Customer Reviews

Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On the morning of November 12, 1863, the five-man crew of the schooner Grafton weighed anchor and set sail for Campbell Island in the sub-Antarctic region. At midnight on January 3, 1864, she was wrecked on the coast of Auckland Island, further to the west. This is the story of the able leadership of Captain Thomas Musgrave, who saved the entire five-man crew of the Grafton, and helped them to endure a winter in one of the most hostile corners of God's (usually) green Earth.

On May 3, 1864, the 888-ton freighter Invercauld left Melbourne with a crew of 25, setting sail for Callao, Peru. On May 10, it also wrecked on the coast of Auckland Island, but the officers and crew stayed on the northern side of the island and as such were never aware of the presence of the survivors of the Grafton, and vice versa. This is the story of the inept leadership of Captain George Dalgarno, whose crew endured the hostile weather of the Auckland winter without leadership or even unity. When they were finally rescued, only three men were left of the Invercauld's crew. Theirs was a story of despair, in-fighting, selfishness, cannibalism, and death.

Overall, I must say that this is a fascinating book. The author did a great job of bringing the stories of the two crews alive, presenting them in a no-nonsense, journalistic way. I like the way the author dug into the survivors' diaries and later interviews and letters to keep the story grounded in reality.

So, if you like good maritime books, or fascinating stories of disaster, or just plain like a good read, then you will like this book. I give it my highest recommendations!

From the first page, Joan Druett convinces you that she knows the sea and the men and ships that sail on it.

Telling a historical event is often a challenge and Druett delivers with a terrific recounting of the wrecking of two separate ships that left both crews stranded on an isolated and uninhabited island between New Zealand and Antarctica at the same time. However, due to the location of the wrecks and the nature of the island, neither crew was aware of the other's presence.

In telling the story, Druett contrasts the response of both crews to the crisis they find themselves in. One crew of 5 men, that of the Grafton, come together as one to endure and overcome their fate. The other crew, 19 men from the Invercauld, show what happens when command and perseverance collapse in the face of overwhelming odds.

Druett's use of diaries and journals from men of both crews lends not only a solid substitute for dialog, but insight into the thoughts and struggles of these men.

Not being a big fan of maritime books, I was nontheless drawn by the book's summary on the jacket and finished it in 2 days. It is an amazing story that is both true and well-written and well-worth a couple of days' reading.

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, two ships, the Grafton and the Invercauld, set sail for different destinations within six months of each other. Both ended up being shipwrecked on the rocky, treacherous coast of Auckland Island, a remote and desolate place in the Southern Ocean, some two hundred and eighty-five miles south of New Zealand. As Auckland Island is located in the sub-Antarctic region, it provides an alien and hostile environment, one that is plagued by freezing rain and howling gales force winds.

In January of 1884, the Grafton, a schooner captained by Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four, was the first of the two ships to meet its fate. Beset by howling winds and driving rain, the Grafton was swept onto the reefs that stand like sentinels around Auckland Island, wrecking the ship. Retrieving what provisions they could, the five men from the Grafton survived the debacle and were able to make it to shore, finding themselves marooned on the southern end of Auckland island. There, forced into the jaws of hell, they were faced with ordeal of survival, and to that end the five banded together like brothers for the common good. They were on that god-forsaken island for nearly two years when a desperate and daring escape by three of the five lead to the rescue of the remaining two,

In May of 1884, unbeknownst to these stalwart five, the Invercauld, a freighter, captained by George Dalgarno, found itself caught in a hurricane on the northern end of Auckland Island. The torrential rain and driving winds forced the ship onto the island's forbidding rocky reefs, which proceeded to decimate the ship. Nineteen men, including the Captain survived, but unlike the crew of the Grafton, the survivors did not become a band of brothers. Rather, it was everymen for himself. Consequently, when they were finally rescued about a year later, only three had managed to survive their ordeal.

During the time that they shared the island, neither the survivors of the Grafton nor the survivors of the Invercauld knew of each others' existence, separated as they were by about twenty miles of forbidding and hostile terrain. How these men managed to survive and why one group fared much better than the other makes for an engrossing and spellbinding story. Well-researched and well-written, the author seamlessly weaves their respective stories together, keeping the reader compulsively turning the pages of this engrossing maritime survival saga. Those readers who enjoyed Nathaniel Philbrick's "In the Heart of the Sea" will, likewise, enjoy this book, as will those who enjoy stories of survival against all odds. I, myself, was riveted to this book from beginning to end.

This is a wonderful story with many great lessons in it even for those of us who never will be castaways. The only weakness is that the author makes references to places on Auckland Island (where the two crews were stranded) and the area around New Zealand that are not shown on the one very simple map in the book, which, on occasion, makes the narrative hard to follow. She clearly knows what she is talking about, but does not always get it across to the reader with clarity and grace when it comes to the geography. A more detailed map would really help. Other than that it is a five star book, right up there with "In The Heart of The Sea."

There are not enough stars to show how much I enjoyed this enthralling story of survival in an extremely hostile environment. Historian Joan Druett, drawing from journals kept by the shipwrecked crew throughout their ordeal and later accounts of the survivors, describes the conditions and their, at times fruitless, struggle for survival. The vivid picture she paints captured my imagination so fully I could visualise the wild, frigid island, the accommodations they built and their trips hunting and foraging for food. I was repeatedly astonished by the staggering ingenuity of the castaways. If this book had been a work of fiction the tales of skill and craftsmanship of the survivors would have been too far fetched and completely unbelievable which only served to make this factual story so much more enjoyable.

The inspiring leadership of the Captain of the Grafton who ensured the survival of his entire crew through the hardships of the months spent on the Auckland Islands and the adaptability of the men he led reminded me very much of Ernest Shackelton and his crew Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

I could not put it down until I had finished it and, as a result of reading this book, my first of Joan Druett's, I have become a firm fan of her writing, determined to read all of her books. So far I have been just as delighted with her other works as I was with this one.

During 1864, the `Grafton' and the `Invercauld' were shipwrecked in different locations on Auckland Island less than 20 miles (30 kilometres) from each other. The contrast between the actions taken by the two crews could not be greater.

Auckland Island is one of the subantarctic islands located about 300 miles (465 kilometres) south-east of New Zealand. By drawing on a range of sources, including the journals of Thomas Musgrave and Francois Raynal, Joan Druett depicts a tale of courage and survival on the part of the crew of the `Grafton'. All five of the crew on the `Grafton' survived the shipwreck, lived on the island for twenty months and were all rescued. Their resourcefulness and ability to work together as a team enabled them to make the most of their inhospitable surroundings and finally to build a vessel to enable three of them to sail to New Zealand to seek a rescue expedition.

Contrast this with the crew of the `Invercauld'. Shipwrecked some months after the `Grafton', nineteen of the crew of twenty five survived. By the time they were rescued, about twelve months later, only three had survived.
This is an inspiring tale of leadership, survival, ingenuity and courage on the part of the crew of the `Grafton'. Contrast this with the lack of leadership and co-operation displayed by the survivors of the `Invercauld'.
Ms Druett is a maritime historian, and this is reflected in her writing. She has drawn material from a number of sources to write this book.

Highly recommended to all with an interest in maritime history and tales of survival.


Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Though I don't even like boating or swimming or camping (would never, never, never wish to be on Survivor), I am drawn to tales of castaways and survival stories. Survivors must look within themselves for inner strengths and courage that help them find the willpower to keep going with the odds very much against them. I loved the stories of the 2 shipwrecks so close to each other and facing similar dire circumstances; yet one group was able to summon the ability to survive while the other group saw many perish. Excellent read!

On January 3, 1864, the schooner Grafton wrecked on the southern end of Auckland Island, 285 miles south of New Zealand. On May 10 of the same year, the square-rigger Invercauld wrecked on the northwestern promontory of the same island. The five survivors of the Grafton and the 19 survivors of the Invercauld co-habited the same island for an entire year without either group ever once being aware that the other group was there, the reason being the twenty miles of "impassable cliffs and chasms" between the north and south ends of the islands. In Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World, maritime historian Joan Druett tells the vastly different stories of the two groups of survivors.

From journals, letters, published books and other research documents, Druett has interwoven the stories of the two groups and shown how through cooperation, discipline, hard work, routine, ingenuity, and respect the survivors of the Grafton had a far different experience and outcome from the group of Invercauld survivors, whose leadership failed them, who splintered into groups, and who gave themselves over to the despair of their situation.

We come to know each of the men from the Grafton as they hunt for food, build shelter, make clothing and tools, and wait to be rescued for almost two years before deciding to try to build a boat and escape. We watch the men from the Invercauld succumb to apathy and lethargy, or else to cannibalism. Only one resourceful seaman had the ability to cope with their circumstances and helped keep the final few survivors alive.

Druett has very skillfully penned a fascinating tale of human nature, death, and survival in a hostile environment. It is a book that is hard to put down, with a story that is unbelievable - except that it is true. Amazingly, the few Invercauld survivors are rescued, and the Grafton castaways make an heroic journey back to safety. More than just history, this is an amazing book about survival against all odds and how that survival depends at least in part on attitude. It is a good lesson for us all.

My oh My,,,anyone who does not give this a PERFECT 5 stars...well we need to sit down and have a talk!!!!!
This was riviting from the first page and the mental pictures were fantastic!!!!!
The author finished the book off fantastic by telling you what happened to all who survived and the final chapter gives you tons of books to expand your knowledge of the sub-antarctic region
Kudos Joan...a job well done. Those who were bored by this book...GOOD LUCK finding an exciting one!!!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. One of those books that was hard to put down. Well written, to the point where during the day I would be back in the book and shipwrecked on the island, wanting to get back to it, to see what happened next. Amazing how people could survive for as long as they did in the circumstances. Highly recommended.