Correio da Azia (Translated "Asia Mail") was a small Portugese dispatch ship. On a journey from Lisbon to Macau the Correio da Azia, struck a reef off the north-west coast of Western Australia. A record of the ships course and speed for the hours prior to the wreck has survived in the form of the captain’s account of the voyage (although some speeds in the account are questionable). The course described should have cleared the coast.

The wreck of the Correio da Azia occurred at about 2 a.m. It seems likely that the ship was taken close to the coast by the voracious current and this was undetected in the darkness. The lookouts saw turbulent water ahead and gave sufficient warning to attempt to bring the ship hard on to the wind, however the ship struck twice and lost the rudder. Unable to steer, the ship was holed and sank leaving the mizzen mast above water. The crew survived in the ship’s launch tied off to this mast until daybreak. The captain’s declaration describes the scene:

We were seven to eight miles from the coast and that between the coast and the shallows there was a channel, since the tide was low and nothing like rocks or sandbanks or rough water could be seen there, but yes everything from bow to stern were rock heads out of the water, extending out to sea for over a mile...

The survivors made their way north in the launch until noon when the pilot’s meridian altitude of the sun found the latitude to be 22o 46 mins. They declared that since the launch had travelled 11 to 12 miles (17.7 to 19.3 km) north of the wreck, it must lie at 22 deg 50 mins south. The fact that in 12 miles (19.3 km) the latitude has changed by 4 minutes indicates that miles’ should be divided by 3 to equal nautical miles.

This is confirmed by the statement that at this distance it was still possible to ‘devine the top of the Gatta mast’ (mizzen mast). The distance to the horizon from a boat (height of eye about 2 m is 3 nautical miles and, even allowing for some of the mast protruding above the sea, this would not be visible at 12 nautical miles. The account continues, with information which attempts to define the wreck site further.

...at the same time a turbulance was seen to the MW ...with a small island and several rock heads out of the water at a distance from the launch of 9-10 miles and at the same time at a distance from the coast of 6-7 miles such that the Commander and other Pilot officials were left certain that it was the Island of Cloates, and from the said coast was seen a stretch of rock under the water with a large turbulence that extended out to sea for over 4 miles, the said island found on all charts at latitude South 21^o 45 mins...

Survivors managed to get to Macau in the launch, and a search party was sent back in a brigantine called the Emillia. The Skipper, Luis Antonio da Silca Beltrao, published a report and mentioned that on board his vessel was the ex-captain (Joao Joaquim de Freitas) and some crew of the Correio da Azia.

The vessel represents the only tangible reminder of Portugese involvement in China Trade on this coast. There have been many calls for the wreck to be found e.g. The Hon Phil Pendall MLA. There is also Portugese interest.

An attempt was made in 1997 to try to find the Correio da Azia. A wreck of a vessel was found on this voyage but it was of another ship that had been eluding the Museum for some time, the wreck of the Stefano.

Note: You can find a more detail description on the Correio da Azia at our online exhibitions click here!