Cataraqui (ship)

Wreck of the emigrant ship Cataraqui, 1845
History
United Kingdom
NameCataraqui (Cataraque)
OwnerSmith & Sons, Liverpool, England
BuilderWilliams Lampson, Quebec, Lower Canada
Launched1840
FateWrecked in Bass Strait, off King Island, Aug. 4, 1845
General characteristics
Class & typeEmigrant ship
Tons burthen802 tons NM; 712 tons OM
Length138 feet (42 metres)
Beam30 feet (9 metres)
Draught22 feet (7 metres)
Sail planBarque

Cataraqui (also called Cataraque) was a British barque which sank off the south-west coast of King Island in Bass Strait on 4 August 1845. The sinking was Australia's worst–ever maritime civil disaster incident, claiming the lives of 400 people.