We focus on another unique and mysterious tale pertaining to one of the Hibernia’s crewmates. On August 11th, 1835, crewmen reported an individual had fallen overboard near Tristan da Cunha- a group of volcanic islands residing in the South Atlantic Ocean. Although the cenotaph names the gentleman as “Daniel Shires”, there was never any log of that name aboard the Hibernia. Interestingly enough, there was however a “Daniel Kimball” from Ipswich listed as one of the crewmembers who ventured with the Hibernia in 1832 and never returned. Many speculate this was “Daniel Shires” and the logs simply got the name wrong. Others believe he was taken aboard during the voyage and so was not on the original crew list. In any case, we can still respect Daniel’s memory and his contributions to our whaling heritage.
Daniel Shires
