The General Grant’s Gold

by Madelene Ferguson and Ken Scadden
published by Exisle Publishing
RRP $34.99 (192pp; 235mm x 155mm)

   There is a group of islands, the Auckland Islands, in the Southern Ocean some 200 nautical miles below New Zealand and just a tad below 50°S, the largest of which is Auckland Island. Lying just below the ‘roaring Forties’, the islands were (well still are really) on the great circle route, heading for Cape Horn and the Atlantic.
   As a result of Southern Ocean weather and deep ocean currents, these few small islands became the resting place of no fewer than eight ships between the middle 1800s and the early 1900s as skippers misjudged the 155 nautical mile gap between New Zealand’s rock outcrops the Snares and the Aucklands.
   One of these ill-fated ships, General Grant, met her fate in 1866 en route from Melbourne. She carried a crew of 24, plus Captain William H Loughlin and 56 passengers. Her cargo was probably pretty typical of the day and included 2057 bales of wool, together with skins, pelts, horns (10,446!), wood and sundries.
   But what made the General Grant of most interest were two boxes of gold weighing 2,576 ounces. In 1866 value, the manifest reports, the gold was worth in the order of $US77,000. But do the maths in 2009 dollars, when gold in pushing $1,000 per fine ounce and you have a lost treasure worth $US2.5 million.
   What makes the lost treasure more interesting, according to the authors, is that the gold has never been retrieved – at least as far as official records go.
   But, The General Grant’s Gold is much more than a story about the gold. The book describes a story of survival in the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands. Only 15 of the passengers and crew survived the wreck of the General Grant and lived to tell their tale. First-hand descriptions of the grounding and sinking of the ship are harrowing and reinforce the dangers of 19th century seafaring, when the world was opened wide following the new-world discoveries of prior sailors.
Not dying in the actual wreck would have made survivors thank their lucky stars, but the eventual rescue of the remaining 15 more than a year later points to resilience of great measure. Their existence on Auckland Island was a feat of determination and discipline to make you shudder.
   But because of the treasure involved, the legacy of the General Grant has been the launch of many treasure-hunting expeditions – the last of which was aboard the Spirit of Enderby, an ex-Russian icebreaker, in 2008. Like the previous 18 recorded expeditions in search of the General Grant’s gold, the latest one also came up empty. But be warned if you are contemplating mounting a search – the New Zealand Parliament has passed several pieces of legislation to protect both the wreck and the fragile ecosystem of the Auckland Islands. Get your permits first.

Australian Boating Manual

by Captain Dick Gandy
published by Ocean Publications
RRP $89.95 (968pp; 280mm x 210mm)

   Australian Boating Manual, now in its 4th edition, is a massive resource with a wide-ranging potential readership. Pitched mainly as a manual and textbook for those undertaking professional maritime studies, the publishers assert that the book has been revised to meet the syllabus requirements of the Transport and Logistics 2007 training package.
   As you might imagine, the author has left nothing about boating in Australia to the imagination, including at the end of each chapter a total of 2,687 (I didn’t count them!) self-test multiple-choice questions. As a study text, the book is a great resource. But it also provides guidance for the amateur boaty as well. Australian Boating Manual is widely available. www.AustralianBoatingManual.com has further information.

WIN a copy of The General Grant’s Gold

   Exisle Publishing has kindly provided six copies of The General Grant’s Gold for AFLOAT readers. The first six people to send an email to info@afloat.com.au will receive a copy.