Loch Vennachar was an iron-hulled, three-masted clipper ship that was built in Scotland in 1875 and lost with all hands off the coast of South Australia in 1905.

James and George Thomson built Loch Vennachar at Dalmuir[1] on the River Clyde, launching her on 4 August 1875.

[5] When sailing from Melbourne, her wool cargoes were organised by John Sanderson & Co. A book about the firm includes a painting of the ship off Port Phillip Heads.

[4][8] After nine days, the weather eased and her crew rigged a spar forward and sail on the damaged mizzen mast.

[8] On 12 November 1901 Loch Vennachar was anchored in the Thames Estuary off Thameshaven in Essex when at about 4.15am the steamship Cato collided with her starboard bow.

[2][8][11] Late in June 1905 Loch Vennachar left Glasgow for Adelaide, carrying a general cargo including 20,000 bricks.

On 6 September 1905 Yongala overtook her about 160 nautical miles (300 km) west of the Neptune Islands and the captains exchanged "all's well" signals.

[12] Yongala's captain recorded that Loch Vennachar made a pretty sight, speeding along with her sails in full standing.

On 29 September, the ketch Annie Watt arrived in Adelaide and her captain reported picking up a reel of blue printing paper 18 miles northwest of Kangaroo Island.

[8][14] Three weeks later, the sea began delivering scraps of her cargo to the rocky coast of Kangaroo Island, which confirmed her loss.

Weeks of searching by government and local fishing boats produced only flotsam and the body of a young seaman, who was never identified.

[citation needed] At the time, it was incorrectly concluded that Loch Vennachar was wrecked on Young Rocks, a granite outcrop about 20 miles south-southwest of Cape Gantheaume, trying to make the Backstairs Passage.

In 1902 the Marine Board of South Australia had recommended building a lignthouse on Cape du Couedic, but this was not done.

[22] In February 1976 the Society for Underwater Historical Research (SUHR) searched for the wreck off the west coast of Kangaroo Island.

After lobbying by the SUHR, the Premier of South Australia, Don Dunstan, announced on 11 December 1976 that the SUHR would mount an expedition in February 1977 to study the site, for which the state government would provide ten police divers, special leave for government employees involved with the expedition, and concessional fares on the government-owned ferry, Troubridge.

The expedition was funded by member contributions plus the donation of services, goods and cash from four government agencies, 35 private businesses and numerous individuals.

Both parts were stored in the water of West Bay until the fishing boat Lady Buick transferred them to Kingscote in April and May 1980 respectively.

[35] The grave of the unidentified seafarer remains at West Bay, but with a replica wooden cross as the original one made from spars from the wreckage was vandalised in the 1970s.

[23][36][37] By 2006 the bower anchor had been moved from the Flinders Chase Homestead to a site next to the visitors' car park on the south side of West Bay.