School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Theses

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Barrels on a beach: power, authority and the crew of the Trinity at Heard Island, 1880-1882

Downes, Elizabeth Marion ( 2010)

Thirty-five members of the crew of the American whaling bark Trinity were marooned on Heard Island from October 1880 to January 1882, following the loss of their vessel during a voyage hunting sea elephants for oil. The crew included Portuguese Africans from the Cape Verde islands, career whalemen and white working-class sailors. The men survived on elephant seal, penguin and Kerguelen cabbage during a hazardous fifteen months of snow, rain and blizzards. Initially the group maintained cohesion, however the pressures created conflicting perceptions of rights and responsibilities within the crew. An examination of the ship’s Log, journals, and newspaper accounts provides a record of survival strategies, day-to-day interactions among the crew, and 'elephanting' activities. This thesis argues the proposition that the traditional social structures and hierarchies of the US whaling trade influenced the decisions and behaviours of the marooned men. It examines how the hierarchical organisation based on employment, class and race, affected power and authority within the group after the wreck.