AH-WR-0651

Gledstanes

Whaling Ship · United Kingdom · Lost 1837 · The Hawaiian Islands

A British whaler that ran aground on Kure Atoll's reef in 1837, its anchors and trypot rediscovered by NOAA divers in 2008.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

The London whaler Gledstanes struck the eastern reef of Kure Atoll at night in June 1837 while under single-reefed topsails. Her crew launched boats and waited offshore until daylight, then salvaged what provisions they could before the hull broke apart in the surf. Some castaways sailed a small boat over a thousand miles to Kauai for help while others awaited rescue on the atoll. NOAA archaeologists identified the wreck site in 2008 by its anchors, ballast, and a trypot.

Vessel

Built: 1827
Builder: Not established
Yard: Leith, Scotland
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 428
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: June 9, 1837
Cause: Grounding
Location: Eastern reef, Kure Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Water: North Pacific Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: John R. Browne

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Anchors, iron ballast, cannon, and a trypot located on the reef.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2008
Protection: Within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

Position

Coordinates: 28.39° N 178.29° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Kure Atoll
Region: The Hawaiian Islands

General area only: coordinate of Kure Atoll from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel (eastern reef, Kure Atoll), not a surveyed wreck position.