Australia Surveys Historic Shipwrecks to Inform Future Preservation

Authorities in Australia have gathered new data and imagery on the state of three shipwrecks in the country’s waters, a project that is expected to help in the long term preservation of the historic wrecks.

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment & Water (DCCEEW) announced that archaeologists have carried out surveys on the wrecks of HMAS Australia I, SS Wollongbar II and SS Tasman as part of efforts to ensure continuous protection. The surveys were undertaken during a transit voyage from Brisbane to Hobart by research vessel RV Investigator last month.

The 94-meter ocean-class vessel Investigator, which is operated by national science agency CSIRO, made the transit to Hobart in preparation for its next research expedition in the coming year. Underwater Cultural Heritage experts were part of the transit voyage in which surveys were carried on the historic wrecks.

Commissioned in 1913, the battle cruiser Australia I was the first flagship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and is accredited for being the centerpiece of the fleet that signaled RAN’s arrival as a credible ocean-going navy. Historical accounts show the warship played a leading role during World War I, including taking part in a series of operations that led to the seizure of German colonies and destroying of the enemy’s radio network in the Pacific.

In April 1924, Australia I was sunk off the coast of Sydney as part of an arms reduction in the Pacific following WWI. The warship was sunk by demolition charges and deliberate flooding, and the vessel capsized before sinking in exactly 21 minutes.

For its part, SS Wollongbar II was a steel steamship built in 1922, and was known for its passenger and freight service between Sydney and Byron Bay. In 1943, the ship was en route from Byron Bay to Sydney when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, causing the loss of 32 of its 37 crew. The vessel’s wreck was discovered in 2019 in about 100 meters of water off the coast of Crescent Head on, the NSW Mid North Coast.

Also surveyed was the wreck of SS Tasman, a 19th-century steamship that sank in 1883 after hitting a submerged rock near Hippolyte Rocks, Tasmania.

DCCEEW said that after the surveys, archaeologists now have a clear understanding of the positions and conditions of the shipwreck sites, something that will inform future protection and preservation.

Since commissioning in 2014, Investigator has assisted with both the identification of significant shipwrecks as well as making several important discoveries during voyages. In 2024, the vessel helped find the wrecks of the historic SS Nemesis and MV Noongah.