The relationship between Thomas Bilbe and Anderson, Thomson and Co. began when Bilbe built a ship named Celestial for James Thomson, using a patented system of wooden hull framing. The ship was a great success and led to the contracts with Anderson, Thompson and Co., the founders of the Orient Line.
The Orient Line became the Peninsula and Orient Steam Navigation Company, which was eventually re-branded as P+O. By the time that Coonatto was built, Bilbe had moved on to a new and innovative method of hull construction: composites. He patented and trialled composite ship construction with the clipper Red Riding Hood in 1857, and all ships after this one built by Thomas Bilbe were composites. Composite ships were built with a mixture of wood and iron. The iron frame and ribs reinforced the hull and meant that the structure could be more open, providing additional room for cargo.
Nowadays we just paint on antifoul!
She was known as a fast ship, her first skipper, Begg, a Highlander, made some very fast passages. Coonatto's fastest times were 66 days to the Semaphore Lightship and a 70-day run, even after losing both her helmsman and the wheel overboard off St Paul's Island!
It was 5am Monday morning in a storm and fog Coonatto laden with wool, copper ingots and copper ore came ashore. Her Captain, Captain Hillmann not making good use of the lead to take depth soundings ran to close to shore.
Captain Knight, Lloyds agent was on the scene quickly and had the steam tugs Victoria and Orleans try and pull the ship free but with a SW wind blowing hard all hands were ordered onto the shore.
Next day the tugs tried again but just as the ship started to move 3 or 4 yards the hawsers and cables snapped, a big sea pushed the ships stern further up the beach and the tug Orleans narrowly missed going onto the rocks herself.
The following day it was decided to lighten the ship which meant she would need to be partly dismantled.
While the rigging and spars were being taken down a man from Eastbourne named Ince was injured by a spar falling on him. He was alright...
By this time the ship was fully under the control of Lloyds agents so the Coonattos crew were put on a train to London.
A London tug, Anglia, was now on site as well but could do little to help other than take bales of wool.
On the Thursday gangs of men were at work recovering the cargo. In Ted Hides book 'The Fishermen of Eastbourne' there is a painting of the Coonatto going ashore and he details the work of the fishermen who, when a ship was in trouble would man the lifeboats or help in salvage operations....possibly a bit of helping themselves as well but these were hard times!
By Friday a derrick had been erected and a steam engine used to winch the goods up the cliff. 60 men were employed to carry the ships bow anchor further to seaward and a detachment of police were sent for from Lewes to keep an eye on the wreck.
There is a lot written about the salvage operation which continued into March. At the end of February a storm sent the Coonatto's masts over the side and the waves washed bales of wool along the coast. No doubt the locals were picking it up!
The end of March 300 ingots and more wool. The ship was being pulled to pieces by this time to access the cargo.
In total 2368 bales off wool, 374 cakes of copper and 2041 copper ingots were recovered.
Once salvage was completed the wreck was sold at auction on the 7th of April 'as she lays with everything attached and detached on the beach except cargo including the ships stores, chains, three boats, anchors etc.
The wool went to auction at the London Colonial Wool sales.
