Weather storm in Palliser Bay

While we’re on the subject of shipwrecks at Cape Palliser, another story is that of the Sydney based brig, the ‘Shamrock.’ Leaving Lyttelton near Christchurch in 1861, bound for Otago with a cargo of timber, and five passengers, the ship almost immediately hit inclement weather. Under the command of captain Thomas Dixon, the Shamrock hit violent gales and mountainous seas that threw the ship about and carried on throughout the afternoon and into the night. 

By morning, the ship was completely off course and taking on water. The captain, fearing he couldn’t keep his vessel afloat much longer, made the decision to beach the ship in an attempt to save the passengers and the cargo. Striking a bit of luck for the first time on the journey, the ship ran aground onto a sandy beach in Palliser Bay, thus ensuring passengers, crew and cargo were safe. While the ship eventually broke-up on the shoreline, Captain Dixon later stated that the wind was so great, the beach was strewn with dead albatrosses, porpoises and other marine life. For many years afterwards, it was referred to as ‘The Great Gale of 61.’