Catterthun was built at the Doxford shipyard in Sunderland, England, and launched in April 1881 for the Eastern and Australian Steamship Company.

[3] The ship arrived in Australia in August 1881 having travelled via Suez, Singapore, China, and New Guinea under the command of Captain J.

Catterthun left Sydney on 7 August 1895, bound for Hong Kong with several European passengers and a few dozen Chinese.

Noting the amount of water in the hold, the captain ordered the preparation of the lifeboats but this information was not passed on to the passengers or most of the crew.

[2] The wreck now lies in 60 metres of water and is a popular dive site for recreational divers.