--- title: "Schomberg: The Clipper Lost on Its Maiden Voyage" description: Discover Schomberg's 1855 voyage, the wreck near Peterborough, the rescue of passengers and crew, and the controversy surrounding Captain Forbes. image: https://blog.mvwyuna.com/hubfs/The_Schomberg_1855_in_Aberdeen_PRG-1373-19-38.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://blog.mvwyuna.com/blog/schomberg-the-clipper-lost-on-its-maiden-voyage#main-content) ![](https://blog.mvwyuna.com/hs-fs/hubfs/The_Schomberg_1855_in_Aberdeen_PRG-1373-19-38.jpg?width=500&height=324&name=The_Schomberg_1855_in_Aberdeen_PRG-1373-19-38.jpg) # Schomberg: The Clipper Lost on Its Maiden Voyage ![admin](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/27f1f9af203193019724d711fbc06469) admin October 18, 2026 Schomberg was a large wooden passenger clipper built in Scotland in 1855 for the Australian gold-rush trade. Intended to combine speed, carrying capacity and comfortable accommodation, she was wrecked near Peterborough, Victoria, on her first voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne. Everyone aboard survived the evacuation, but the ship was lost. ## Built for the Gold-Rush Passage During the 1850s, Victoria's gold discoveries created enormous demand for transport to Melbourne. Shipping companies competed for passengers, mail contracts and cargo, promoting fast passages and improved accommodation. Schomberg was built by Alexander Hall & Co. at Aberdeen for James Baines & Co.'s Black Ball Line, registered at Liverpool. The vessel was intended to challenge the American-built clippers that had established reputations for speed on the Australian run. The three-masted, fully rigged sailing ship measured approximately 288 feet in length, 45 feet in breadth and 29 feet in hold depth: about 88 metres by 13.7 metres, with a hold approximately nine metres deep. Her oak framing and diagonal larch planking were distinctive structural features. The diagonal construction helped strengthen the long wooden hull, reflecting the engineering efforts made to improve clipper performance. ### When Was Schomberg Launched? Schomberg was launched in April 1855. Aberdeen's museum record dates the launch to 5 April, supported by a newspaper report published the following day. Some later accounts give 7 April. This discrepancy should be acknowledged rather than silently choosing the later date. ## Captain James Nicol Forbes Command went to Captain James Nicol Forbes, commonly known as “Bully” Forbes. The captain had already achieved prominence commanding Marco Polo and Lightning. The appointment associated Schomberg with the competitive pursuit of fast passages between Britain and Australia. The ambition was a passage to Melbourne in 60 days. That target generated expectations, but a sailing ship's performance depended on favourable winds as well as design and seamanship. ## Departure from Liverpool Schomberg sailed from Liverpool on 6 October 1855, carrying approximately 430 passengers and 3,000 tons of cargo. A contemporary departure report preserved by Aberdeen's museum records 53 passengers in cabin accommodation, alongside the much larger total travelling aboard. The cargo included railway equipment intended for Victoria's expanding transport network. The ship represented two aspects of gold-rush development at once: people travelling to the colony and equipment being imported to build its infrastructure. ## The Voyage to Australia The hoped-for record passage did not materialise. Light winds and prolonged calms delayed Schomberg in the Atlantic. A contemporary account describes difficult conditions around the equatorial passage and further becalming farther south. Faster sailing later in the voyage could not recover all the lost time. By Christmas 1855, Schomberg had reached the Victorian coast. Melbourne was close, but the final coastal approach brought the voyage to disaster. ## The Wreck Near Peterborough Heritage Victoria records the loss date as 26 December 1855, at Curdies Inlet near Peterborough, west of Cape Otway. Some later accounts date the grounding to 27 December. Contemporary reporting places the critical events around midnight on the 26th, helping explain the variation. The grounding was not simply the result of a violent storm. The heritage record describes light south-easterly conditions and a clear day, classifying the loss as navigational error. A contemporary account relaying Forbes's explanation describes the ship close to land, the wind falling away, a strong current and a swell setting towards shore. With insufficient wind to manoeuvre effectively, the vessel struck and became stranded. This is an account of the circumstances, not an independent finding that exonerates every decision made aboard. The ship grounded on the reef and sandbank system near the inlet, within the stretch of Victorian coastline now associated with shipwrecks. ## Rescue of the Passengers and Crew The coastal steamer Queen, travelling from Port Fairy, responded to distress signals and took people off the stranded clipper. All passengers and crew survived the evacuation. Mail was also recovered and carried onward. Contemporary reports preserved in Aberdeen's museum record describe the rescue and the arrival of survivors in Port Phillip. Although Schomberg became a total wreck, the loss did not become a mass-fatality passenger disaster. ## Salvage and the Loss of the Ship Attempts were made to save Schomberg and recover cargo, but the exposed position and deteriorating weather worked against salvage. Passengers' luggage and some goods were recovered, but the ship could not be successfully refloated. Schomberg subsequently broke up. Later accounts place the final breakup on 6 January 1856. Those accounts also report that two people drowned during subsequent salvage attempts. These deaths were separate from the successful evacuation of the passengers and crew. Railway material formed a substantial and durable part of the cargo. Heritage Victoria's description of the wreck records railway tracks and large iron girders among the surviving remains. ## The Controversy Over Captain Forbes The loss produced public anger because a heavily promoted new ship had failed to complete even one passage. Passengers accused Forbes and some officers of misconduct and negligence. At a meeting in Melbourne on 3 February 1856, passengers adopted resolutions criticising their conduct and calling for investigation. Contemporary newspaper accounts preserved by Aberdeen's museum document those complaints. ### Was Forbes Playing Cards? One frequently repeated story claims that Forbes was below deck playing cards with female passengers while the vessel approached danger. That should be presented as an allegation, not an established explanation of the wreck. Heritage Victoria records the accusation but also states that Forbes was found not guilty and cleared of the charges following inquiries and court proceedings. Contemporary testimony was divided. Aberdeen's museum preserves a letter from passenger John Walker defending Forbes's attention to the ship and treatment of passengers. The historical record therefore contains both condemnation and support. Legal acquittal did not remove the damage to Forbes's reputation. Later histories describe the wreck as the end of the captain's career commanding the Black Ball Line's celebrated fast clippers, although other commands followed. ## What Remains of Schomberg? Schomberg survives as a fragmented underwater archaeological site rather than an intact ship. Heritage Victoria describes heavily concreted remains, including railway iron and girders, together with smaller objects incorporated into the seabed deposits. These descriptions come from historical site assessments and should not be mistaken for a fresh survey of present conditions. Aberdeen's museum record notes that recovered relics have been displayed at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. Such objects help connect the ship's brief career with the passengers, crew and cargo carried aboard. ### Did Pieces Reach New Zealand? Reports have linked timber found on New Zealand's west coast with Schomberg, partly because of its unusual diagonal construction. Heritage Victoria describes those pieces as thought to be from the ship. The association should not be presented as an unquestioned identification. ## Heritage Recognition and Historical Significance The wreck was declared a historic shipwreck in 1982 and re-gazetted in 1990. It also forms part of Victoria's shipwreck interpretation trails. Schomberg's significance encompasses migration, shipbuilding, railway development and maritime safety. The ship carried people travelling to gold-rush Victoria, represented British competition with American clippers, and transported equipment intended for the colony's growing railways. The inquiries and conflicting passenger testimony also show why maritime histories require careful sourcing. Allegations, recollections and legal findings should remain distinct. ## Key Dates in Schomberg's History | Date | Event | | --- | --- | | April 1855 | Launched at Aberdeen. | | 6 October 1855 | Departed Liverpool for Melbourne. | | 26 December 1855 | Grounded near Peterborough, according to Heritage Victoria. | | Following the grounding | Passengers and crew evacuated without loss of life. | | January 1856 | Salvage failed and the vessel broke up. | | 3 February 1856 | Passengers met in Melbourne to criticise the ship's management. | | 1982 | Wreck declared a historic shipwreck. | | 1990 | Heritage protection re-gazetted. | These dates follow the heritage record and contemporary material where available. Later accounts differ on some details. ## Remembering Schomberg Schomberg's story follows an expensive new clipper built for the Australian trade and lost within reach of Melbourne. The passengers and crew were rescued, but the vessel's promise remained unfulfilled. The wreck, recovered objects and surviving documentary accounts preserve the ambition and danger of the gold-rush passage. Together, they allow future generations to examine both the ship's engineering and the experiences of the people aboard. ## Sources and Further Reading - [Victorian Heritage Database: Schomberg shipwreck report](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/shipwrecks/612/download-report). - [Aberdeen museum: Schomberg and contemporary newspaper accounts](https://emuseum.aberdeencity.gov.uk/objects/100116/schomberg). - [An Account of the Shipwreck of the Schomberg, 1855](https://www.tharston-past.info/Australia/BuzzardM/Documents/An%20Account%20of%20the%20Shipwreck.pdf). - [Schomberg (1855): secondary overview and bibliography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schomberg_(1855)). ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fblog.mvwyuna.com%2Fblog%2Fschomberg-the-clipper-lost-on-its-maiden-voyage](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fblog.mvwyuna.com%2Fblog%2Fschomberg-the-clipper-lost-on-its-maiden-voyage) ## Keep reading ### [![](https://blog.mvwyuna.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cerberus%20iron%20clad1.webp?width=474&height=592&name=cerberus%20iron%20clad1.webp) HMVS Cerberus: From Ironclad to Half Moon Bay Landmark](https://blog.mvwyuna.com/blog/hmvs-cerberus-from-ironclad-to-half-moon-bay-landmark) ### [![](https://blog.mvwyuna.com/hs-fs/hubfs/casino01.webp?width=1200&height=857&name=casino01.webp) SS Casino: Fifty Years of Service and the Apollo Bay Tragedy](https://blog.mvwyuna.com/blog/ss-casino-fifty-years-of-service-and-the-apollo-bay-tragedy) - [victorian Maritime centre](https://blog.mvwyuna.com/blog/victorian-maritime-centre-mv-wyuna-and-memberships-2026) - [go to main site](https://mvwyuna.com/) - [Mv Wyuna and Australia immigration](https://blog.mvwyuna.com/blog/mv-wyuna-and-australia-s-immigration-history-2026) - [About Hmas Otama](https://blog.mvwyuna.com/blog/hmas-otama-and-the-western-port-oberon-association) - [how to help to save the Mv Wyuna](https://blog.mvwyuna.com/blog/how-to-help-save-the-mv-wyuna-in-5-easy-steps-2026) - [Blog main menu](https://blog.mvwyuna.com/blog) --- Privacy Policy · Legal · © 2026 mv wyuna. 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