Picture No | 10811976 |
Date | 1884 |
Description | Loss of yacht Mignonette, 1884 |
Details |
The English yacht Mignonette set sail for Sydney, Australia, from Southampton on 19th May 1884. During the journey, the yacht got into difficulties and sank with the four-man crew abandoning ship for the lifeboat with little food and no fresh water. Towards mid-July they started discussions about sacrificing one of them for the others to eat. Towards the end of July, Richard Parker, the cabin boy, had fallen ill and while in a coma was killed by Tom Dudley and Edwin Stephens and cannibalised. The three survivors were subsequently picked up and taken to Falmouth; Dudley and Stephens were later tried for murder and convicted in a landmark ruling.
This image shows how the dinghy was managed during the last nine days, and includes a sketch of how the crew stowed themselves.
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Source | From sketches by Mr Edwin Stephens, the mate, in the Illustrated London News, 20th September 1884 |
Credit | © Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans |
Restrictions |
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