In July 1884, the yacht Mignonette set sail from Southampton to Sydney, with a crew of four: Tom Dudley, Edwin Stephens, Edmund Brooks, and Richard Parker. Dudley, the captain, faced financial struggles, and the crew embarked on the voyage hoping for a fresh start. Unfortunately, the journey took a grim turn when the Mignonette sank in the South Atlantic Ocean, leaving the crew stranded in a lifeboat for several days. To survive, they resorted to cannibalism by killing and consuming a crewmate.