SY Aurora

A glimpse of Aurora from within the cavern in the wall of the shelf-ice of the Mertz Glacier Tongue, Commonwealth Bay, Adelie Land, Australasian Antarctic Expedition, December 1913. Photo by Frank Hurley. From the National Library of Australia ID No. nla.pic-an23478533
History
Builder:	Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd. Dundee, Scotland
Launched:	1876
Fate:	Declared lost by Lloyd's of London, 2 January 1918
General characteristics
Class and type:	Steam yacht
Tonnage:	380 grt
Length:	165 ft (50 m)
Beam:	30.5 ft (9.3 m)
Draught:	18.75 ft (5.72 m)
Propulsion:	Compound Steam Engine Cunliffe and Dunlop of Glasgow 98 bhp
Sail plan:	Barquentine

SY Aurora was a barque-rigged steam yacht built by Alexander Stephen and Sons Ltd. in Dundee, Scotland, in 1876, for the Dundee Seal and Whale Fishing Company. 165' long, 30'beam. The hull was made of oak, sheathed with greenheart and lined with fir. The bow was a mass of solid wood reinforced with steel-plate armour. The heavy side frames were braced by two levels of horizontal oak beams. Her primary use was whaling in the northern seas, and she was built sturdily enough to withstand the heavy weather and ice that would be encountered there. That strength proved useful for Antarctic exploration as well, and between 1911 and 1917 she made five trips to the continent, both for exploration as well as rescue missions.

Between the years 1876 and 1910, Aurora made the annual trip from Dundee, Scotland to St. John's, Newfoundland to take part in the whale and seal hunt in the North Atlantic. There were a couple of notable events in this time. In 1884, along with other whalers in the area the Aurora made an attempt to rescue the Greely Expedition and her captain, James Fairweather assisted with a repair to the US relief ship "Bear", and in 1891, the ship came to the rescue of the crew of Polynia when she was crushed in sea ice.

In 1910, she was bought by Douglas Mawson's deputy, Captain J.K. (Gloomy) Davis, for ₤6,000 for his Australasian Antarctic Expedition.Aurora made the journey from Hobart, departing on 2 December 1911, Australia to Macquarie Island,where a radio relay station was established. She left the island on 25 December, arriving at Cape Denison, 8 January 1912, where the main base was built (Mawson's Huts). She departed on 19 January, heading West to establish the Western Base. The site was decided in what is now known as Queen Mary Land, on 1 February 1912. After building the main hut 'The Grottoes' on the stable ice shelf, Aurora left for Hobart on 20 February, arriving in Hobart on 12 March. In December 1912, Aurora returned to find that Douglas Mawson, Xavier Mertz, and Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis had set out on a sled expedition, and were overdue on their return. The captain attempted to wait for the expedition to return, but poor anchorage and extremely strong winds combined to cause a number of anchor chains to break. At the end of January the ship had to leave to pick up the Western Base Party. After yet another long blizzard delaying them further, they left on 8 February, reaching the Western Base party on 23 February, loaded quickly and headed North, arriving in Hobart on 15 March. Over the ensuing months, Davis raised extensive rescue funds, and had Aurora refitted. Departed Hobart 15 November, 1913, collected the radio relay party under George Ainsworth at Macquarie Island, anchoring in Commonwealth Bay at 07h00 3 December, 1913. She left Commonwealth Bay 25 December, and after an extensive coastal exploration, finally arrived in Port Adelaide 26 February, 1914.