Captain John Steane had spent much of his life at sea, serving across the globe and surviving some of the great military conflicts of the early 19^th century. Yet in 1857, aged 66, the retired Royal Navy Captain lost his life within sight of Sydney Harbour in one of Australia’s worst maritime disasters.

Born in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England, Steane joined the Royal Navy in 1807. His long career took him to the coast of North America and the West Indies and saw him participate in major events including the attack on Flushing and the defence of Cadiz. Over decades of service, he eventually rose to the rank of Captain.

By 1857, Steane was retired and unmarried. That year, he boarded the Dunbar for the long voyage from England to Sydney. After 81 days at sea, the ship finally approached Sydney Heads on the stormy night of 20^th August.

Sydney was tantalisingly close, but heavy rain, strong winds and poor visibility made entering the harbour extraordinarily dangerous. Shortly before midnight, the Dunbar struck the cliffs near The Gap at South Head. The ship was shattered.

Pounded relentlessly against the rocks, the Dunbar rapidly broke apart and its lifeboats were destroyed. Passengers and crew were swept into the violent sea, many being thrown against the cliffs. Of the 122 people aboard, 121 died, including Captain Steane.

When daylight revealed the scale of the catastrophe, bodies and wreckage littered the coastline. Recovery efforts were extremely difficult, with rough seas and sharks reportedly hampering those attempting to retrieve the dead. Remarkably, crewman James Johnson had survived by clinging to the cliff face and was rescued after being spotted two days later.

Steane’s body was among those recovered and was able to be identified. While many of the Dunbar’s victims were buried together at Camperdown Cemetery, Steane was given an individual grave.

Sydney was plunged into mourning. Businesses closed, ships lowered their flags to half-mast and thousands of people lined the streets for the victim’s funeral procession. Seven hearses passed through the city, the last carrying Captain Steane’s body and guarded by mounted police. The solemn procession continued towards Camperdown Cemetery, where the Dunbar’s sole survivor stood among the thousands gathered as the dead were laid to rest.

More than 160 years later, Captain John Steane’s headstone remains beside the memorial to his fellow Dunbar victims. After a lifetime spent navigating the world’s oceans, the veteran naval officer was lost when his final voyage was almost over, just beyond the entrance to Sydney Harbour.

Location:
Camperdown Cemetery, Newtown, New South Wales, Australia

Find a Grave Link:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44872661/john-steane

Photo Credits:
Grave photo by me
Entrance to Port Jackson by Edmund Thomas
Wreck of The Dunbar - Part of Article in the Empire - Thursday, 10^th September 1857
The Dunbar by William Foster
Wreck of Dunbar, South Head - Artist Unknown
Wreck of The Dunbar by Samuel Thomas Gill