On 21 January 1854, the iron-hulled RMS "Tayleur" struck the island's rocks and sank just hours into her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Perth, Australia. It was chartered by the White Star Line and was one of the largest merchant ships of her day. Of the 650 people onboard, mostly families emigrating, 380 lives were lost, though most of the 71 crew survived. The ship's crew, only 37 being trained seamen, thought they were sailing south when in fact they were heading west, partly due to problems with the compass and the mass of iron in the ship. There were also language issues, with many of the crew being Chinese with little English, and unable to fully understand the commanding officers.