1878, the Loch Ard set sail from England for Melbourne, with 18 passengers and 36 crew. Many of the passengers were from the Carmichael family, who were migrating because their father was sick.
After thirteen long weeks, the ship was finally within days of arriving in Melbourne. One night, there was bad weather, and a thick mist off the coast. When the mist lifted, the captain saw that they were only two kilometres from the jagged cliffs at the edge of the water. The Loch Ard was way off course.
The captain tried very hard to avoid the cliffs, heading out to sea, and dropping anchors, but it was no good. There was a crash, and the ship ran into a island, just near the coast.
In that time, people desperately clambered for the life belts, but there were only enough for six people, so the Carmichael family members were the first to grab them. The captain went down with his ship, which was the thing for a captain to do when his ship was wrecked.
18 year old Eva Carmichael clung to some wreckage from the ship, and was alone when she finally came near the shore. Luckily for her, Tom Pearce, also 18, was on the shore also. he swam out to rescue her, and got her back to land.
Then Tom climbed the cliffs to search for help, not seeing the steps that were already cut into the cliff face. In time, he found people to help them, and Eva could begin to recover from her shocking ordeal.
Tom and Eva discovered that they were the only survivors from the wreck.Tom was given medals and money for his bravery.
1878, the Loch Ard set sail from England for Melbourne, with 18 passengers and 36 crew. Many of the passengers were from the Carmichael family, who were migrating because their father was sick.
After thirteen long weeks, the ship was finally within days of arriving in Melbourne. One night, there was bad weather, and a thick mist off the coast. When the mist lifted, the captain saw that they were only two kilometres from the jagged cliffs at the edge of the water. The Loch Ard was way off course.
The captain tried very hard to avoid the cliffs, heading out to sea, and dropping anchors, but it was no good. There was a crash, and the ship ran into a island, just near the coast.
In that time, people desperately clambered for the life belts, but there were only enough for six people, so the Carmichael family members were the first to grab them. The captain went down with his ship, which was the thing for a captain to do when his ship was wrecked.
18 year old Eva Carmichael clung to some wreckage from the ship, and was alone when she finally came near the shore. Luckily for her, Tom Pearce, also 18, was on the shore also. he swam out to rescue her, and got her back to land.
Then Tom climbed the cliffs to search for help, not seeing the steps that were already cut into the cliff face. In time, he found people to help them, and Eva could begin to recover from her shocking ordeal.
Tom and Eva discovered that they were the only survivors from the wreck.Tom was given medals and money for his bravery.
Article by Saxon
Research from wiki