure [3] is situated at the eastern side of Witton Centre in Port Noarlunga, South Australia, at Latitude 35.149200, and Longitude 138.469000. The bower anchor was evidently salvaged by divers belonging to the Underwater Explorers Club; Wade Hughes, Ron Moon, and Con Penglis claim they found the remains of the ‘David Witton’ wreck while diving together in November of 1969.
Historical records confirm that the ‘David Witton’ vessel ran aground on the night of 14 March 1839 during a storm near the Onkaparinga River Inlet (Witton Bluff) at Port Noarlunga, South Australia *See figure [1+6]. The ‘David Witton’ stranding was reported in the South Australian Gazette, The Colonial Register and The Southern Australian on 20, March 1839, as follows:
“The David Witton left her anchorage at Holdfast Bay on Saturday evening with a strong breeze from the south-west, which increased during the night, until toward morning it blew a gale of wind, the vessel being under double-reefed topsails, and in 16 fathoms water. The captain tried to put her about but from the force of the sea, which set directly on her starboard bow, and the vessel being light, she missed stays twice, and before the captain could wear her, she struck” [sic].
Notably, the Port Noarlunga anchor is one of three large bower anchors belonging to the rig alongside a large, kedge (secondary) anchor outlined in the Itemised List as part of the recovery of the vessel included in the Public Sale of Auction (The Southern Australian 27, March 1839). The Port Noarlunga bower anchor is the only known anchor from the brig to date which holds a significant place within South Australian maritime history. The anchor is Object 817, of The Big Anchor Project (2018) a comprehensive geographical database cataloguing anchor profiles on a global scale (Reynolds, 2020).
Figure [1]. The original zoning map of the Onkaparinga River inlet of Port Noarlunga dated 1854, South Australian Library (Special Collections) personal communication.
Historical Background
The wooden two-masted brig, weighing 271 tons, embarked on its maiden voyage from London, England to South Australia in 1838. The vessel was built in Monkwearmouthshore near Sunderland, England in 1833, boasting 90 feet in length, 26 feet 7 inches in width and 16 feet 7 inches in depth.
Figure [2]. Plaque at the base of the ‘David Witton’ anchor at Port Noarlunga, South Australia including date, time, coordinates, and direction (photograph taken by Amanda Ward).
Under the command of Captain Arthur Wright, a seasoned seafarer tasked with delivering essential supplies to settlers in South Australia and Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). Upon the brig’s arrival to Port Adelaide, after discharging 1,100 sheep destined for Duncan McFarlane of Mount Barker the ship then journeyed to Cape of Good Hope, Africa returning to Holdfast Bay on 3, December 1838 carrying five passengers and a cargo of unknown spirits, 1,100 sheep, and an impressive 30,000 bricks, 10,000 slates and 10 tons of iron. Leaving Holdfast Bay for the last time on 11, March that same year tragically, the vessel ran aground wrecking at Witton Bluff Port Noarlunga, on 14, March 1839, with no loss of life. Despite initial hopes to refloat the brig, Mr Neale sold parts of the wreck at a Public Auction at the Southern Cross Hotel in King William Street Adelaide on 27, March 1839.
Figure [3]. Photograph taken by Amanda Ward of the current position of the ‘David Witton’ anchor at Port Noarlunga South Australia including GPS Coordinates, time and date, and direction.
Figure [4]. The Old Steam Flour Mill Noarlunga on the Onkaparinga River 1860. The State Library of South Australia https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+73659
‘Onkaparinga’
Materials salvaged from the ‘David Witton’ vessel were subsequently reused to construct a small, shallow draught trader ‘Onkaparinga’ better suited to navigating the shallow Onkaparinga River with a capacity of 20 tons transporting flour to Port Adelaide from the Old Steam Flour Mill at Noarlunga *See figure [4]. The apparent unregistered vessel was built at Noarlunga and owned by Messrs. Stephens, Phillips and Dehorne.
Captain Arthur Wright is said to have been hit in the face during the wreckage at Witton Bluff, dieing in 1889, at home in Wilmot Vale on the Tasman Peninsula (Edward Holthouse S.A. Register, Wednesday 7, November 1888).
‘David Witton’ wreck
The wooden brig, a copper-sheathed and fastened design technique used to reinforce the hull and utilized a fore-mast standard rigging (system of ropes, cables and chains supporting the mast) complete with two patent iron pumps and bowsprit at the forward bow to assist submergence in rough seas. Seemingly sea-worthy, the vessel ran stem on rocks at Witton Bluff *See figure [5+6] in the dead of night along the Onkaparinga coastline with all sails set. However, during the storm, the foremast was cut away in the hope of releasing the brig which smashed on rocks in sixteen fathoms of water. Captain Wright tried putting the vessel about in the gale but, the force of the sea set at the starboard bow, having missed stays twice. Interestingly, D. McFarlane, Esquire (the charterer) was onboard and survived the wreckage, setting for Adelaide on foot at first light, arriving on the evening of 15, March to recount the disaster and to commend Captain Wright’s efforts (Temme,1987).
Anchor Details
The bower anchor sits on the eastern side of Witton Centre car park in Port Noarlunga, South Australia. Salvaged in 1969, believed to belong to the ‘David Witton’ brig See figure [3]. The view of the anchor (looking east) displays a large solid item. Its pattern is distinctively a deep wooden grain, distinguishable as an Admiralty-pattern. The stock is made of straight metal bent into a curvature shape toward the fastener, which was probably welded on. There is no stock key attached and the shape of the fluke ends are spades. The crown is rounded with no point or tip and no fish buckle is attached to the anchor. See figures [8,9,10,11,12-13].
Bower Anchor Specifications
Type of anchor?
Anchor function? Stocked anchor
Bower -located at the bow
Anchor pattern?
Is the original stock present?
Is the shank squared?
How many arms? Admiralty-pattern
Yes
No
2
Type of stock?
What is the weight? Metal straight
Unknown
Stock section?
Is the stock faceted? Circular
No
Stock shape? Straight throughout
Stock tapered? No
Is the stock fastened with nails?
Is the stock fastened with trunnels? No
No
Figure [5]. The site of the ‘David Witton’ wreck just off the coast of Port Noarlunga at Witton Bluff South Australia http://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/shipwreck-images
Figure [6]. Photograph: David Witton Bluff Port Adelaide South Australia.
Figure [7]. Artifact drawing by Amanda Ward the anchor belonging to ‘David Witton’.
Photographs of the anchor belonging to “David Witton” at Port Noarlunga SA.
Figure [8]. Head and ring photograph.
Figure [9]. View looking West.
Figure [10]. The Crown Connected to the Arms and Flukes.
Figure [11]. Fluke Shape.
Figure [12]. Stock end.
Figure [13]. ‘David Witton’ anchor.
Bibliography
Broeze, F. (Ed.). (1995). Maritime History at the Crossroads: A Critical Review of Recent Historiography. Liverpool University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt21pxhz3
Byrne, D. (2016). What anchors the Tu Do? Journal of Contemporary Archaeology, 3(2), 279–285. https://doi.org/10.1558/jca.31669
Capper, H. (1839). Capper’s South Australia: containing the history of the rise, progress and present state of the colony, hints to emigrants ... embellished with three maps showing the maritime portion of the located districts, the ... districts of Adelaide and Encounter Bay, and the City of Adelaide (3rd ed., considerably enl. [sic]).
Cockburn, R. (1984). What’s in a name: nomenclature of South Australia: authoritative derivations of some 4000 historically significant place names. Rev. and enl. [sic] ed. Ferguson Publications.
Jeffery, B. (1990). Realising the cultural tourism potential of South Australian shipwrecks. Historic Environment, 7(3/4), 72–76.
Melchers, R. E. (2021). Reconstructing the Detailed Proportions of Archaeological Iron Anchors. Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 16(4), 477–492. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-021-09313-0
Parsons, R. (1981). Shipwrecks in South Australia (1836-1875). R.H. Parsons.
South Australian National Library (Special collections) Stranding of David Witton (1838). The Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser. Trove NSW (1838-1841).
The Big Anchor Project (2018) Object 817 www.biganchorproject.com.
Reynolds, S. (2020) Marine Life Society of South Australia Inc @ mlssa.org.au.
Shipwrecks (n.d). [Data set]. The South Australian Shipwrecks Database. http://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/shipwreck-images
Temme, R. (1987). The Temme collection details all known shipwrecks and groundings in South Australian waters. Part 1, 1836-1850. State Library of South Australia, Mortlock Library of South Australiana. Temme collection,1836-1850 [microform]. Call No: SA-SHIP-WRK.
Votruba, G. F. (2022). Iron-Frame Wooden Stock-Anchor Design of the Age of Exploration. The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 51(2), 338–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/10572414.2022.2137997