Tryall

Tryall, also recorded as Trial, was an English East India Company East Indiaman launched in 1621. The vessel was sent from England to the East Indies on a commercial voyage carrying trade goods, silver intended for exchange, and a diplomatic gift for the King of Siam. Under Captain John Brooke, Tryall left Plymouth on 4 September 1621, bound for Bantam in Java. The voyage followed the recently adopted Brouwer Route, which took ships south of 35 degrees south across the Indian Ocean and used the prevailing westerlies to shorten the journey to Asia. Tryall reached Cape Town on 19 March 1622 for provisions. Neither Brooke nor the crew had previously sailed the new southern route or travelled to Batavia, and attempts were made at Cape Town to recruit experienced navigators. The ship departed again on 19 March and sighted the Australian coast on 1 May. The crew appears to have misidentified Point Cloates, near the north-west coast of Western Australia, as an island known from earlier Dutch exploration. The error reflected the navigational limitations of the period, particularly the difficulty of determining longitude accurately at sea. After turning north, Tryall encountered adverse winds for several weeks. When the wind shifted to the south-west, the ship resumed a faster course toward Java. On the night of 25 May 1622, between approximately 10 and 11 p.m., it struck submerged and uncharted rocks north-west of the Montebello Islands. The reef later became known as Tryal Rocks. The ship broke apart and sank, with the loss of most of the 143 people who had departed England. Captain Brooke, his son John, and nine other men escaped in a skiff, while the ship's factor Thomas Bright and 35 men reached a longboat. Forty-four survivors ultimately reached Bantam or Batavia, although one person died during the skiff's passage. The wreck generated an early dispute over responsibility. Brooke blamed inaccurate charts and the earlier pioneering work of Captain Fitzherbert, while Bright's separate account accused Brooke of poor navigation, failing to maintain an adequate lookout, and abandoning the wreck prematurely. Later examination of the surviving correspondence also raised suspicions that Brooke may have removed some of the ship's silver before the vessel sank, although the historical record does not establish the matter conclusively. For more than three centuries the location of Tryal Rocks remained uncertain. Historian Ida Lee's analysis of documentary evidence in 1934 helped identify the reef with a previously named feature called Ritchie's Reef. Recreational divers located the wreck in 1969 after John MacPherson and Eric Christiansen reconstructed its likely position from historical records. Western Australian Museum investigations subsequently documented the site, including cannon, anchors, and other remains. The identification is widely accepted by maritime investigators, although some early archaeological findings were considered equivocal. The wreck is historically significant as Australia's oldest known shipwreck and is associated with the first recorded shipwreck in Australian waters and the first extended European stay in Australia.

Tryall was an East Indiaman owned by the English East India Company and launched in 1621. Its voyage took place during a transition in English long-distance navigation. The Company had begun directing ships travelling to the East Indies to use the Brouwer Route, a southern course below 35 degrees south that exploited the strong westerly winds known as the Roaring Forties. The route could significantly reduce travel time, but it demanded navigational experience that was not yet widely available among English crews. Tryall sailed from Plymouth on 4 September 1621 with a commercial cargo that included silver for trade in Asia and a gift for the King of Siam. Captain John Brooke and his crew stopped at Cape Town on 19 March 1622. Because they had not previously used the southern route or sailed to Batavia, they sought additional expertise locally, but were unable to recruit a suitable master's mate from the East Indiaman Charles. Tryall left Cape Town the same day. The ship reached the Australian region on 1 May. Its navigators apparently mistook Point Cloates for an island recorded by earlier Dutch explorers. The misidentification placed the ship farther east than intended. After turning north, Tryall met persistent headwinds and made slow progress. Once south-westerly winds returned, the ship made better speed toward Java, but on the night of 25 May it struck an uncharted reef approximately 32 kilometres north-west of the outer Montebello Islands. The reef became known as Tryal Rocks. The wreck was catastrophic. Captain Brooke, his son John, and nine others escaped by skiff. Thomas Bright, the ship's factor, and 35 people reached a longboat. The two groups travelled separately to Java: the longboat reached Bantam on 21 June, while the skiff arrived at Batavia on 5 July. Of the 143 people who left England, 93 died at the wreck site and one more died during the skiff voyage. The disaster produced conflicting accounts. Brooke attributed the loss to an inaccurate position supplied by Captain Fitzherbert, an earlier user of the southern route, and claimed that the cargo and ship's papers were lost. Bright's private account instead criticized Brooke's navigation and alleged that the captain left the wreck while people remained in the water. Later analysis also suggested that Brooke may have concealed the removal of some silver, though the evidence remains disputed. The position of the reef was forgotten or confused for centuries. Mariners including William Dampier searched for it without success. In 1934, historian Ida Lee used documentary evidence, particularly Bright's account, to identify the feature then called Ritchie's Reef as the probable Tryal Rocks. The reef was subsequently renamed. In 1969, John MacPherson and Eric Christiansen of the Fremantle-based Underwater Explorer's Club used Lee's research and contemporary records to predict the wreck's location. Diver Naoom Haimson found the remains shortly after the team reached the site. The discovery was followed by unauthorized salvage activity. Alan Robinson used explosives and removed artefacts, including a bronze swivel gun and other objects. Although he was later acquitted of one charge involving explosives at Tryall, the litigation and his broader conflicts with maritime authorities became a prominent Australian wreck-protection controversy. The episode helped stimulate stronger Commonwealth protection for historic wrecks. Western Australian Museum teams, including an expedition led by Jeremy Green in 1971, surveyed the wreck. They recorded six cannon, as many as eight period-appropriate anchors, and smaller objects. Heavy swell limited examination of part of the site, and the lack of a uniquely identifying artefact initially made the archaeological conclusion cautious. Nevertheless, the wreck's location, dimensions, and surviving material have led maritime investigators to regard it as almost certainly Tryall. Recovered objects are displayed at the Shipwreck Galleries in Fremantle. A 3D photogrammetric survey was carried out in 2021. Tryall remains important both for the history of English maritime expansion and as Australia's oldest known shipwreck.

• 2021

  3D documentation

  [1]Tryallen.wikipedia.org

  The Western Australian Museum records the wreck site through 3D photogrammetry.

• 1971

  Museum archaeological survey

  [1]Tryallen.wikipedia.org

  The Western Australian Museum conducts a detailed survey and records cannon, anchors, and other remains.

• 1969

  Wreck located

  [1]Tryallen.wikipedia.org

  Recreational divers locate the wreck using documentary research and predicted reef positions.

• 1934

  Likely reef location established

  [1]Tryallen.wikipedia.org

  Ida Lee's historical research identifies Ritchie's Reef as the likely site of Tryall's loss, leading to its renaming as Tryal Rocks.

• 1622

  Cape Town stop

  [1]Tryallen.wikipedia.org

  The ship reaches Cape Town on 19 March for supplies before continuing along the southern route.

• 1622

  Wreck on Tryal Rocks

  [1]Tryallen.wikipedia.org

  Tryall strikes submerged rocks off Western Australia on 25 May. The disaster causes 94 deaths during the wreck and subsequent escape.

• 1621

  Tryall is launched

  [1]Tryallen.wikipedia.org

  The English East India Company East Indiaman is launched for service on the England–East Indies trade route.

• 1621

  Maiden voyage begins

  [1]Tryallen.wikipedia.org

  Tryall leaves Plymouth on 4 September, carrying silver for Asian trade and a gift for the King of Siam.

A purpose-built English East India Company trading vessel serving the early seventeenth-century England–East Indies route.

• East Indiaman · 1621

  Tryall

  An English East India Company ocean-going merchant vessel launched in 1621. Tryall transported commercial cargo and diplomatic goods between England and the East Indies. Its voyage used the relatively new Brouwer Route, and its 1622 loss off Western Australia made the vessel a landmark in Australian maritime history.

• 1969

  Illegal salvage and damage to the wreck

  Alan Robinson attempted to salvage the wreck without authorization and used explosives that damaged the site. The ensuing proceedings and his broader challenge to Australian wreck-protection rules became an influential maritime heritage controversy.

  Source

Read more

• 1969

  Unauthorized salvage attemptOther

  Background

  After the wreck was located, private salvors sought to recover material from the historically significant site.

  Action taken

  Alan Robinson used explosives and removed artefacts without authorization.

  Aftermath

  The incident intensified legal and public debate over the protection of historic shipwrecks and contributed to stronger Commonwealth legislation.

  Source

• 1622

  Use of the Brouwer RouteStrategy

  Background

  The English East India Company had begun directing vessels toward a southern Indian Ocean route intended to exploit prevailing westerly winds and reduce travel time to Asia.

  Action taken

  Tryall sailed south of 35 degrees south after departing the Cape of Good Hope, despite the crew's limited experience with the route.

  Aftermath

  The route brought the vessel into the Australian region but contributed to navigational uncertainty before the ship struck uncharted rocks.

  Source

1. 1Tryallen.wikipedia.org