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Toward the close of January, 1875, the Liverpool ship Cornwallis, of the firm of Balfour, Williamson & Co., homeward bound from San Francisco, came in sight of Pitcairn Island. The captain in his boyhood had read the story of the mutineers of the Bounty and their subsequent settlement of the isolated rock, and decided that he would make a call at the place where, just eighty-five years before, Christian and his guilty party had landed. Taking with him his apprentices, they left the ship in charge of the first officer, and came ashore in their own boat, accompanied by some of the island men who had gone off to the ship.
But a very short time had elapsed after they landed when the ship was observed to be losing her ground and she drifted shoreward, coming on swiftly and surely to destruction. The people on shore watched with breathless anxiety and terror the doomed ship, and earnest but unavailing prayers went up that the fearful catastrophe might be averted.
The poor captain, half frantic, rushed with his young men and all the island men that were within call, to the landing place, to launch the boat and put off to the vessel, that was nearing the rocks. But no effort could save her, and she soon struck on some unseen rocks a few feet from the shore. Had there been ten minutes more time, she would have been saved, as the water clear to the shore is very deep, and a few minutes more would have sufficed to steer the ship clear of danger.
A few of the islanders that had remained on the ship when the boat first went off now hastily got into their boat and started for the shore. Meeting the captain’s boat returning, they also went back to where the ship now lay, a helpless wreck. The excitement that prevailed was great, and soon everybody was near the scene of the disaster. The other men who had been engaged about their several duties when the disaster took place, now returned from the fields, and, seeing what had happened, were quickly on the rocks near where the ship lay. Swimming off to the vessel, they were soon engaged with the others who had been before them in rendering what assistance they were able, and in a short time after the ship struck, all the crew had been safely landed.
Little else was saved. The next morning, the boat was once more drawn up to a place of safety, and in the gloomy darkness the captain and the crew of the Cornwallis accompanied by the islanders, men, women, and children, formed a silent procession up the steep hill path that led to the village.
All that could be done for the strangers thrown amongst them was done as well as their limited means afforded, and everyone willingly gave up sleeping rooms to the shipwrecked men during their enforced stay, being content that their unexpected guests should enjoy whatever could be provided for their comfort.
The chief anxiety experienced was how to find enough to feed their guests should their stay be a long one, for this addition to their numbers was confessedly a tax upon them in the matter of food supplies, the islanders themselves being obliged to be careful in the use of what they had, as the island had not yet recovered from the effects of the long-continued drought of the previous years.
Not a thing was saved from the ship. On the second day after the ship had become a wreck, she turned over and broke up by the violence of the waves. The sea around was strewn with wreckage, which floated away to leeward. The ship’s lifeboat, uninjured, was among the things that were scattered from the ship on breaking up, and in the hope of rescuing it a crew of the islanders started to launch the captain’s gig. With brave hearts and strong arms they waited for a moment’s lull in the angry waves to give them an opportunity of getting safely over the dreadful surf that rolled ceaselessly in to shore. At last the moment came, and at the command, “Pull ahead,” with a strength that seemed more than human, the boat was got beyond the danger of the breakers, that threatened to engulf her. In due time the lifeboat was reached. Being full of water, each man took turns to bail the boat. Wind and tide being both against them, the work was exceedingly heavy, but courageous hearts and willing hands insured success, and after several hours’ hard battling with the sea, the gig and lifeboat were both landed in safety.
The American ship Dauntless had come in during the day, and Captain Wilbur waited until next morning, when, on learning what had taken place, he kindly offered to take the whole crew of the Cornwallis on his ship, and give them a passage to New York, whither he was bound. The ship was wrecked on Saturday, and by Tuesday noon all her crew had left, leaving only the poor remains of the good ship to remind the people of the sad occurrence.
--from Mutiny of the Bounty and Pitcairn Island by Rosalind Amelia Young
Pitcairn Is SG451

Built as an iron hulled three masted ship by Thos. Vernon & Sons, Liverpool, for Liston Young & Co., Robert Alexander, part owner, Liverpool
11 July 1862 Launched under the name CORNWALLIS.
Tonnage 1.214 gross ton. Dim 65.41 x 10.64 x 7.04m
Ship rigged.

The Illustrated London News of 09 August 1862 has the following article on her launching.

This magnificent new iron clipper ship, which was launched on July 11th from the yard of Thomas Vernon and Son, Liverpool, is owned by Liston, Young, & Co., merchants of the same place.
She has been built under a special survey to class A1 for twelve years at Lloyd’s, and is of the following dimensions; length between perpendiculars, 205 feet, breath of beam, 34 feet 6 inches; depth of hold, 23 feet; registered tonnage, 1194.
This truly beautiful specimen of marine architecture is attracting great attention from her exquisite model and proportions, combining lightness and elegance of appearance with a improvement, whether patent or otherwise, but in some points, by a judicious introduction of new combinations, she is for the time being, a step in advance all other ships.
The lower masts, lower yards and bowsprit are of iron; there are extra fastenings and stringers, and treble riveting beyond Lloyd’s requirements. The spacious ‘tweendecks’ are ventilated with twenty-six patent scuttles of especially large size, and anticipating the conveyance of troops, hammock-battens have been fixed fore and aft. There is through ventilation throughout the ship through the masts as well as the ordinary ventilators.
Wherever it has been possible, iron has taken the place of wood; the bulwarks and the hatch-coaming are of iron, and in passing it may be mentioned that the hatchways are large enough to admit of machinery, such as locomotives, etc.
The rigging is of patent charcoal-galvanized wire rope, manufactured by C B Richardson, specimens of which, before fitting, were submitted to a test of extraordinary severity. The chains have been proved twenty-five percent above the Admiralty test. The anchors (Trotman’s) and the windlass (Emerson and Walker’s patent) which is now being a generally adopted in the large ocean steamers, occupies a small space, economizes labour, and is of great power. One watch can purchase the anchor with great ease, and one man can give the ship cable with equal ease and great security. The sails have a special novelty to recommend them in having Cunningham’s patent gear fitted on the upper topsail yard, thus adopting that excellent invention in a new way.
The rooms and cabins are of polished oak and birds-eye maple, beautifully fitted up for first-class passengers.
Captain Pryce, Royal Naval reserve, of the mammoth clipper DONALD MACKAY, commands her.
The CORNWALLIS sails from London shortly, as one of the Black Ball Line, with general cargo and passengers for Sydney, New South Wales.

At that time the Black Ball Line chartered new ships for one voyage to Australia, she is briefly mentioned in the Passage Makers by M.K. Stammers, that I think she is only used by the Black Ball Line for one voyage.

1872 Sold to Balfour Williamson & Co., Liverpool.

The ships Captain was James Hammond, his First Mate, Malcolm Forbes and Second Mate was my ancestor, Charles Teft Laurence. According to the Board of Trade enquiry reported in The Times, Captain and 2nd Mate went ashore with the apprentices. It was my ancestors second voyage on the ship. After returning home to his wife and child in Poplar, London, he set sail as First Mate on the Claudine.