Ann Alexander (ship) - Retrieval and Rescue

Retrieval and Rescue

It was soon discovered that they possessed only twelve gallons of water and no food at all, and the boats, containing eleven men each, leaked and needed to be bailed out throughout the night. The next day, seeing that the Ann Alexander had not yet sunk but was on her beam ends, Deblois went on board to cut away the masts with a hatchet, in the hope this would lessen the drag. The ship partially righted itself, and the crew, using spades, were able to cut the foremast anchor chain, which helped bring her on a more even keel. Using ropes tied around their waists, the whalers then lowered themselves over the side and cut holes through the decks to get to the food stores, but obtained only five gallons of vinegar and twenty pounds of waterlogged bread. The ship became unstable, so they returned to their boats and rowed away.

With water rations for only a few days, Deblois reckoned that if they headed for a northern latitude with more rainfall they might survive. Almost miraculously, two days later on August 22, at around 5 p.m. they sighted a ship and were rescued by the Nantucket whaler Nantucket under the command of Captain Gibbs. A last attempt to retrieve anything from the Ann Alexander was abandoned due to rough seas, and the crew was eventually landed in Paita on September 15, 1851. They all returned to New York via the schooner Providence on October 12.