Whaling Troubles

November 30, 2009 > MAUI TODAY, > Maui Yesterdays No Comments
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Day 334 of 2009
31 days left in this year
HAWAIIAN WORD OF THE DAY — Pea: Avocado
PIDGIN WORD OF THE DAY —Aznuts: Out of your mind
HAWAIIAN PROVERB OF THE DAY — kokua aku kokua ma – “Help others.”
HAOLE SAYING OF THE DAY — “No no no, I don’t do crack. Crack is cheap.” - Whitney Houston
November 30, 1834:
The whaling ship Helvetius, named for French philosopher Claude-Adrien Helvetius, encounters terrible seas while attempting to harbor at Lahaina. The ship, carrying an enormous load of more than 1,400 barrels of whale oil, cannot find safe anchor anywhere near Maui, and so turns to Oahu, not the last time someone was dissuaded from Maui for Oahu and met disaster.

More than 170 years ago, no lighthouses guided ships around the islands. Strong Kona winds, powerful waves and driving rain drove the Helvetius onto the reef off Diamond Head. No one was hurt, and the ship was not in immediate danger of sinking. At this point, the cargo was worth more than the ship anyway. Fearing a fight for the salvage, the crew remained on board.

At dawn, when some of the near shore buoys became visible. Captain George Brewster sent a small boat to the harbor master, Stephen Reynolds, so he would send out the alarm. By the time Reynolds got to the ship, the raging sea had smashed the rig further down on the rocks, all but destroying it.

King Kamehameha III sent his own ship and men to cut through the exposed side of the hull, and eventually the barrels of oil began floating out. Hawaiians salvaged 500 of the barrels.

It took another two months before the rig disappeared entirely, and what was left was picked over by anyone who could get out there. Today, remains of some of the Helvetius lay beneath the waves for scuba divers to explore.

The Helvetius was one of four ships built by master French shipwright Stephen Gerard, who named them after philosophers, the remaining three being the Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. Each ship had as its figurehead a bust carved in the likeness of the philosopher. Since the wreck, no one has seen the figurehead of the Helvetius.