John Sen Inches Thomson
John Sen Inches Thomson (1844–1933), was a Scottish whaler and sealer, ship owner, captain, inventor and author. In 1877, Inches Thomson and his crew were sailing on Bencleugh when she shipwrecked during a terrific gale off Macquarie Island, Tasmania, Australia. After four months on the island the crew was rescued by Bencleugh's sister ship, Friendship. In 1912, Inches Thomson released a book detailing the highlights of his sea voyages, including his time as a castaway. Shipwreck John Sen Inches Thomson and his brother, Andrew operated under "Thomson Brothers" as ship chandlers and managed sealing and whaling ships in the waters surrounding Australia and New Zealand. They were part owners of the sailing ships Superb and Othello but fully owned Bencleugh, Friendship, Peninsula and Jane. Bencleugh was a 66-ton wooden schooner built at Port Chalmers, New Zealand in 1872 by Sutherland & Co., and registered out of Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. It was named after the Ben Line's Bencleuch which their father Watson and cousins Andrew, Alexander and William were part owners of. In early July in 1877, with a crew of 19, Bencleugh left Port Chalmers, New Zealand, on a sealing trip. They originally sailed beyond Macquarie Island looking for