Wreck of the Antelope
- When
- 1783
- Where
- Island of Oroolong in Western Palau; Pelew Islands (Palau)
- Episodes
- 2
In August 1783 the East India Company packet Antelope was wrecked in Western Palau, leaving Captain Henry Wilson and his crew stranded for three months. This accident brought the first sustained European contact with the Pelew Islands and led to Prince Lee Boo's journey to Britain.
Episodes
- Wreck of the Antelope off Oroolong
The East India Company packet Antelope was wrecked on Oroolong in Western Palau in August 1783 while voyaging to China.
- Three Months on Palau
Survivors of the wreck, including Captain Henry Wilson, spent three months on Palau after losing their ship.
Background and detail
Background. The Antelope was a packet belonging to the Honourable East India Company, sailing to China when it was lost in Western Palau in August 1783. Its captain, Henry Wilson, and his officers later supplied journals and communications that formed the basis of published accounts of the shipwreck.
Literary Legacy. George Keate's An Account of the Pelew Islands, Situated in the Western Part of the Pacific Ocean, composed from the journals and communications of Captain Wilson and some of his officers, preserved the story of the shipwreck. An abridged version, The Interesting History of Prince Lee Boo, Brought to England from the Pelew Islands, is available online.
People involved
- Henry Wilson · Captain of the Antelope and shipwreck survivor
- Prince Lee Boo · Second son of Abba Thulle (Ibedul), ruler of Koror; later visited Britain
- Abba Thulle (Ibedul) · Ruler of Koror in the Pelew Islands
- George Keate · Author of An Account of the Pelew Islands
Sources
- Prince Lee Boo Wikipedia, revision of 2025-06-04
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.