Fido (1876 ship)

History
New South Wales
Name| Fido
Owner| Robert Walker, Sydney
Builder| C. H. Christensen, Arendal, Norway
Launched| 1876
Identification| Sydney Registration No: 39/1897
Fate| Wrecked in 1898
General characteristics
Class & type| Barquentine
Tonnage| 536
Length| 141.6 feet (43.2 m)
Beam| 30.9 feet (9.4 m)
Depth| 17.4 feet (5.3 m)

Fido was a sailing ship built in Norway in 1876. She was wrecked upon Red Head near Nine Mile Beach, New South Wales during a gale on 6 May 1898. Eleven people died.

## Loss

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Fido set sail from the Australian port at Newcastle, New South Wales, on 5 May 1898,[1] bound for Auckland in New Zealand, carrying 710 tons of coal, with no deck cargo.[2] The captain was the 52-year-old S. Morison (or Morrison), an experienced seaman from England who had captained a number of intercontinental trade vessels, accompanied by first mate George Steward and nine other crewmembers.[1][3] Fido was insured for £1000 at the time of her sailing and was considered by local shipping clerks to be seaworthy and not overloaded at the time.[2] Several other ships set sail at the same time, including the Crown of India and Maitland (ship). The last sighting of Fido was by the Crown of India on the night of 5 May, off Nobbys Head in Newcastle. She never arrived in Auckland and was presumed lost with all 11 crew members believed to have been killed. The Maitland was also lost, while the Crown of India was demasted by the storm.[1]

In July 1898, the Newcastle Marine Board held an inquiry into the ship's loss. [2] The inquiry concluded that Fido was sound, with no evidence that her condition or circumstances were to blame for the loss. The decision was the loss was due to the gale only, and that Fido had likely foundered.[4]

## References

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1. ^ a b c "The Wreck of the Fido". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 June 1898. p. 5. Retrieved 15 July 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ a b c "The Loss of the Fido". Daily Commercial News. Sydney. 7 July 1898. p. 5. Retrieved 15 July 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ "The Barque Fido". The Press, Tuesday 21 June 1898, p.6. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
4. ^ "The Loss of the Barque Fido". The North Coolgardie Herald. 15 July 1898. p. 3. Retrieved 15 July 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

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