Chilean frigate Lota (1866)

Lota was a Chilean frigate owned by Federico Peede. During the War of the Pacific she was operated by the Chilean Navy and was part of the expedition of Patricio Lynch to Pisco and Paracas in 1880. After the war she was handed back to her owner.

She sailed usually from San Francisco and Vancouver to Melbourne and Newcastle, Australia carrying wood and back to Valparaíso carring coal from Australia.

The last voyage of the Lota began in San Francisco, on 12 February 1888, loaded with wood. She arrived on 13 Mai to Melbourne. On 26 Juli she sailed bound for Newcastle (NSW) to arrive on 3 August. On 16 August she left Newcastle for Valparaíso carrying 1,496 tons of coal.

On 19 September 1888 the Lota foundered 10 miles off Palmer Island, probably the West Fidji.

Only two members of the crew survived the shipswreck. Herman Johnson, boatswain, Scotsman resident in Chile, and a sixteen year old Chilean, Ramón Rojas. They lived all alone in the uninhabited island and had no equipment at all. They were able to gather provisions in the island to help them to survive. Ramón Rojas died 1890. Johnson was rescued by a German ship 1893 and brought to Hamburg and in 1895 he went back to Coronel, Chile and met his wife and his son again.