In the 1860s , a particularly tricky craft route from Australia and New Zealand to Europe check an intolerable number ofshipwrecksfor gravy boat that sail upon it .

In one ( or should that be two ? ) particularly noteworthy incident(s ) , the live on work party of two ship line up themselves shipwrecked on New Zealand ’s Auckland Island , incognizant of their fellow islanders .

In January 1864 , a schooner nominate theGraftonwas run aground on the sub - south-polar island during a storm . Its five work party members survived and made it ashore , loading up a canoe with as much food , coffee , and tobacco as they could conduct . The five survived for the next 19 months , living in shacks and live by eating sea lion pup , before three of the crew were able to sail to Stewart Island aboard the repaired sauceboat , and station deliverance for the remaining two .

In May that same year , theInvercauldwas wrack on the opposite side of the same island . The bunch , led by a maitre d’hotel who maintained rank during the intact ordeal , fared much bad than theGrafton . Only three outlast the wintertime , while some of the crew alsoresorted to cannibalism .

The pariah entrepot , as they became bang , were load up up with supplies . They ranged from solid food stores to cabin where castaway could hold out while they awaited rescue . On desirable island , sheep , goats , cows , and lapin were enter , in ordering to supply castaways with heart and milk .

On the rescue front , New Zealand had a plan too , sending several government - owned soft-shell clam to maintain the storage andcheck the island for any stray survivors . Several crewsmade purpose of the depotsafter shipwreck while the scheme maneuver , sometimes save their life history , while they await a patrol gravy holder for rescue , which cameroughly every six month .

In 1907 , the crew of theDundonaldfamously made use of the a depot to survive . After run aground on Disappointment Island ( real name ) , the 15 survivor make do to live off Pisces , raspberry , and a type of gelt aboriginal to the island . The barren island yield them short to make shelter with , and the men slept in trap .

Seven months later , however , the crew was able to put together a small boat , which they used to sail to the terminus on Auckland Island . They were able to populate off the supplies they found for the next six weeks , before delivery arrive .