Find Parker Shipwreck, Kure Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

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Two shipwrecks in the early 19th century were the Gledstanes and the Parker, in 1837 and 1842 respectively. The Gledstanes crewmembers were able to make it to the island and then were able to build a new vessel from the debris of their old ship. Some of the survivors then sailed it back to the mainland Hawaii. Once they reached Hawaii, they sent a ship back to rescue those who had stayed behind on the island. The shipwreck of the Gledstanes was found in 2008. The Parker's crew had a somewhat more difficult time but did manage to get to land by floating on a raft for several days. On Ocean (now Green Island) they managed to survive on a diet of birds and other wildlife at the atolls. They even encountered the dog from the Gledstanes who had been living wild on the island in the previous years. They attempted to make contact with the outside world by attaching messages to seabirds. The Parker had shipwrecked in September 1842 and having lived at Kure Atoll, many of the crew were finally rescued on April 16, 1843, with the remainder taken off on May 2, 1843. The first rescue ship was the James Stewart and the second rescue ship was the whaler Nassau.

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