View source for RMS Quetta

{{short description|British ocean liner wrecked in the Torres Strait}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}} 
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= RMS Quetta 1884a.jpg
|Ship caption= ''Quetta'' at [[Gravesend]] in 1884
}} 
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header= 
|Ship country= United Kingdom
|Ship flag= {{Shipboxflag|United Kingdom|government}}
|Ship name= ''Quetta''
|Ship namesake= [[Quetta]]
|Ship owner= *1882: Gray, Dawes & Co
*1886: [[British India Steam Navigation Company|BI Associated Steamers]]
|Ship operator= British India Associated Steamers
|Ship registry= [[Glasgow]]
|Ship route= *1881: [[Port of London|London]] – [[Suez Canal|Suez]] – [[Port of Kolkata|Calcutta]]
*1883: London – Suez – [[Port of Brisbane|Brisbane]]
|Ship ordered= 
|Ship builder= [[William Denny and Brothers|Wm Denny & Bros]], [[Dumbarton]]
|Ship original cost= £70,119
|Ship yard number= 243
|Ship laid down= 
|Ship launched= 1 March 1881
|Ship sponsor= 
|Ship completed= 18 May 1881
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship acquired= 
|Ship identification= *UK [[official number]] 84309
*[[code letters]] VMNG
*{{ICS|Victor}}{{ICS|Mike}}{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Golf}}
|Ship fate= Wrecked 1890
|Ship notes= 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type= [[cargo liner]]
|Ship tonnage= {{GRT|3484}}, {{NRT|2254}}
|Ship displacement= 
|Ship length= {{cvt|380.0|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{cvt|40.3|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught= 
|Ship depth= {{cvt|29.0|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship decks= 3
|Ship power= 500 HP
|Ship propulsion= *1 × [[Marine steam engine#Compound|compound engine]]
*1 × [[Propeller|screw]]
|Ship sail plan= 3-masted [[barquentine]]
|Ship speed= {{convert|12|kn|km/h}}
|Ship capacity= *cargo: {{convert|148253|cuft|0}}
*passengers: 76 × 1st class, 32 × 2nd class, plus [[steerage]]
|Ship crew= 121
|Ship notes= [[Fluid power|hydraulic]] cargo handling equipment
}}
|}

'''RMS ''Quetta''''' was an [[iron]]-hulled [[steamship]] that was built in Scotland in 1881 and wrecked with great loss of life in the [[Torres Strait]] in 1890. She was operated by British India Associated Steamers (BIAS), which was controlled by the [[British India Steam Navigation Company]] (BISN). She was wrecked on a previously unknown rock, which has been called Quetta Rock ever since. The ''[[Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018]]'' protects the wreck.

==Building==
[[William Denny and Brothers]] built ''Quetta'' for £70,119{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=63}} at [[Dumbarton]] on the [[River Leven, Dunbartonshire|River Leven]] as yard number 243. She was launched on 1 March 1881<ref name=SBS>{{cite web |url= https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?&ref=14812 |title=Quetta |work=Scottish Built Ships |publisher=Caledonian Maritime Research Trust |access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref> and completed on 18 May.{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=63}} Her registered length was {{cvt|380.0|ft|abbr=on}}, her [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] was {{cvt|40.3|ft|abbr=on}} and her depth was {{cvt|29.0|ft|abbr=on}}. Her [[tonnage]]s were {{GRT|3484}} and {{NRT|2254}}.{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1882|loc=QUE}} She originally had berths for 76 passengers in first class and 32 in second class travelling between England and India,{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=63}} but was later modified to accommodate the increasing number of migrants bound for Australia in [[steerage]].The steam engine and two 500-ton coal bunkers were amidship.

According to shipwreck historian Max Jeffrys, ''Quetta'' was ‘fitted out with all the comforts of her class at the time’.<ref>Max Jeffreys (1999). ''Murder, mayhem, fire and storm: Australian shipwrecks''. Frenchs Forest: New Holland, p. 165.</ref> After her refit, first class cabins were on the upper deck, next to an elegantly appointed dining, music and smoking rooms. The captain’s cabin and open navigation bridge were perched above. The steerage accommodation was on the main deck, under the ‘tween deck luggage and cargo storage. There was no third class on ''Quetta,'' apart from temporary shelters erected when needed at the stern of the upper deck for Javanese labourers returning to Batavia from the Queensland canefields.<ref name="Foley 1990">Foley, John CH (1990). ''The Quetta: Queensland's worst disaster.'' Aspley: Nairana Publications.</ref>

''Quetta'' had a single [[Propeller|screw]], driven by a two-cylinder [[Marine steam engine#Compound|compound engine]] built by Denny. It was rated at 500 HP and gave her a speed of {{convert|12|kn|km/h}}. The ship had three masts, and was rigged as a [[barquentine]]. She also had a [[Fluid power|hydraulic]] system{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=63}} to drive the cargo winches, steering gear and anchors, as well as electric lighting and refrigerated storage for meat and dairy exports from Queensland.<ref>Foley, John CH (1990). ''The Quetta: Queensland's worst disaster.'' Aspley: Nairana Publications</ref>

Denny built ''Quetta'' for Gray, Dawes and Company,{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1882|loc=QUE}} who since 1865 had been BISN's [[London]] agents.{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=14}} They [[Ship registration|registered]] her in [[Glasgow]]. Her [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] [[official number]] was 84309 and her [[code letters]] were VMNG.{{sfn|''Mercantile Navy List'' 1882|p=118}} She had a black hull with a slender white line tracing the main deck level. Her black funnel with two thick white bands were distinctive markers of her owner, British India Associated Services (BIAS).

==British India Associated Services==
In 1876 BISN created BIAS to run a scheduled service between [[Port of London|London]] and [[Port of Kolkata|Calcutta]] via [[Gibraltar]], the [[Suez Canal]], [[Port of Colombo|Colombo]], and Madras (now [[Chennai Port|Chennai]]). BIAS managed the ships, but one or more private shareholders owned each ship.{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=16}} ''Quetta'' worked the London – Calcutta route for the first two years of her career.{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=63}}

''Quetta'' was one of a series of three-masted brigantines that Denny built for BIAS. Denny completed ''India'' in November 1881.{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=62}} She was similar to ''Quetta'', but about {{convert|10|ft|0}} longer, {{convert|2|ft|1}} greater beam, and built of steel instead of iron.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?&ref=14817 |title=India |work=Scottish Built Ships |publisher=Caledonian Maritime Research Trust |access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref> ''India'' was the first ship in the BISN group to have electric light.{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=62}} Denny completed ''Goorkha'', a [[sister ship]] for ''India'', in May 1882.{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=62}} Then in April 1884 Denny completed ''Manora'', which at {{convert|410|ft}} long and {{convert|45.2|ft}} beam was larger still.{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=66}}

==Queensland Royal Mail route==
[[File:The RMS Quetta in the Suez Canal, Egypt. (24792146761).jpg|thumb|''Quetta'' in the [[Suez Canal]], date unknown]]
Mail and passenger ships between Britain and Australia mostly served a route via Australia's south coast, calling at either [[Fremantle Harbour|Fremantle]] or [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]], [[Adelaide]], [[Port of Melbourne|Melbourne]], and [[Port Jackson|Sydney]]. Not all ships continued up the east coast to [[Port of Brisbane|Brisbane]]. The [[Colony of Queensland]] thus had a passenger and mail link with Britain that was less direct and less frequent than the other Australian colonies enjoyed.{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=17}}

In 1881 [[Thomas McIlwraith]], [[Premier of Queensland]] obtained [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|parliamentary]] authority for to offer a mail contract for a shipping company to run a service between London and Brisbane via the Suez Canal and the Torres Strait. BIAS won the contract, and formed the Queensland Steam Ship Company to run feeder routes to connect with it.{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=17}}<ref>Munro, J. Forbes (2003). ''Maritime enterprise and empire: Sir William Mackinnon and his business network, 1823-1893.'' Woodbridge: Boydell Press.</ref>

In 1883 BIAS doubled the frequency of its London – Brisbane service. For this it [[Chartering (shipping)|chartered]] six ships,{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=18}} and also transferred ''Quetta'' to the route.{{sfn|Haws|1987|p=63}} On 8 April that year ''Quetta'' left London on her first voyage to Brisbane. She called at [[Millbay|Plymouth]], [[Port Said]], [[Aden Colony|Aden]], and [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] (now [[Port of Tanjung Priok|Jakarta]]). On 29 May she reached [[Cooktown, Queensland|Cooktown]] in [[North Queensland]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Queensland news. |newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail|The Brisbane Courier]] |place=Brisbane |date=30 May 1883 |page=5 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3418550 |via=[[Trove]]}}</ref> She continued down Queensland's east coast, calling at [[Cleveland Bay (Queensland)|Cleveland Bay]] (for [[Townsville]]), [[Bowen, Queensland|Bowen]], and [[Keppel Bay]] (for [[Rockhampton]]).<ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping movements. |newspaper=[[Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph]] |place=Brisbane |date=1 Jun 1883 |page=2 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/174695901 |via=Trove}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping movements. |newspaper=The Telegraph |place=Brisbane |date=2 Jun 1883 |page=4 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/174693167 |via=Trove}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |place=Brisbane |date=5 Jun 1883 |page=4 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3418753 |via=Trove}}</ref>

At Cleveland Bay she disembarked 67 migrants for Townsville,<ref>{{cite news |title=Townsville |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |place=Brisbane |date=9 Jun 1883 |page=7 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3418912 |via=Trove}}</ref> and at Keppel Bay she disembarked 115 migrants to a steam launch, which landed them at Rockhampton.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rockhampton |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |place=Brisbane |date=9 Jun 1883 |page=7 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3418884 |via=Trove}}</ref> She steamed from Keppel Bay to [[Cape Moreton]] in 24 hours, setting what was then a record,<ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping movements. |newspaper=The Telegraph |place=Brisbane |date=5 Jun 1883 |page=2 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/174694271 |via=Trove}}</ref> and arrived off [[Port of Brisbane|Brisbane]] on 5 June.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |place=Brisbane |date=6 Jun 1883 |page=4 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3418789 |via=Trove}}</ref>

By 1886 ownership of ''Quetta'' had been transferred from Gray, Dawes & Co to BIAS.{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1886|loc=QUE}} By 1890 she had made 11 round trips between London and Brisbane.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}<ref name="Foley 1990"/>

==Loss==
On 18 February 1890 ''Quetta'' left Brisbane for London.<ref name=Telegraph-1890-0218>{{cite news |title=Quetta's Departure. |newspaper=The Telegraph |place=Brisbane |date=18 February 1890 |page=5 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/172121398 |via=Trove}}</ref><ref name="Foley 1990"/> Along the Queensland coast she called at Townsville, [[Cairns]], [[Kimberley, Queensland|Kimberley]], and Cooktown.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |place=Brisbane |date=27 February 1890 |page=3 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3517464 |via=Trove}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |place=Brisbane |date=28 February 1890 |page=3 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3516228 |via=Trove}}</ref> She was due to call at Batavia, [[Port of Singapore|Singapore]], and Colombo.<ref name=Telegraph-1890-0218/> On departing Cooktown on Thursday 27 February ''Quetta'' carried a total of 293 persons (passengers and crew) and live sheep in deck pens. In addition to mail bags, the cargo comprised 2278 bales of wool, 4260 cases of meat and tallow, and 60 tons of metals with an insurance value of more than £50,000.

''Quetta''{{'}}s [[Master mariner|Master]] was [[Sea captain|Captain]] Alfred Sanders.{{sfn|Blake|1956|p=133}} Her [[ship's company]] comprised 28 European officers and ratings and 93 [[lascar]]s. After leaving Cooktown she carried 171 passengers: 33 first or second class, 65 steerage, and 62 [[Javanese people|Javanese]] labourers,<ref name=Queenslander>{{cite news |title=Passengers and crew of the Quetta |newspaper=[[The Queenslander]] |place=Brisbane |date=8 March 1890 |page=444 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/20281145/2347798 |via=Trove}}</ref> who were returning to Batavia as deck passengers from working on sugar cane plantations.

[[File:StateLibQld 1 45887 Drawing of 'Quetta' going down.jpg|thumb|An artist's impression of ''Quetta'' sinking, published in ''[[The Queenslander]]'']]
''Quetta'' embarked an experienced [[Maritime pilot|pilot]], Captain Eldred P. Keatinge, to command her through the Torres Strait. She turned into the [[Adolphus Channel]] to round the [[Cape York Peninsula]]. The pilot was experienced, the weather fine and visibility good, but at 21:14 hrs she struck an uncharted rock in the middle of the channel near [[Albany Island]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Wreck of the Quetta |newspaper=The Queenslander |place=Brisbane |date=15 March 1890 |page=504 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/20281311 |via=Trove}}</ref> Captain Keating estimated the rock's position to be {{coord|10|40|10|S|142|38|10|E|type:event_region:AU|display=inline,title}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Where the Quetta Struck. |newspaper=The Telegraph |place=Brisbane |date=3 March 1890 |page=5 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/172119499 |via=Trove}}</ref> It split open the steel plates of her hull from her bow to her engine room. She settled by her bow, listed to [[Port and starboard|port]], raised her stern out of the water, and then sank, all within three minutes.<ref name=Courier-1890-0304-a>{{cite news |title=The pilot's statement. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |place=Brisbane |date=4 March 1890 |page=5 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3515881 |via=Trove}}</ref>

''Quetta''{{'}}s [[Cutter (boat)|cutter]] floated clear but capsized, surrounded by a large group of Javanese and lascars. [[Quartermaster]] James Oates organised the baling of the cutter and steered it ashore.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}<ref name="Foley 1990"/> Her Number 1 ([[Port and starboard|starboard]]) [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboat]] floated free, but was damaged and capsized. Captain Keating and the [[Third mate|Third Officer]] Thomas Babb, righted it, but were unable to bale it out. It picked up more survivors, including Captain Sanders. The two boats met, and landed their survivors<ref name=Courier-1890-0304-a/> on [[Mount Adolphus Island]].

The Quetta wrecking is considered to be ‘worst single-incident disaster in Queensland history’.<ref>Foley, John CH (1990). ''The Quetta: Queensland's worst disaster.'' Aspley: Nairana Publications, p. 2.</ref> A full list of passengers and crew indicating who died or were saved can be viewed at John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland in Brisbane.<ref>Department of Registrar General, Queensland (n.d.). "S.S. Quetta: List of passengers, officers and crew" Photocopied manuscript. Held at John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland].</ref>

==Survivors==
{| class="wikitable" align=right
!colspan=3|People aboard at time of the sinking
|-
!Group || No. aboard || Survival rate
|-
|Javanese passengers || 70 || 79%
|-
|Lascar ratings || 92 || 78%
|-
|Saloon passengers || 26 || 19%
|-
|Steerage passengers || 75 || 86%
|-
|European officers || 15 ||
|-
|European ratings || 14 ||
|-
!Total || 292 || 54%
|}
Captain Keating led a party to [[Somerset, Queensland|Somerset]] on the [[Cape York Peninsula]].<ref name=Courier-1890-0304-a/><ref name="Foley 1990"/><ref>F.M Synge, F.M. (1908). “[http://anglicanhistory.org/aus/png/maclaren1908/07.html Chapter V11. The wreck of RMS Quetta.”] ''Albert Maclaren: Pioneer missionary in New Guinea.'' London: Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. <nowiki>http://anglicanhistory.org/aus/png/maclaren1908/07.html</nowiki>.</ref> A Somerset resident, [[Francis Lascelles Jardine|Frank Jardine]], organised a rescue with his own boats, and sent messengers to the nearest [[Electrical telegraph|telegraph]] station, {{convert|15|mi}} away,<ref>{{cite news |title=R.M.S. Quetta. |newspaper=The Telegraph |place=Brisbane |date=3 March 1890 |page=2 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/172119460 |via=Trove}}</ref> to summon steamers from [[Thursday Island]].<ref name=Courier-1890-0304-a/> Jardine also provided one of ''Quetta''{{'}}s boats with food and water for the survivors. The boat then made for Mount Adolphus Island. Later the boat stopped the steamship ''Victoria'', to which Captains Keating and Sanders and some lascars transferred.<ref name=Courier-1890-0304-a/> One of Jardine's boats was already at sea, having been catching [[turtle]]s, and was on its way back to Somerset. It encountered wreckage, from which its crew rescued ten survivors.<ref name=Courier-1890-0304-b>{{cite news |title=Rev. A. McLaren's account. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |place=Brisbane |date=4 March 1890 |page=5 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3515879 |via=Trove}}</ref>

The telegram reached Thursday Island about 14:00 hrs on 1 March. The [[Resident minister|government resident]], [[John Douglas (Queensland politician)|John Douglas]], sent the steamer ''Albatross'' from Port Kennedy. Another captain volunteered to take his steamer, ''Merrie England'', as well. After about three hours ''Albatross'' met ''Victoria'', from which it took off Captains Keating and Sanders and the lascars. ''Albatross'' continued to Mount Adolphus Island, whence she picked up nearly 100 survivors, including the [[Second mate|second]] and fourth officers.<ref name=Courier-1890-0304-b/>

[[File:StateLibQld 1 44815 Some of the lost and saved of the S.S. Quetta (ship).jpg|thumb|upright|An illustration for ''[[The Queenslander]]'' representing some of ''Quetta''{{'}}s lost and saved]]
Just before ''Quetta'' hit the rock, two teenagers, May Lacy and Alice Elizabeth Nicklin, had been on deck. They were separated in the sinking, but Nicklin was a strong swimmer and clung to flotsam: first a hatch cover, then a dead sheep, and finally a plank. The survivors in the boats could hear her calling, but it was too dark to see her as the moon had set. Nicklin kept hold of the plank, alternately swimming and falling asleep, until dawn, when she swam still aided by the plank to an islet (now known as Nicklin Island, just north of Mount Adolphus Island). When she neared the islet, a lascar [[cabin boy]] called Alick, who had already reached the island, helped her ashore.<ref name=Courier-1890-0304-c>{{cite news |title=Miss Nicklin's statement. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |place=Brisbane |date=4 March 1890 |page=5 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3515883 |via=Trove |access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref> Later one of the vessels searching for survivors found the pair and took them to Somerset.<ref name=Kuss>{{cite news |last=Kuss |first=Debra |date=22 February 2023 |title=Thursday Island and the Quetta Survivors |newspaper=[[Quadrant (magazine)|Quadrant]] |url= https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2023/01/thursday-island-and-the-quetta-survivors/}}</ref>

May Lacy did not survive. However, ''Albatross'' found her elder sister Emily, still swimming in the sea 36 hours after the sinking.<ref name=Courier-1890-0304-b/><ref name=Kuss/>

One other survivor was a toddler who did not know her own name. The only words she said were "Mama", "Jimmsy" and "Willie".<ref name=Jackson>{{cite web |url= https://www.mikeball.com/quetta-brown/ |last=Jackson |first=Trevor |title=Quetta Brown |work=Mike Ball Dive Expeditions |date=8 February 2021 |publisher=Mike Ball |access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref> About 30 children had been aboard ''Quetta'', and her [[Manifest (transportation)|manifest]] listed more than one family with boys called James and William. One was that of a widow, Mary Copeland from [[Maryborough, Queensland|Maryborough]], who had a young daughter also called Mary. Mrs Copeland and her three children were returning to Britain after her husband, a stockman, had drowned in a separate accident.<ref name=Queenslander/>

The toddler was photographed, and a print of the photograph was sent to a family in Scotland believed to be her relatives, but the family replied that they did not recognise her. One of the Torres Straits pilots, Captain Edmund Brown, adopted her, naming her Cecil Quetta Brown,<ref name=Jackson/> nicknamed "Cissy".<ref>{{cite web |author=JOL Admin |date=17 August 2017 |title=Queensland Places - Thursday Island - E.L. Brown, General Importer and Merchant |publisher=State Library of Queensland |url= https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/queensland-places-thursday-island-el-brown-general-importer-and-merchant |access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref> A year or two later Captain Brown died, so his brother Villiers Brown raised "Cissy" in Brisbane.<ref>{{cite news |title=Death Of Woman Recalls Quetta Sinking Off Coast |newspaper=The Telegraph |place=Brisbane |date=1 June 1949 |page=21 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/212192157 |via=Trove |access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref> In 1927 it was confirmed that "Cissy" was in fact Mary Copeland.<ref>{{cite news |title=Passing of Mrs. MacDonald |newspaper=[[Gold Coast Bulletin|South Coast Bulletin]] |place=Southport |date=8 June 1949 |page=12 |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/188066862 |via=Trove |access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref>

After rescuing survivors, ''Albatross'' took soundings and found the rock thought to have caused the disaster, about {{convert|1/2|nmi|km|0}} from ''Quetta''{{'}}s wreck.<ref name=Randall>{{Cite web |last=Randall |first=Brian |date=12 December 2016 |title=Queensland Places - Thursday Island - RMS Quetta - What happened after the sinking? |url= https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/queensland-places-thursday-island-rms-quetta-what-happened-after-sinking |publisher=State Library Of Queensland |access-date=25 September 2023}}</ref>

==Notable passengers==
[[File:Cathedral_Exterior.jpg|thumb|[[Quetta Memorial Precinct|The memorial cathedral]], with a monument to ''Quetta'' in the foreground]]
* [[Alexander Archer (banker)|Alexander Archer]], manager of the [[Bank of New South Wales]] in Brisbane, brother of [[Archibald Archer]], and wife, Mary Louisa (Minnie), a daughter of [[Sir Robert Mackenzie, 10th Baronet]], both died.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 February 1929 |title=THE QUETTA DISASTER. |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72049616 |accessdate=21 June 2025 |newspaper=[[The Capricornian]] |location=Queensland, Australia |page=4 (CAPRICORNIAN PICTORIAL.) |via=National Library of Australia |volume=54 |issue=9}}</ref>
* Cecil Quetta Brown, formerly Mary Copeland (see above), survived. A documentary film about her was released in 2021.<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q129697620|id=tt23952222|title=Quetta Brown|description=documentary}}</ref>
* Reuben Nicklin, and wife, Jane Lahey Nicklin, paternal grandparents of future [[Premier of Queensland]] [[Frank Nicklin]] both died. Jane Lahey Nicklin was the daughter of the prosperous timber merchant Francis Lahey and her brothers formed [[Lahey's Canungra Sawmill]]. The Nicklin family home "Hatherton" became the [[Queen Alexandra Home]]. Their daughter Alice Elizabeth Nicklin (19) was one of the few female survivors (see above).<ref name=Courier-1890-0304-c/> 
* Dr Henry Poland was ''Quetta''{{'}}s [[Naval surgeon|surgeon]]. He is the only victim whose body is buried on Thursday Island.<ref name=Kuss/>
* George (70) and Jessie Blanche Prentice (18), paternal grandfather and half-sister of [[George Gray Prentice]], both died.
* John Watson of [[Watson, Ferguson and Company]], and wife, Elizabeth Selim Watson, both died.
* [[Claudius Buchanan Whish]], and wife, Anne Ker Whish, both died.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bolton |first=GC |title=Australian Dictionary of Biography |chapter=Claudius Buchanan Whish (1827–1890) |chapter-url= http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/whish-claudius-buchanan-4833 |publisher=Melbourne University Publishing |access-date=2 October 2012}}</ref>

== Marine Board inquiry ==
In April 1890 the Queensland Marine Board inquiry found that the ''Quetta'' shipwreck was purely accidental, noting that the damaging rock was not shown on Admiralty charts.<ref>Marine Board of Queensland (n.d.). "Report and decision of The Marine Board of Queensland on the circumstances attending the foundering of the R.M.S. ''Quetta'' off Mount Adolphus, Torres Strait, on the 28th of February, 1890". [Typewritten report held at John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland].</ref> It reported that the starboard side had been ripped ‘from right forward as far aft to the engine room’, and the ship had foundered so rapidly that nothing could have been done to save her. According to the Board, ''Quetta'' had been well equipped with 8 life buoys and over 600 life belts. Captain Sanders and pilot Captain Keatinge were exonerated: the former had ‘exerted himself to the utmost’ and the latter had been ‘very careful and attentive to the navigation of the ship’ in steering the Admiralty’s recommended course. The crew members were apparently well disciplined and had responded quickly to orders during the emergency. The Board commended Frank Jardine for his rescue effort. It also recommended that steamships should be equipped with speaking tubes between the bridge and the engine room to lessen the need for sending messengers back and forth.

==Wreck, monument and artefacts==
The wreck lies on its port side in {{Convert|18|m|ft}} of water and is protected by the ''Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018''.

[[Quetta Memorial Precinct]] on Thursday Island is a monument to the 134 lives lost in the disaster. Building started in 1892 and the church was consecrated in 1893. It comprises an [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] church, rectory, and church hall. The church is now a cathedral, and the rectory is the bishop's house.<ref>{{cite QHR|16989|Quetta Memorial Precinct|602168|accessdate=19 January 2014}}</ref> Artefacts recovered during salvage attempts after the disaster, and since, are now in the church.<ref name=Randall/> These include one of ''Quetta’s'' portholes, a lifebelt, a photo of the ship and a copy of Queensland Marine Board’s report. A saloon table from the ''Quetta'' serves as an altar. Plaques and stained-glass windows commemorate the victims and draw attention to the human impacts of a shipwreck. In 2021 the St Bartholomew’s Church community held a commemorative service on the 141st anniversary of the ''Quetta'' shipwreck.<ref>Email to editor from Priest Warden of St Bartholomew’s Church, 2021.</ref>

Beyond Thursday Island, other ''Quetta'' artefacts can be viewed, including: the ship’s bell, which for many years hung outside St Bartholomew’s Church, is now in the Cooktown Museum; the brass binnacle is exhibited at the [[Commissariat Store, Brisbane|Commissariat Store Museum]], Brisbane (Royal Historical Society of Queensland); a sketch of Quetta Brown (child survivor) in a frame she carved is displayed at [[Miegunyah|Miegunya House Museum]], Brisbane ([[Queensland Women's Historical Association|Queensland Women’s Historical Association]]); and a wooden chest is held at [[Wolston House|Wolston Park Farmhouse]] ([[National Trust of Queensland]]); several photos of the Quetta at [[John Oxley Library]], [[State Library of Queensland]]; and works by renowned colonial artist [[Isaac Walter Jenner]] at [[Queensland Gallery of Modern Art]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Queensland Art Gallery {{!}} Gallery of Modern Art |url=https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/stories/isaac-walter-jenner-go-back-in-time-when-brisbane-was-a-busy-shipping-port-queensland-australia |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=Queensland Art Gallery {{!}} Gallery of Modern Art |language=en}}</ref> Memorial plaques hang in churches in Brisbane and Toowoomba (Australia) and Tooting (England). St Thomas Church, Aslockton (England), built in memory of passenger Rev. Thomas Hall, features a striking stained-glass window that depicts ''Quetta'' and the Thursday Island church.<ref>Budby (2012). [https://www.flickr.com/photos/30120216@N07/26443078785/in/photolist-GhFG4t-D4ut8B-2cXpXhg-GKe1FK-LKCDGD-26aFm1F-26Ri1MV-YZbYKE-9r9zh6-GfaeyJ-GfamCd-Gm2vYw-23EA35t-2eC4Y5h-2dzKkum-EddG7s-DBuG15-9MEjBb-DaTHiE-2oFW7rV-9NNs8o-nAtrxq-9NNs8w-2oT1xDQ-9CwHk5-4jKt51-FAmZ4Q-6SCAha-2is6ZL8-biWf6D-2jyvT1k-2kHqGuf-8gk9wG-6bCmXh-7QuW8n-9Ybdh6-9Ybdr8-66Eqp6-2is73Vu-DBVPVT-4jKjt1-4jKnah-4jFpPD-feyYM7-2oDsxqZ-52LbvR-kUEDx-eeMTH7-4paCb5-DTwXE8 ''St. Thomas, Aslockton:'' ''Quetta window''] [photo].</ref>

To mark the shipwreck centenary in 1990, Year 12 students at Thursday Island School retold the story in an imaginative yet factually based booklet entitled ''The Sinking of the Quetta'' with each student adopting the perspective of a particular survivor.<ref>Year 12 Students (1990). ''The Sinking of the Quetta: An imaginative reconstruction.'' Thursday Island State High School; Queensland Department of Education. [Held at John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland].</ref> The picture book ''Quetta'' by Gary Crew and Bruce Whatley offers a poignant fictional account of the child Cecil Quetta Brown's rescue from the shipwreck and contested adoption.<ref>Crew, Gary & Whatley, Bruce. (2002). ''Quetta. S''outh Melbourne: Lothian''.''</ref>

== Dive site ==
[[File:Quetta wreck site, Torres Straight.jpg|thumb|Underwater image of the ''Quetta'' wreck.]]
The wreck is now a popular if challenging diver site. Over time the hull has become coral encrusted and a flourishing ecosystem.<ref>Hofer, Hubert (2004). ''The Wreck of the SS Quetta.'' Atherton: Hofer, p. 35.</ref> The hull was still largely intact in 2013 when Ben Cropp, marine conservationist and shipwreck diver, found it lying on the port side pointing east (orientation 270/090 degrees).<ref>Department of Climate Change, Energy, The Environment and Water, [https://www.environment.gov.au/shipwreck/public/wreck/wreck.do?key=3036 "RMS Quetta: Site environment"], ''Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database''.</ref> More recently dive master Matt Testoni reported: ‘Due to its location, the ''Quetta'' is overflowing with amazing marine life, all of which seems to be huge.'<ref>Testoni, Matt (20 January 2020). "Diving RMS Quetta". ''Scuba Diver Life''. <ins>https://scubadiverlife.com/diving-rms-quetta/</ins>.</ref> A recent sonar 3D image (right) shows ''Quetta's'' current physical state.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last=Blake |first=George |author-link=George Blake (novelist) |year=1956 |title=B.I. Centenary 1856–1956 |place=London |publisher=[[HarperCollins|Collins]]}}
*{{cite book |last= Foley |first=John CH |year=1990 |title=The Quetta: Queensland's worst disaster |place=Aspley |publisher=Nairana Publications |isbn=073168141X}}
*{{cite book |last=Haws |first=Duncan |year=1987 |title=British India S.N. Co |series=Merchant Fleets |volume=11 |place=Burwash |publisher=Travel Creatours Ltd Publications |isbn=0-946378-07-X}}
*{{cite book |last=Hofer |first=Hubert |year=2004 |title=The Wreck of the SS Quetta |place=Atherton |publisher=Northpic |url= https://northpic.com.au/quetta_booklet.htm}}
*{{cite book |last=Jeffreys |first=Max |year=1999 |title=Murder, Mayhem Fire and Storm: Australian Shipwrecks |place= |publisher=New Holland Publishers |isbn=1-86436-445-9 |pages=163–175}}
*{{cite book |year=1882 |title=Lloyd's Register of British & Foreign Shipping |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of British & Foreign Shipping |url= https://archive.org/details/HECROS1882/page/n673/mode/1up |via=[[Internet Archive]] |ref={{harvid|''Lloyd's Register'' 1882}} }}
*{{cite journal |title=A Maritime History of Torres Strait |journal=Sportdiving in Australia & New Zealand |issue=43 |year=1994}}
*{{cite book |year=1882 |title=Mercantile Navy List |place=London |publisher=Crew List Index Project |url= https://www.crewlist.org.uk/data/viewimages?name=Quetta&year=1882&submit=Enter |ref={{harvid|''Mercantile Navy List'' 1882}} }}
*{{cite news |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/71109040 |title=Miss Nicklin |newspaper=[[Australian Town and Country Journal]] |place=Sydney |page=34 |date=15 March 1890 |via=Trove}}
*{{cite news |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/255045061 |last=Randall |first=Brian |date=30 July 2012 |title=The tragic tale of the Quetta, includes a picture of the Quetta |newspaper=[[Torres News]] |place=Thursday Island |page=10 |via=Trove}}
* {{cite book |last=Synge |first=Frances M |chapter=VII. The Wreck of the S.S. Quetta |title=Albert Maclaren: Pioneer Missionary in New Guinea (A Memoir) |place=London |publisher=[[United Society Partners in the Gospel|USPG]] |url= http://anglicanhistory.org/aus/png/maclaren1908/07.html |via=Project Canterbury}}
*{{cite book |year=1886 |title=Universal Register |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of British & Foreign Shipping |url= https://archive.org/details/HECROS1886/page/n903/mode/1up |via=[[Internet Archive]] |ref={{harvid|''Lloyd's Register'' 1886}} }}
*{{cite news |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/47074895/4056048 |title=The wreck of the Quetta. |newspaper=[[South Australian Register]] |place=Adelaide |page=5 |date=5 March 1890 |via=Trove}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Quetta (ship, 1881)}}
*{{cite web |url= https://shipwreckbells.blogspot.com/2013/04/quetta.html |title=Quetta |work=Shipwreck Bells |date=25 April 2013 |publisher=John Sumner}}
*{{cite web |url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryqueensland/albums/72157664438612215 |title=RMS Quetta: 126th anniversary album |publisher=State Library of Queensland |via=Flickr}}
*{{Cite web |date=8 December 2016 |title=The Sinking of the S.S. Quetta |url=https://blogs.archives.qld.gov.au/2016/12/08/the-sinking-of-the-s-s-quetta/ |website=Stories from the Archives |publisher=[[Queensland State Archives]]}}

{{1890 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quetta}}
[[Category:1881 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1890]]
[[Category:Merchant ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ships of the British India Steam Navigation Company]]
[[Category:Ships built in Scotland]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the Torres Strait]]
[[Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Victorian-era merchant ships of the United Kingdom]]