A small shield/ stern badge, of a five pointed star over quarterings, from the centre of the decorated stern of the Liverpool iron barque ‘Maipu’, lost in July 1879. She had called at Cork and was approaching the Isles of Scilly in fog, when Captain Wheeler heard breakers ahead. Nothing could be heard by forward lookouts above the wind drumming the foresail until land was actually sigted; then, despite attempts to come about, she struck hard on rocks in Hell Bay, Bryher, going down slowly by the head. Having been declared a total loss, she was sold to a group on the Island for £7 but on 18 August she broke up, the shield and figurehead surviving, although the whereabouts of the latter is not known. A few hours after the ‘Maipu’ struck, the ‘River Lune’ went down, a victim of the same fog (see FHD0009). ‘Maipu’ is the name of several South American towns, this ship probably being so-called after one in Chile.

‘Maipu’ details at time of wreck. Iron barque of 594 tons, registered in Liverpool. Built by Laird, Birkenhead, 1865. Dimensions (in feet and tenths): 166.6 x 28.3 x 18.3.
Owner: Brooke & Worthington. Registered voyage: Iquique to Hamburg. Cargo: saltpetre. Master at loss: Thomas Wheeler. Wrecked: 27 July 1879.