The wreck of the Orpheus

When we think of famous New Zealand shipwrecks we think of the Wahine or the Penguin but in fact the biggest loss of life was from the wreck of the Orpheus in February 1863.
Out of the 259 people on board, 189 died.
HMS Orpheus was a Royal Navy corvette - the flagship of the Australian squadron.
ON January 31, 1863 the Orpheus left Sydney heading for Manukau Harbour, bringing naval supplies and troops to New Zealand.
She was running late and a decision was made by Captain Robert Heron Burton to cut through the harbour rather than go around North Cape.
The harbour had a series of dangerous sandbars, one of which had shifted and there were updated guides. But when the sailing master intended to follow it he was overruled by Commodore William Farquharson Burnett who was on board.
When the ship got too close to the sandbar it got a message from nearby Paratutua Island advising them to turn.
By the time the ship paid attention, it was too late and the ship hit the sandbar.
She hit with force, and the ship turned, presenting one side to the waves, which hit over and over, shattering windows and bursting hatches until the ship began to take on water.
The crew tried to get off but the waves drove them back and many ended up going into the sea.
The Wonga Wonga immediately diverted to try to help and pick up survivors. It found crew clinging to the masts which began to break, killing many.
A few survivors were found but many were dead. The crew of the Wonga Wonga buried some in sand dunes on shore. Many of the graves remain unmarked.
Three sailors, however, who were washed ashore were given a burial near Cornwallis beach and the site carefully marked by a local family, the Kilgours.
In the 70’s the site was marked when naval chaplain Father Cronin rededicated them and unveiled a bronze commemorative plaque at the site. This reads:
‘This plaque marks the graves of three unknown sailors of the Queen who lost their lives when H.M.S. Orpheus foundered at the Manukau entrance on February 7th 1863 Unknown friends who recovered the bodies from the sea below laid them to rest in this quiet place.’
Many of those who died were boys aged 12-18 learning how to be able seamen.
Although there are a few graves on land, the majority of the bodies were never recovered.
Illustration from The Illustrated London News.​