 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2019) |
 SY Aurora anchored to floe-ice during the Australasian Antarctic Expedition
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| 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 | 580 grt; 380 nrt[1] |
| Length | 165 ft (50 m) |
| Beam | 30.5 ft (9.3 m) |
| Draught | 18.75 ft (5.72 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Sail plan | Barquentine |
SY Aurora was a 580-ton[1] barque-rigged[3] steam yacht built by Alexander Stephen and Sons Ltd. in Dundee, Scotland, in 1876,[4] for the Dundee Seal and Whale Fishing Company. It was 165 feet (50 m) long with a 30-foot (9.1 m) 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. Its primary use was whaling in the northern seas, and it 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 it made five trips to the continent, for both exploration and rescue missions.
- ^ a b Davis, John King, With the "Aurora" in the Antarctic, p. 177. London: Andrew Melrose. 1919.
- ^ The John Clemente collection of Tasmania postal history. Spink, London, 2016, p. 87.
- ^ A.L. Rice D.Sc. (1986) British Oceanographic Vessels 1800–1950. Minerva Press, Brentwood, Essex CM13 1TF p.16 ISBN 0903874 19 9
- ^ "Alexander Stephen & Sons, Dundee Yard-list". Maritime History Virtual Archives. Retrieved 2 July 2012.