About this episode

This episode recounts the harrowing tale of two shipwrecks in 1864, focusing on survival and the dark turn to cannibalism faced by one crew.

In 1864, two ships wrecked on opposite ends of Auckland Island. A frozen, abandoned archipelago south of New Zealand. The Grafton's five-man crew built a cabin, held elections, and taught each other languages for eighteen months. Twenty miles away, the Invercauld's twenty-five-man crew collapsed into starvation and cannibalism, and the one sailor who fought to keep them alive was erased from every published account. TW: Cannibalism, mention of animal hunting Subscribe on ⁠ Patreon⁠ to become a member of our Rogue Detecting Society and enjoy ad-free listening, monthly bonus content, merch discounts and more. Members of our High Council on Patreon also have access to our weekly after-show, Footnotes, where I share my case file with our producer, Matt. You can also enjoy many of these same perks, including ad-free listening and bonus content when you subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Follow on ⁠ Tik Tok⁠ and ⁠ Instagram⁠ for a daily dose of horror. 

People in this episode

Host: Heart Starts Pounding

Topics covered

• survival
• cannibalism
• shipwreck
• history
• true crime

Keywords

• shipwreck
• cannibalism
• survival
• Auckland Island
• 1864

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Grafton, Invercauld

Places: Auckland Island, New Zealand

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