(108) Star of the East
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By Robert Neff
In 1870, a British newspaper described “piracy, wrecking, and cruelty to shipwrecked mariners” as “holy traditions” amongst Koreans. It was a popular charge of Western nations and, for the most part, was wrong. Shipwrecked survivors were normally treated well ― their lives and possessions safeguarded by their Korean rescuers ― but on Korea’s northeastern coast in 1869 things don’t appear to have been normal.
In early September 1869, the Star of the East, a British barque, departed Shanghai for the Russian settlement of Possiet (Posyet) Bay. It was a fairly non-descript voyage until the ship was about 50 kilometers from its destination and encountered a violent storm. During the night, despite the efforts of the captain and his crew, the ship was driven aground on Korean soil.
The following morning a large group of Koreans arrived and assisted the Westerners in their plight. A tent was set up on the beach and fresh water and provisions were provided. For two days the storm raged before it abetted enough for the men to access the damage to their ship. It wasn’t good. The ship had no chance of being refloated.
Fearing that the disposition of the Koreans might change, a few men were sent out to hunt for fresh meat and gather more water while the rest of the crew prepared the small whaling boats for an emergency departure.
The Koreans’ generosity and friendliness came to an end when several Korean officials and some 700 men appeared on the beach before the wreck. The men were all well-armed with swords and short-barreled, old-fashioned flintlock muskets, which they attempted to conceal under their clothing.
With an escort, the senior official went aboard the wreck and in a harsh manner interrogated the shipwrecked men in Russian – the only common language. While speaking with him, the Westerners “were compelled to bow [their] heads in token of submission.” He demanded to know the nationality of the ship and made it clear that he hated the English, French and Americans. Naturally enough, the crew lied and claimed the ship was Russian. Considering how close the shipwreck was to Russia, the crew thought the Koreans would be less likely to “perpetrate any outrage which might provoke the hostility of that power.”
The official then peremptorily ordered the men to leave Korea. They were not to unload any of the ship’s cargo nor were they to go beyond the high-water mark on the beach. If they tried to go overland to the nearby Russian settlement they would be instantly punished by death. The men were given three days to leave by sea – if not, they would be beheaded. No further food or water was provided.
For two days they waited in hopes that the sea would grow calmer or they would be rescued by a passing ship. They were kept under close observation by the Koreans who used beacon fires and rockets to communicate. Finally the crew could wait no longer as the Koreans were becoming decidedly more and more hostile. Fortunately the sea was calm and the voyage from the wreck to the Russian settlement took only about a day and a half.
A few days after the crew’s safe arrival at Poisetta Bay, a group of Russian soldiers – fully armed – were sent to investigate the wreck. They found that everything had been removed from the iron ship. The ship had also been set fire to but failed to burn.
Apparently this wasn’t the only recent shipwreck. Some 25 kilometers further south, the crew of the Hamila Mitchel was allegedly massacred by the Korean population.
The crew of the Star of the East may have been lucky but the Korean officials were not. According to a contemporary English-language newspaper in China, the officials involved in plundering the Star of the East were all beheaded.
Robert Neff is a contributing writer for The Korea Times.