Cato (1800 ship)
Cato was launched at Stockton in 1800 and registered in London to Reeve & Green. She was wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, in 1803 at (). History. "Cato" first appears in "Lloyd's Register" in 1802 with C. Pearson, master, changing to I. Park, and trade London—Suriname. The "Register of Shipping" has a little more information; it also reports "Cato"s armament, and shows her trade changing to London—Botany Bay. "Cato", Park, master, arrived in Port Jackson, New South Wales, from England on 9 March 1803, carrying stores. On 10 August 1803, "Cato" left Sydney in  the company of and , all bound for Canton. On 17 August the three ships got caught near a sandbank, 157 miles north and 51 miles east of Sandy Cape. With shrinking leeway, both "Cato" and "Porpoise" grounded. "Bridgewater" sailed on, despite knowing that the other two vessels had come to grief. The crew and passengers of the wrecked vessels were able to land on a sandbank as both their ships broke up. On 26 August 1803 with no sign of rescue, "Porpoise" passenger Matthew Flinders and Captain John Park of "Cato" took the largest cutter (which they named "Hope"), and  twelve crewmen and headed to Sydney to seek rescue. Through marvelous navigation, "Hope" made it to Port Jackson by 8 September. Although three lives had been lost in the joint shipwreck, , and the schooners and , were able to rescue all the remaining passengers. "Rolla" then took the people she had rescued to Canton. Naming. This sandbank become known as Wreck Reefs and is located in the southern part of the Coral Sea Islands approximately East Nor East of Gladstone, Queensland or east of the Swain reefs complex. They form a narrow chain of reefs with small cays that extends for  around in a west to east line. "Cato" also gave its name to the nearby Cato Reef, which it discovered. Citations and references. Citations References