The sailing ship Bates Family was built in 1859 in Hull, she was an iron ship with three masts registered at 2,154 tons. In 1880 she was owned by Mr. E. Bates of Liverpool and had been since at least 1874. Her last voyage started at Newport on June 24, she was bound for Calcutta with a load of coal. On September 6, 1880 she was off Cape Agulhas, South Africa and in bad shape. A storm had dismasted her and carried away her bowsprit and rudder. The crew (sources differ from 20 to 44 men) were taken off by the ship British India and she was left to the sea. Some sources state that she caught fire and later sank. The survivors were put aboard the ship Copenhagen on the 10th and landed at Port Elizabeth. They were returned to the U.K. on the steamer Kinfanns Castle in October.

I was unable to find this vessel listed in Lloyd's Register prior to 1874 so perhaps she had been built under a different name. However, I did find a listing that a so named ship with the same tonnage arrived in Hobson's Bay on June 9, 1863.