The Minister of the Marine of the Colonies received the following report from Lieutenant de la Vaissiere on the 10th of February, 1857 on the loss of his ship the Duroc: “Fifty days passed on a sandbank, at rough work, under a burning sun or torrents of rain, and twenty-eight more of a passage during the last days of which we were distressed by hunger, had exhausted the strength of all.”  

Ship Type: Wooden Steam Corvette

Nationality: French

Year Wrecked: 1856

Location Wrecked: Mellish Reef, Coral Sea 

Reason for Wreck: Uncharted Reef 

Lives Lost: None 

Sources: 

https://books.google.com/books?id=jMJXAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA217&dq=mellish+reef+beacon+1859&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj8k5267r2EAxUSvokEHbcpA2UQ6AF6BAgNEAI#v=onepage&q=mellish%20reef%20beacon%201859&f=false

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/235788864?searchTerm=duroc%20shipwreck

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/7133766?searchTerm=duroc%20shipwreck

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18654494?searchTerm=duroc%20shipwreck

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/245825070?searchTerm=duroc%20shipwreck

https://books.google.com/books?id=L3cBAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=O%27higgins+1826+shipwreck&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwip2_Tc3LeEAxUSrokEHRCUCaoQ6AF6BAgLEAI#v=onepage&q=duroc&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=7vVYAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA8-PA12&dq=wreck+of+duroc+1856&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjU1fDS4LeEAxUyl4kEHR6OABw4FBDoAXoECAYQAg#v=onepage&q=duroc&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=MnnIH0rxvgMC&pg=PA240&dq=wreck+of+duroc+1856&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiWq46K4LeEAxVykIkEHbP3DSw4ChDoAXoECAcQAg#v=onepage&q=wreck%20of%20duroc%201856&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=pYQEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA263&dq=wreck+of+duroc+1856&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjCsJ-s37eEAxXgmIkEHTLXDRcQ6AF6BAgIEAI#v=onepage&q=wreck%20of%20duroc%201856&f=false

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12997123