Charles Barnard (castaway)

Captain Charles Barnard (1781–c.1840) was a famous castaway.

In 1812, the British ship Isabella, captained by George Higton, was shipwrecked off Eagle Island (part of the Falkland Islands). Most of the crew were rescued by the American sealer Nanina which was built and operated out of the whaling port city of Hudson, NY, and commanded by Captain Charles Barnard. Barnard, realizing that the castaways were unaware of the War of 1812, informed the survivors that they were at war with each other, but agreed to rescue them. Realizing that he would require more provisions for the expanded number of passengers, Barnard and a few others went out in a party to hunt for meat on the nearby New Island. During his absence, the British seized Nanina and left Barnard and his men on New Island. Barnard and his party were finally rescued by the British whalers Asp and Indispensable in November 1814. He later continued his career as a sealer and captain of the Charity in the South Shetlands in 1820–21.[1] In 1829, Barnard wrote A Narrative of the Sufferings and Adventures of Capt. Charles Barnard detailing his life as a castaway.