first submarineHMAS AE1...immense value of submarines in naval warfare, and recommended their use in...

AIMA NEWSLETTER

1

www.aima-underwater.org.au/

Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology

ABN 37 830 874 307 • Registration No. A0820044J Western Australia Associations Incorporations Act 1987 Section 18(6) • ISSN 1446–8948Australasian Institute of Maritime Archaeology Inc. • Department of Maritime Archaeology • WA Museum • 47 Cliff St • Fremantle WA 6160

IssueIN THIS

Volume 37 | Issue 2 June 2018

1 HMAS AE1 (continued 3–8)

2 AIMA President’s Report 9 News from NZ 10–11 News from ACT 11–19 News from SA 20–28 News from NSW 29–32 News from WA 33–35 News from VIC

Irini Malliaros (Silentworld Foundation), James Hunter (Australian National Maritime Museum) and Andrew Woods (Curtin University HIVE)

On 20 December 2017, a collaborative team comprising researchers and specialists from

Implosion of AE1’s forward hull has caused the fin to collapse into the remains of the submarine’s Control Room (Image courtesy Paul G. Allen, Find AE1 Ltd., ANMM and Curtin University © Navigea Ltd.)

the Silentworld Foundation (SWF), Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM), Find AE1 Ltd., the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Fugro N.V. identified the final resting place of HMAS AE1 off the Duke of York Islands in Papua New Guinea. The discovery of Australia’s first submarine was the culmination of more than a century of efforts to solve the riddle of its disappearance in

The discovery and documentation of Australia’s first submarine HMAS AE1

AIMA2 NEWSLETTER

AIMA Newsletter | June 2018 | Volume 37 | Issue 2 ISSN 1446–8948

Dear members,

Welcome to the AIMA Newsletter for the second quarter of 2018!

Near the end of April, our Vice-President Dani Wilkinson, now based in the UK, represented AIMA at the meeting of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Body (STAB) in Paris. STAB advises the States Parties of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. As an accredited non-government organisation (NGO), AIMA is invited to attend the meeting and provide advice. Other meetings included an Exchange Day for STAB and NGO’s, a meeting of the NGO’s themselves, and a meeting of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology. I want to thank Dani for representing AIMA at all these events. A full account is detailed in her report.

In May I attended a two-day meeting of the SF-17 committee of Standards Australia which is charged with drafting diving

From the President’s deskJune 2018 standards. Most relevant to us

is the review of standard 2815.6 (training and certification of scientific divers) and standard 2299.2 (scientific diving operations). I am also an active member of the committee’s scientific diving working group, which is charged with drafting the scientific standards for SF17 committee review. The work continues. I provided a detailed summary of the last meeting to the AIMA Dive Committee, and a recent change in policy will allow me to now provide working drafts of the standards to the AIMA Dive

Committee.

Other news is that our Merchandise Officer, Peta Straiton, put out the call for images for her new initiative, an AIMA 2019 calendar, which should be ready for our conference in September. An exciting project.

Thanks again to Maddy Fowler, our Newsletter Editor, for all her hard work. Enjoy!

David Steinberg

President

Contributions to ’Student Spotlight’ are being sought from across Australasia and the Asia-Pacific Region.

If you are undertaking an honours, masters or PhD in a topic relating to maritime archaeology, please send your submission to AIMA social media team member Stephanie Morris at [email protected].

StudentSPOTLIGHT

Participants at the meeting of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology (Photo by Narmon Tulsi)

NEWSLETTER3

AIMA

AIMA Newsletter | June 2018 | Volume 37 | Issue 2ISSN 1446–8948

September 1914, and learn the fate of its crew of 35. Information gleaned from the 2017 survey, as well as a follow-up ROV examination in April 2018, promises to reveal the cause of AE1’s loss, and bring closure to Australia’s oldest naval mystery.

The establishment of the RAN in 1911 coincided with revolutionary changes in naval tactics and technology. The British Admiralty’s First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir John ‘Jacky’ Fisher, foresaw the immense value of submarines in naval warfare, and recommended their use in the Royal and Commonwealth navies. This, and their relative affordability, led Australian Prime Minister Alfred Deakin to commit the RAN to buy two submarines for its new fleet. AE1, the first to be built, was laid down in November 1911 at the British shipyard of Vickers Armstrong Ltd. It was launched two years later, commissioned into the RAN on 28 February 1914, and then voyaged to Australia with its sister-submarine AE2. Both boats were commanded by Royal Navy officers and crewed by a mix of British and Australian ratings. AE1’s crew also included one New Zealander.

Following the outbreak of WWI, AE1 joined the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) and departed for German New Guinea. The ANMEF was tasked with seizing and destroying German wireless stations there and in the southwest Pacific islands. These combined operations resulted in the surrender of Rabaul on 13 September 1914, and the beginning of Allied occupation

of German New Guinea. On the morning of 14 September 1914, AE1 departed Rabaul to patrol for German warships with the torpedo boat destroyer HMAS Parramatta (I). The two vessels separated during the late morning, but rendezvoused in the afternoon. At 3:20 pm, Parramatta’s crew lost sight of the submarine off the Duke of York Islands and couldn’t re-establish contact. Parramatta’s commander was not concerned,

as he assumed AE1 had returned to Rabaul.

Concerns about AE1 only emerged when the submarine failed to return to Rabaul by 8:00 pm. A search started immediately and included several Australian warships. Despite covering a vast area that included AE1’s most probable return course south and east of the Duke of York Islands, no trace of the submarine was

HMAS AE1 undergoing refit at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in June 1914. Its sister-submarine AE2 is visible in the background (Image courtesy Royal Australian Navy)

AIMA4 NEWSLETTER


The last known photograph of AE1 prior to its disappearance shows the submarine near Rossel (Yela) Island in the Louisiade Archipelago on 9 September 1914 (Image courtesy Royal Australian Navy)

Rabaul and the Duke of York Islands to determine if AE1 was mentioned in the oral histories of local residents, and organised additional searches in 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2009. All were unsuccessful. Jacques Cousteau also attempted to locate AE1 while transiting between New Britain and New Ireland in 1990, but failed to detect anything of interest.

In 2014, a RAN minesweeper searched for AE1 in waters directly east of Mioko Island, a small islet off the east coast of the Duke of York Islands. One year later, the non-profit organisation Find AE1 Ltd. undertook a multi-beam echo sounder (MBES) survey in deep waters east and south of the Duke of York Islands. Both searches detected numerous intriguing anomalies, but all were ruled out as the wreck of the long-lost submarine. In the wake of the 2015 expedition, Find AE1 Ltd. organised a workshop at ANMM with the goal of re-evaluating AE1’s final voyage and

consulted various Australian archives to try to identify its loss location. In 1976, Foster surveyed a possible location with a RAN hydrographic survey ship. The survey was unsuccessful. Undeterred, Foster continued to scour relevant archives, visited

ever found. One Australian crew observed an oil slick, but this was disregarded, as it was 30 nautical miles northwest of AE1’s last known position. After three days, the search was called off. An inquiry concluded that the submarine most likely struck a submerged reef while diving and then sank in deep water. AE1’s loss exacted a terrible toll: the incident claimed three officers and 32 crew. It was the RAN’s first wartime vessel loss, and would become Australia’s most enduring naval mystery.

For more than 60 years the submarine and its crew were largely forgotten. Renewed interest in finding AE1 commenced during the 1970s through the efforts of Commander John Foster, Australia’s then-Assistant Defence Attaché to Papua New Guinea. Foster was intrigued by the submarine’s disappearance, and

Fugro Equator’s Autonomous Underwater Vehicle conducted a pre- programmed search of the seabed in the survey area with an array of inbuilt sonar equipment (Image courtesy ANMM/Find AE1 Ltd.)

NEWSLETTER5

AIMA


determining its most likely loss location based on the results of archival research, predictive modelling and prior searches. By late 2017, a high-priority survey area was established.

The 2017 expedition was originally slated for 2018, but commenced ahead of schedule due to a generous offer from Fugro N.V. for the use of one of its deep-water survey vessels, Fugro Equator. John Mullen, founder and director of SWF, gave his personal guarantee for half of the funding required to undertake the search

for AE1. With SWF’s financial guarantee in place, the Australian Government committed the other half, thereby ensuring the survey would proceed. SWF also launched a fundraising campaign in the lead-up to the expedition and secured the support of several corporate sponsors. Additional financial support for the project was provided by the Submarine Institute of Australia, ANMM and Fugro N.V. Members of Find AE1 Ltd. provided expertise relevant to AE1’s history, operation and engineering, while the expedition’s maritime

archaeologists were drawn from SWF and ANMM. RAN personnel served as project and media liaisons for the Australian Government. Operation of survey equipment and processing of data was performed by Fugro Equator’s remote-sensing specialists.

The research team assembled in Papua New Guinea in mid-December 2017 to commence the search. Fugro Equator deployed an array of cutting-edge marine survey equipment, including a hull-mounted MBES and an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). The AUV was launched from the ship and systematically searched the survey area with its own inbuilt MBES system, as well as side-scan sonar and a sub-bottom profiler. On 19 December 2017, the AUV detected a promising sonar contact at a depth of over 300m. A drop-camera was deployed the following morning to allow the expedition team to examine it in greater detail. Still and video imagery broadcast into Fugro Equator’s control room revealed unmistakable features of AE1’s hull, including its fore and aft hydroplanes, twin periscopes, and distinct fin (the casing that surrounds the conning tower). The AUV was then re-deployed to the site, and captured thousands of high-resolution still images as it passed over the hull. These were later stitched together to form a comprehensive photomosaic.

The mystery of AE1’s final resting place was now solved, but why the submarine sank was still an open question. Although imagery from the 2017 expedition provided important clues, an

This image acquired by the AUV’s side-scan sonar provided the first glimpse of AE1 since its disappearance in September 1914 (Image courtesy ANMM/Find AE1 Ltd.)

A drop-camera was used to examine the side-scan sonar ‘contact of interest’ that was ultimately identified as AE1 (Image courtesy ANMM/Find AE1 Ltd.)

AIMA6 NEWSLETTER


opportunity arose in early 2018 to return to AE1 for a closer look. In April, a collaborative team consisting of researchers from ANMM, Find AE1 Ltd., and Curtin University’s HIVE (Hub for Immersive Visualisation and eResearch) participated in a Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV) examination of the submarine. The ROV examination was conducted gratis from R/V Petrel, a research vessel owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen and operated by Vulcan, Inc., the company that oversees Mr. Allen’s network of philanthropic organisations and initiatives. Because AE1 is located in over 300m of water, the site examination was conducted via Petrel’s Work-Class ROV, which was outfitted with an array of Standard- and High-Definition video cameras.

AE1’s fin is one of the submarine’s most distinguishing features, and drop-camera imagery of this feature aided in the wreck site’s positive identification (Image courtesy ANMM/Find AE1 Ltd.)

More than 6,000 images were acquired by Fugro Equator’s AUV and used to create a comprehensive photomosaic of AE1, which correlates well with archival schematics of the submarine.

NEWSLETTER7

AIMA


These cameras were augmented by a specially-designed 12-megapixel deep-water digital still camera provided by Curtin University and the Western Australian Museum (WAM) for

to capture photogrammetric imagery of the WWII shipwrecks HMAS Sydney (II) and HSK Kormoran in 2015.

AE1 is resting upright on a largely flat, featureless seabed and is almost completely exposed, with only the keel and the tip of a blade from each propeller buried in the surrounding silt. While the approximate aft half of the submarine is largely intact, hull sections forward of the fin (the vertical structure that contained the submarine’s conning tower) have collapsed inwards as a consequence of a catastrophic implosion event. Specific activity areas within AE1 devastated by implosion damage include the Control Room and Forward Torpedo Compartment. Structural failure of the forward pressure hull has resulted in the fin collapsing and toppling forward into the remnants of the Control Room. No human remains were observed within or around the submarine, although the high degree of preservation noted for certain organic artefacts and features—such as a leather shoe heel and remnants of the wooden tank that held AE1’s batteries—suggest they could still be present in skeletal form within enclosed areas of the hull.

While still largely intact, the submarine’s hull has been detrimentally affected by differential corrosion of its various metallic components. This is perhaps most evident in the destruction of AE1’s side-mounted ‘saddle’ ballast tanks, which were constructed of lighter-grade steel than the pressure hull and have preferentially corroded,

the purpose of developing a 3D photogrammetric model of the shipwreck site. The same camera had been used, amongst a suite of photographic equipment, by Curtin University and WAM

Expedition members participating in the 2018 ROV examination of AE1 watch live footage of the submarine’s stern torpedo tube in the control room aboard the research vessel Petrel (Image courtesy Paul G. Allen, Find AE1 Ltd., ANMM and Curtin University © Navigea Ltd.)

A Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV) deployed from Petrel uses a camera mounted on its manipulator arm to inspect the interior of AE1’s stern torpedo tube (Image courtesy Paul G. Allen, Find AE1 Ltd., ANMM and Curtin University © Navigea Ltd.)

AIMA8 NEWSLETTER


fragmented and collapsed to the seabed. The deterioration of specific hull components may also have been facilitated by recent seismic activity around New Britain and the Duke of York Islands; the fin, for example, has collapsed further into the Control Room since AE1’s discovery in December of last year (and in the wake of large earthquakes and accompanying aftershocks in New Britain). While there is clear damage to the submarine from natural processes, no evidence of human-manifested change (such as anchor or trawl damage) was noted.

Petrel’s ROV examination generated several hours of High-Definition video footage, and more than 8,000 individual high-resolution digital still images. The latter have already

been utilised by the Curtin HIVE team to produce an interim low-resolution 3D digital model of the entire AE1 wreck site. A larger high-resolution model of the entire submarine is currently in development at the Curtin HIVE. Clues collected during the survey have enabled the team to

work towards establishing the chain of events that resulted in AE1’s loss, and already resulted in refinement of existing hypotheses. A report detailing the results of the project is currently in production and will be released in September 2018.

Implosion damage to AE1’s forward torpedo compartment. The forward torpedo tube’s rear door and damaged hand wheels associated with the torpedo’s firing mechanism are visible (Image courtesy Paul G. Allen, Find AE1 Ltd., ANMM and Curtin University © Navigea Ltd.)

Port side view of the interim 3D photogrammetric model of AE1. A high- resolution 3D model is currently being generated from the more than 8,000 still images at Curtin University’s HIVE (3D Model by Curtin University from images courtesy Paul G. Allen, Find AE1, ANMM and Curtin University © Curtin University)

NEWSLETTER9

AIMA


New ZealandNEWSAustralasia

150-year-old wreck exposed by beach erosionRobert Brassey Auckland Council

On 27 May, Auckland Council was alerted by the New Zealand Maritime Museum to a shipwreck that had become exposed on Te Oneone Rangatira Beach near the entrance to the Kaipara Harbour. Photos of the remarkably intact but unidentified vessel had been posted on social media.

The stretch of beach where the wreck is located is remote from habitation and technically off limits to the public, but is readily accessible by 4WD vehicles between tides. There is unfortunately a long-established culture of unlawful interference of wreck sites by souvenir hunters in New Zealand. Around the Kaipara entrance where there have been more than 100 shipwrecks, scavenging of timber and other materials from exposed wrecks has also been a problem in the past. Considerable local and media interest had been generated by social media posts and an immediate response was considered necessary to try and minimise the risk of damage to the wreck.

The wreck was visited by Auckland Council and Heritage New Zealand (HNZ) staff on 28

The Daring wreck. Vandals had cut off the top of the stern and removed the foremast chain plate fittings and surviving sections of railing by the time this photo was taken. The extent of sand loss is evident from the escarpment in the background (Photo by Zac McIvor)

May to undertake basic recording of the wreck, if possible identify the vessel, and to pro-actively influence reporting of the find on national television channels and in other media. Identification of the vessel and the date it was wrecked was a high priority since blanket statutory protection of wrecks in New Zealand only applies to wrecks that occurred prior to 1900. The wreck was quickly identified from a shortlist of possibilities as the 31 ton coastal trading schooner Daring, built at Mangawhai in 1863 and driven ashore intact in a gale in 1865. This identification was challenged by members of a diver lobby group, incredibly even after the clearly inscribed registration number became exposed by further erosion of the beach.

The wreck is a unique surviving

example of a 19th-century New Zealand-built coastal trading vessel of its type. It retains details that rarely survive on wrecks such as areas of paint finish, details of the mast boot fixings and the wooden windlass. Unfortunately in spite of the efforts (by HNZ in particular) it has proved impossible to stem the illegal removal of materials such as deck planking from the wreck. All options for the future management of the wreck are still being considered but the immediate priority has been to make a detailed record of the vessel, which continues to be further exposed as the coastline retreats. The outcome of this recording and the background to the loss and subsequent rediscovery of Daring will be presented at the combined NZAA/AAA conference in November.

AIMA10NEWSLETTER


Australian Capital TerritoryFlying boat artefact donated to the Australian War MemorialDaniel J. Leahy

On 15 June 2018, a seat from a WWII era Martin Mariner flying boat was donated to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

The Martin PBM Mariner was a twin-engine flying boat manufactured by the Glen

L. Martin Company from the late 1930s, and remained in production until 1949. The type was mostly operated in the maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare, air-sea rescue, and transport roles by the United States Navy during World War II. Over 1,350 examples were built, 12 of which were received by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) between November 1943 and January 1944, and were allocated the serial numbers A70-1 to A70-12. The 12 RAAF Mariners were primarily operated in the transport role by No. 41 Squadron, RAAF, but some were also operated by No. 40 Squadron and No. 114 Air-Sea Rescue Flight.

Martin Mariner seat after being delivered to the Australian War Memorial in June 2018 (Photo by author)

’Past, present and future maritime pathways’Convenors: Matt Carter and Kurt Bennett

Oceans are often seen as boundaries that separate; however, in the past, they were pathways — connecting people, ideas, technologies, economies and traditions. Australia and New Zealand have longstanding connections to the sea and their internal waterways. Both countries share aspects of migration, trade, naval, shipbuilding, and ritual maritime histories. In particular, the two countries shared an

intense trading relationship in the nineteenth century that contributed to the expansion of their historic economies. In recent decades, archaeological projects have been undertaken in Australasia to investigate, submerged indigenous sites and landscapes, early European exploration, riverine histories, coastal infrastructure, naval histories, shipbuilding practices, trade, migration and whaling. In response to this important resource, both countries have acknowledged the significance of their maritime heritage in law. Current legislation although different in each country contributes to the protection and

promotion of their rich maritime heritage. However, much is still to be done regarding, public awareness, management and the on-going protection of this important archaeological resource. This session invites papers to celebrate our past maritime heritage, to present on current maritime archaeological projects and to encourage discussion for future pathways relating to the promotion and protection of maritime heritage in Australasia.

Webpage: https://nzarchaeology.org/news-events/submissions-annual-conference-2018.

NEWSLETTER11

AIMA


Later, all twelve were received by No. 1 Flying Boat Repair Depot, RAAF, at the flying boat base at Lake Boga in Victoria. In 1946, they were placed in storage with the RAAF’s Care and Maintenance Unit at Lake Boga before subsequently being written off

Passengers disembarking from RAAF Martin Mariner A70-7 in New Guinea during WII (Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force, c. 1944)

and disposed of in 1948. None of the RAAF Mariners were lost in service, nor do any survive completely today.

It has not yet been possible to determine which particular

aircraft the seat came from. Based on an inspection stamp found on its base, it is believed that the seat itself was manufactured by the Warren McArthur Corporation in the United States. Though slightly damaged, both of the seat’s hair-filled, leather upholstered arm rests still survive. The seat was acquired by the author at a militaria auction in Albury, NSW, in late 2000, where it was incorrectly identified as being a seat from a Consolidated Catalina flying boat. Until the acquisition of this piece no artefacts from Martin Mariner type aircraft were held by the Australian War Memorial. This addition to the national collection will add to the ways in which those who crewed and serviced such aircraft can be remembered. It will also ensure that at least part of such an aircraft can be maintained by a national institution rather than linger in a private collection.

South AustraliaNews from DenmarkChelsea WisemanFlinders University

In June 2018, a team of Australian-based researchers joined a team from the Moesgaard Museum to investigate Mesolithic settlements submerged by sea level rise at the island of Hjarnø, Denmark. The combined strategy of underwater excavation, geophysical investigation, and coring forms an interdisciplinary analysis of the submerged environment at Hjarnø and furthers the understanding of submerged

prehistoric sites. This research is an important part of the Deep History of Sea Country (DHSC) project, focused on the analysis of submerged landscapes in Australia. Through an in-depth understanding of submerged landscape archaeology on an international scale, we can approach submerged landscapes here in Australia with greater knowledge of how archaeological sites alter following periods of marine transgression.

The 2018 field season follows work conducted in 2017 at Hjarnø, where a submerged shell midden site was excavated,

and remains one of the few such middens recorded across the world. This year’s fieldwork focused on a site with significant archaeological potential, located near the excavated midden site. Of interest to archaeologists in this region is a thick peat layer, locally referred to as gyttja. These gyttja layers are renowned for the preservation of organic material, which contributes to the recovery of numerous organic artefacts (including wooden paddles and ornaments) that might have otherwise deteriorated in terrestrial contexts.

A scuba diving team of Danish

AIMA12NEWSLETTER


and Australian researchers participated in the excavation, including Peter Moe Astrup (Moesgaard Museum), Claus Skriver (Moesgaard Museum), Jonathan Benjamin (Flinders University), John McCarthy (Flinders University) and Maddy Fowler (James Cook University). The excavation unearthed several cultural deposits, with numerous flint, bone, and shell artefacts recovered. The shell artefacts were recorded by Katherine Woo (University of Sydney) and Geoff Bailey (University of York).

While some of the team operated underwater, a geophysical survey team worked nearby from a boat. The geophysics team was composed of Francis Stankiewicz (Flinders University), Chelsea Wiseman (Flinders University), and Paul Baggaley (Wessex Archaeology). The team surveyed the features of the seabed using a sidescan sonar and recorded the layers of sediment beneath the sea floor using a sub-bottom profiler. From the high-resolution data collected, the past landscape may be characterised, and this allows us to investigate how

Mesolithic people interacted with these coastal landscapes. In collaboration with the geophysical team, marine sediment coring was undertaken by Katarina Jerbić (Flinders University) and Katherine Woo. The cores collected provide the ‘ground truthing’ of the geophysical data and inform the reconstruction of the development of sediments in the fjord over time.

The submerged Mesolithic archaeology of Hjarnø offers an insight into prehistoric interaction with coastal environments. This connects to global research themes, where the role of coastlines and the sea remains crucial in addressing questions surrounding maritime adaptation and human mobility. The investigations at Hjarnø form part of an internationally collaborative research process, moving from the known examples of submerged landscape archaeology in Denmark towards exploring the unknown in Australia.

The team would like to thank and acknowledge all fieldwork participants, the Australian Research Council, Moesgaard Museum, Flinders University, and collaborators on the DHSC project. For further information about the project, please view our blog: https://deephistoryofseacountry.com/.

John McCarthy and Maddy Fowler excavating underwater (Photo by Francis Stankiewicz)

South Australian newsRick BullersSouth Australia Department for Environment and Water

Search and discovery of South AustralianA collaborative partnership between the Department for Environment and Water (DEW), Silentworld Foundation, SA Maritime Museum, Australian

National Maritime Museum, Flinders University and MaP Fund identified the site of South Australia’s oldest known shipwreck South Australian (see pages 15–19). The site is close inshore to the community of Encounter Bay, near Victor Harbor on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The high heritage significance of this shipwreck and proximity to a regional centre has resulted in the declaration of the State’s third historic shipwreck protected zone. Although the protected

zone is small (60m diameter), it is designed to provide adequate cover for the main area of the shipwreck hull while minimising disruption to the local fishing community. New signs to inform the community of the protected zone have been erected in Encounter Bay at the Bluff boat ramp and opposite the Yilki Store (which overlooks the shipwreck site), as well as a new e-brochure, website page, notice to mariners and navigation chart updates.

NEWSLETTER13

AIMA


A draft Conservation Management Plan for the South Australian shipwreck site has been prepared to guide management over the next 3–5 years, particularly in relation to future research opportunities with our project partners.

Database of South Australian Sunken AircraftDuring the first half of 2018, DEW completed a project to research and identify aircraft lost in South Australian waters. The project aimed to prepare a database of sunken aircraft (or aircraft relics) in preparation for the

introduction of the forthcoming Commonwealth Underwater Cultural Heritage Act. The desktop research was completed by an intern from Adelaide University, Anna Jackowiak, and identified a total of 32 aircraft. Anna’s brief was to identify known aircraft crashes whether or not they had

Map showing the location of the South Australian protected zone in Encounter Bay, south of Adelaide (Image courtesy Rick Bullers)

AIMA14NEWSLETTER


been salvaged, since there is potential that some wreckage may still be present. Of the 32 aircraft roughly half have been either fully or partially salvaged, and comprise a mixture of both civil and military aircraft.

Database Coordinate Verification ProjectAnother intern, Claire Schubert, has commenced in Semester 2

New regulatory signage installed at the Bluff boat ramp and Yilki Store at Encounter Bay (Image courtesy Rick Bullers)

Salvage of the tail fin of a Dassault Mirage IIIC interceptor that crashed into St Vincent Gulf in the 1980s; the majority of the aircraft is still believed to be in situ (Image courtesy ADF-Serials)

NEWSLETTER15

AIMA


to continue a project started in 2016 to research and assess the reliability of coordinates of un-located shipwrecks in the South Australian Register of Historic Shipwrecks (SARHS). The SA Development Act 1993 requires a referral to DEW for assessment for any developments within 500m of an historic shipwreck and SARHS is the primary tool for providing location data. Therefore it is important that the most reliable location information is recorded for each shipwreck. Claire is working on the Kangaroo Island region, and it is anticipated that

other regions will be assessed each semester for the next two years.

Historic Shipwreck Inspector TrainingThe Department has also been conducting training for Inspectors to be appointed under the SA Historic Shipwrecks Act 1981. A total of 15 regional DEW staff participated in June, and a further 18 DEW staff are booked in for training in August. Discussions are underway with PIRSA (Fisheries) and Water Police to determine their training requirements. This

will markedly increase the State’s capacity for historic shipwreck compliance effort.

GIRT Pilot StudySouth Australia is also the venue for the pilot study of Andy Viduka’s PhD project, GIRT, a citizen science project designed to recruit suitable recreational (and professional) divers to conduct scientific measurements on shipwreck sites. Andy and Rick Bullers will be conducting a training weekend for participants during the weekend of 28–29 July 2018.

The barque South Australian: Discovery and documentation of South Australia’s oldest known shipwreckRick Bullers (South Australia Department for Environment and Water), Irini Malliaros (Silentworld Foundation) and James Hunter (Australian National Maritime Museum)

IntroductionBetween 16 and 20 April 2018, a collaborative team comprising maritime archaeologists, museum specialists and volunteers from the South Australian Department for Environment and Water (DEW), South Australian Maritime Museum, Silentworld Foundation, Australian National Maritime Museum, MaP Fund and Flinders University surveyed for and located the shipwreck site of the barque South Australian. Lost

Irini Malliaros records the coordinates of a metal detector contact located by Tim Zapor, while Adam Paterson and Adeena Fowke search for metallic anomalies within the nearshore survey area (Photo by Paul Hundley)

Maddy Chadrasekaran, Rick Bullers, Tim Zapor and Paul Hundley conduct a metal detector sweep within the survey area’s nearshore waters (Photo by Irini Malliaros)

AIMA16NEWSLETTER


at Rosetta Harbor in December 1837, South Australian is South Australia’s oldest documented shipwreck. Its significance also derives from its use as one of the earliest immigration ships to ferry European settlers to the colony of South Australia, as well as careers as a postal packet and ‘cutting-in’ vessel for shore-based whaling activities.

Vessel historySouth Australian was launched as Marquis of Salisbury at the British shipbuilding centre of Falmouth in 1819. Originally rigged as a ship, the 236-ton vessel was, upon being launched, designated a Falmouth packet, a unique class designed to carry mail between Great Britain and overseas ports within its far-flung empire. Its owner and master, Thomas Baldock, was a former naval officer who had served with distinction in North America during the War of 1812 and was invalided in 1816. In 1824, Marquis of Salisbury was purchased by the Royal Navy, renamed Swallow, and commissioned as a naval packet. Baldock, who had been reappointed to the Royal Navy the same year, was given command of Swallow and embarked upon a number of transatlantic voyages to North and South America, and the Caribbean. While under the command of Baldock’s successor Lt. Smyth Griffith in 1834, Swallow was dis-masted in Cuban waters during a hurricane and underwent significant repairs in Havana. Two years later, it was decommissioned from naval service and sold to the South Australian Company (the Company), a mercantile enterprise developed in 1835

with the purpose of establishing a colony of free European settlers in what is now South Australia.

After the Company acquired Swallow in September 1836, it was re-rigged as a barque and renamed South Australian. The hull was adapted to suit carriage of colonists to Australia, although the Company’s intention was to use the vessel in whaling duties upon its arrival in the colony. South Australian departed Plymouth on 22 December 1836 under the command of Captain Alexander Allen, with a contingent of primarily British and German emigrants, including David McLaren (who became the Company’s second Commercial Manager), John and Samuel Germein (alternately credited as the discovers of Port Germein), and ship surgeon Dr William H. Leigh. The passengers were predominantly skilled labourers, including five fishermen, four shipwrights, a butcher and salter, a smith and farrier, two German vine-dressers and a ‘flax-grower’. Also aboard were breeding stock including bulls, heifers, pigs and Cashmere goats. South Australian arrived at Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, on 22 April 1837 and discharged its passengers

and cargo. After its arrival, the vessel completed three more voyages between Kangaroo Island and Rosetta Harbor, carrying provisions, cargo, personnel and the occasional passenger.

In May 1837, South Australian left Kangaroo Island with a cargo of whaling equipment and provisions for the Company’s shore-based whaling stations at Rosetta Harbor. While there, the vessel’s master, Captain Allen, was ordered to refit the barque as an offshore whale processing platform or ‘cutting-in’ vessel. South Australian completed one last round-trip voyage to Kangaroo Island in November 1837, now under the command of Captain J.B.T. MacFarlane, arriving back at Rosetta Harbour at the end of the month. While there, the crew prepared the whaling station’s produce for shipment aboard the ship Solway, another of the Company’s vessels. On 8 December 1837, while awaiting Solway’s arrival, a strong south-easterly gale arose causing South Australian to part its mooring cables and strike Black Reef stern-first. The vessel was then pushed over the reef by heavy seas and driven into calmer waters in front of the Fountain Inn, one of the only stone structures then standing along Rosetta Harbor’s shoreline. Aboard South Australian when it wrecked were David McLaren, John Hindmarsh, Jr. (son of Governor Sir John Hindmarsh) and Sir John Jeffcott (South Australia’s first Chief Justice). Once the vessel went hard aground, a boat was lowered and first Hindmarsh, then the other passengers and their luggage, were taken ashore followed by the crew. The wreck was extensively

Remnants of copper-alloy sheathing still adhere to South Australian’s surviving starboard bow (Photo by James Hunter)

NEWSLETTER17

AIMA


salvaged over subsequent weeks, although the logbook notes the lower hold was flooded and could not be accessed. In an ironic twist, Solway finally arrived at Rosetta Harbour two weeks later than expected, but was lost on 21 December 1837 under circumstances almost identical to those of South Australian. Solway’s wreck site was located and identified in the early 1960s.

In subsequent years, South Australian’s hull broke up, eventually disappeared beneath Rosetta Harbor, and its exact location was lost to local memory. However, the general area where the barque went aground has been known for more than 180 years, and historic charts and mud maps sketched shortly after the wrecking event provided a relatively clear indication of where the loss occurred. This information, in combination with anecdotal evidence obtained from local informants, and the results of remote-sensing surveys conducted by maritime archaeologists affiliated with South Australia’s then-Department of Environment and Heritage during the 1990s, enabled the project team to establish a refined search area for the 2018 investigations.

2018 site survey, discovery and initial findingsThe 2018 survey area was split into twelve 100x100m survey squares and numbered in order of perceived priority. Due to unsuitable weather conditions during the first three days of fieldwork, the search initially concentrated on the inshore reef flats using metal detectors,

Kevin Jones uses a reel tape to help establish one of the inshore survey area grid squares (Photo by Irini Malliaros)

Rick Bullers, James Hunter, Mark Staniforth and Paddy O’Toole conduct a magnetometer survey for South Australian. Team members conducting an inshore metal detector survey are visible in the background (Photo by Paul Hundley)

James Hunter records wooden hull structure in South Australian’s bow section (Photo by Kieran Hosty)

AIMA18NEWSLETTER


with the express purpose of identifying a debris field that could help point towards the wreck site’s location. The metal detector survey resulted in the discovery of several artefacts of interest, including iron fasteners, copper sheathing, and hull timber fragments—a number of which featured adhering copper-alloy sheathing and/or fasteners. Vessel operations commenced on 19 April, with a towed magnetometer survey of the area seaward of the reef edge. A number of large magnetic anomalies were identified, one of which was inspected by a two-person dive team and tentatively identified as an iron standing rigging element. A snorkel team searched an area approximately 50m southwest of this anomaly the following morning and identified a wooden-hulled shipwreck site with exposed copper-alloy keel bolts. Subsequent dives by a four-

person team produced a baseline-offset mud map of the site, and noted hull design features and small finds that—when taken in combination with its geographic location—confirmed its identity as South Australian.

Based on the initial site inspection it appears that most, if not all, of the port-side lower hull/cargo hold is intact. The starboard side was less visible and may have substantially weathered and been removed. Some structural components were observed protruding from sand adjacent to the exposed centreline and are most likely collapsed remnants of the starboard hull. Articulated hull components present include the keel (primarily buried) and keelson, which were marked by a line of large copper-alloy dumps (keel bolts) that are visible over the entire length from stem to stern. Other architectural elements include frames, cant frames, hull planking, sacrificial (or double) planking, ceiling planking, remnants of what may be the foremast step and portions of the stem assembly. Anecdotally, the site appears to be typically covered by a deep sand/mud sediment that appears to have hidden it from prior discovery, and contributed to the surviving hull’s remarkable state of preservation.

The alignment of the cant frames suggests the vessel has quite fine lines. This adds to the likelihood that the wreck is South Australian, as Falmouth packets were usually built for speed. The lower portion of the hull is double-planked and covered in extensive copper-alloy sheathing. Many timbers without

preserved sheathing still have in situ copper-alloy sheathing tacks. While a large amount of sediment has been removed from the site’s periphery and exposed outer timbers and features, an extensive seagrass-covered sediment mound still covers a large portion of extant remains, particularly in the stern. A range of artefacts were noted among the hull remains, including glass and ceramic fragments, bricks, barrel staves, lead scuppers, and a range of copper and iron fastenings. Several copper-alloy keel bolts were discovered lying loose within the interior of the hull near the bow, mapped in situ, and reburied elsewhere on the site to protect them from unauthorised removal.

Since the site’s discovery in April, members of the team have returned to South Australian for follow-up inspections to

Lindl Lawton and Adeena Fowke prepare to conduct a metal detector sweep of the survey area’s intertidal zone (Photo by Irini Malliaros)

Kieran Hosty records the location of a metal detector contact in the nearshore survey area (Photo by Irini Malliaros)

NEWSLETTER19

AIMA


observe changes in its condition, and record newly-exposed hull features and small finds. Previously buried portions of the port side of the hull—and associated artefacts—have become visible, underscoring the need for additional investigation and development of strategies to aid in the site’s management and protection. DEW is currently drafting a conservation management plan for South Australian, and recently provided advice to South Australia’s Minister for Environment and Water that resulted in the establishment of a protected zone around the site under the State’s Historic Shipwrecks Act 1981.

Bricks and remnant wooden barrel staves are located in South Australian’s midships area (Photo by James Hunter)

Runs of double hull planking are visible in the stern section of the South Australian shipwreck site (Photo by James Hunter)

AIMA20NEWSLETTER


New South WalesNSW Heritage Division (Office of Environment and Heritage) reportBrad Duncan and Stirling Smith

Clarence River Wreckspotters courseOn 28 May, the Heritage Division ran its second Wreckspotter course in the reinvigorated program which restarted in 2016. The courses are designed to train local heritage enthusiasts to be the eyes and ears for the Heritage Division in local regions, to record and document newly identified sites and to report new discoveries. Wreckspotters are trained in recording techniques etc using the AIMA/NAS system and extra units designed by the Heritage Division. The NAS component was run on behalf of the Heritage Division by Paul Hundley and Irini Malliaros of the Silentworld Foundation (SWF) at the Harwood Island Hall. Nine participants attended, and were trained in practical survey skills using the former Sugar Cane

Barge No. 6 located at Ferry Park, Maclean. Wreckspotter graduates were then invited to attend two days of non-diving fieldwork to reinforce their newly acquired skills (see below). It is envisaged that NSW will eventually develop a network of Wreckspotter Chapters along the coast and in inland waterways, who can also be called upon to act as volunteers during (non-diving) fieldwork in their local areas, and also undertake their own local research projects. Many thanks go to all our enthusiastic Wreckspotters course graduates, Ros Ryan and Deborah Wray for organising Harwood Hall and Ferry Park (respectively), and to SWF for teaching the AIMA/NAS components of the course.

Fieldwork May 2018The Heritage Division recently undertook seven days of fieldwork investigating riverine heritage sites along the Clarence River between Grafton and Yamba, of the Northern Rivers Region.

The fieldwork targeted previously reported sites, along with sites newly identified from aerial imagery. The core team was supplemented with Heritage Division staff (Pam Forbes), Greg Jackson, David Greenhalgh (Solitary Island Marine Park), Toni Massey (QLD Heritage Branch), John Gilbert (Gilbert Diving) and intern Alex Slucky (University of Sydney). Wreckspotters Ross and Mark Ryan, Derek Firman, Edmund Shillam and Bob Edgar all assisted with fieldwork, as did Phillip Greenhalgh.

Over 85 wrecksites and 17 maritime infrastructure sites were inspected as part of the fieldwork. New discoveries included four graveyards of sugar cane barges totalling 70 wrecks, including one graveyard with 45 hulks spread over nearly a kilometre. Documentation of these sites is revealing new insights into the archaeological signatures of sugar cane barge construction and maintenance techniques and into the industry itself, which will be the subject of a paper at the forthcoming AIMA/ASHA conference.

Other sites included cream boats, railway ferries (for carrying train carriages) and multiple historic derrick cranes along the river bank, along with slipways, drydocks, ferry landings, anchors and other relics. This work is part of the ongoing NSW Rivers collaborative project in conjunction with the University of New England which seeks to 2018 Wreckspotter course graduates and tutors (Photo by Brad Duncan)

NEWSLETTER21

AIMA


Wreckspotter participants recording the Cane Barge No. 6 (Photo by Paul Hundley)

AIMA22NEWSLETTER


document riverine heritage sites and cultural landscapes across the State. The fieldwork was well reported through ABC media.

Hereward cannonIn 2013, local divers John Black and Paul and James Wright reported the discovery of a cannon on the shipwreck

Hereward (1898), which lies approximately 30m off Maroubra Beach, Sydney. Their prompt reporting of the cannon led to its recovery by the NSW Heritage Branch (now Heritage Division) with the assistance of the NSW Water Police of the Marine Area Command to ensure it remained in public ownership.

The cannon was conserved by Jon Carpenter and Vicki Richards of the Department of Materials Conservation, West Australian Museum. A carriage was commissioned by the Heritage Division and constructed by OHM Consultants. In December 2017, custody of the gun was transferred to the Maroubra Seals Club which generously funded its conservation and display on their premises.

The cannon was officially handed over in a ceremony to Alan Langford (OBE), President Maroubra Seals Sports and Community Club by Tim Smith OAM (Director of Heritage Operations). Historic Shipwreck Awards were presented to the finders of the cannon, the NSW Water Police Diving Unit and the Maroubra Seals Club in recognition of their contributions towards helping preserve our maritime heritage.

A poster of Hereward was also produced to coincide with the handover event. Heritage Division would like to thank all those involved in the recovery, preservation and display of the cannon, which is now displayed in

Harwood Island Graveyard Cane Barge 7 (Photo by Brad Duncan)

Brad Duncan and Toni Massey documenting barges in the Hardwood Island Ships Graveyard (Photo by Pam Forbes)

Historic Shipwreck Awards are presented to the cannon co-finders (Paul and James Wright) and to Maroubra Seals Club president Alan Langford by Tim Smith (Photo by Brad Duncan)

NEWSLETTER23

AIMA


the foyer of the club overlooking the wreck site across the road. The cannon is accessible to members of the public.

HMAS Parramatta drone and photographic inspectionIn April 2018, the Heritage Division, SWF and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS)

undertook collaborative work to further document the site of the RAN’s first warship, HMAS Parramatta, which was blown ashore in the Hawkesbury River north west of Mooney Mooney. Paul Hundley and Irini Malliaros aided with the documentation of the site which sits at least 5m out of the water on a mudbank.

The site was recorded using a drone mounted camera, and by a pedestrian photographic survey around the wreck. Luke Sweeney (Ranger, NPWS) provided vessel support using the Ku-ring-gai area Parks boat.

It is envisaged that this fieldwork will supplement previous attempts to produce a complete 3D model of the site using Agisoft Photoscan photogrammetry software, the results of which will be used to both monitor and manage change across the site, and to produce an informative poster for dissemination to the public.

M24 Midget Submarine UXO ReportIn preparation for the M24 Open Day Ballot, the Division completed a report on the potential and location of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) contained within the M24 Japanese Midget Submarine shipwreck. The report has assessed the variety of UXO

Conserved and newly mounted cannon from the Hereward shipwreck at Maroubra Seals Club (Photo by Brad Duncan)

HMAS Parramatta bow in 2015 (Photo by Stirling Smith) Divers preparing for dive on M24 (Photo by Stirling Smith)

AIMA24NEWSLETTER


contained within the wreck, its explosive potential and the potential hazards it presents to those accessing the site. Anyone

wanting an electronic copy of the report should send a request to [email protected].

Divers inspecting M24 as part of Diver Open Day (Photo courtesy Liam Allen)

Trial Diver Open DayLast year marked the 75th anniversary of the WWII attack

Initial draft model of HMAS Parramatta from 2015 survey (Image courtesy Brad Duncan)

NEWSLETTER25

AIMA


on Sydney Harbour by three Japanese submarines. Since the discovery of the M24 Japanese Midget Submarine off Bungan Head in 2006, an Historic Shipwreck Protected Zone has been enforced to manage this highly significant wreck. Until last year, diving on the M24 had been restricted to purely archaeological and scientific research. After six years of consultation between the New South Wales, Commonwealth and Japanese Governments it was decided the site would be opened to recreational divers for the first time on a trial basis. A public ballot was used to randomly allocate permits to 10 divers to visit the site for one day. The ballot received a great deal of interest with 301 applications made. In December 2017, the divers visited the site under strict conditions designed to protect the wreck and encourage respectful visitation, a concept that was wholeheartedly embraced by all the divers. Many of the divers

were struck by the condition of the site, the abundant sea life it now supports and commented on their emotional connection to the submariners whose remains still lie there. The trial was covered by the media across Australia and overseas. It was deemed a resounding success and further consultation and planning is underway to develop a long-term strategy to open the site up to the public on an ongoing basis.

Coast Australia filmingThe Heritage Division recently

completed filming on the site of the M24 midget submarine for a lead episode on the 2019 Coast Australia series. We joined host Neil Oliver exploring the Japanese midget submarine M24 off Newport, Sydney. Also present were members of the Explorers Club who are completing a dive survey of the submarine for creation of a new 3D model of the site. The day would not have been possible without the help and support of the OEH Science Division through the deployment of OEHs RV Bombora and their expert crew. A special thanks also to AUS-ROV services for their expert deployment and operation of the ROV for filming on the day.

PS Collaroy Bill of SaleIn 2010, the Heritage Branch (now Division) received a donation from Mr Trevor Kirk of the original ‘Bill of Sale’ for the paddle steamer Collaroy, dated 1854. This historic document is an agreement between Thacker & Company UK shipbuilders and the Australian Steam Navigation Company, which bought the vessel for £20,000. Mr Kirk found the document in a chest of drawers he bought at auction. Collaroy was wrecked on Sydney’s northern beaches in 1881 and the suburb of Collaroy is named after the event. The document was in poor condition and the Heritage Council of NSW engaged International Conservation Services (ICS) to undertake conservation works to restore the document. Minister for Heritage, Gabrielle Upton, M.P. officially handed over the historic document to the State Library of NSW in April this year, for safekeeping and public display. The work was extensively

Tim Smith being interviewed by Coast Australia host Neil Oliver (Photo by Stirling Smith)

Members of Coast Australia, Explorers Club and Office of Environment and Heritage after filming (Photo by Tim Smith)

AIMA26NEWSLETTER


Historic photo of PS Collaroy stranded on beach (Image courtesy State Library of New South Wales)

covered by Channel 7 television. The Collaroy Bill of Sale has now been digitised and can be found online: http://archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110614850.

Z Special Unit Camp XThe Heritage Division has recently completed the first archaeological survey of the WWII special forces training facility Camp X, located in Refuge Bay, a remote area of Ku-ring-gai National Park north of Sydney. This highly secretive training camp was purpose-built to train the Australian and British operatives who took part in Operation Jaywick. Jaywick was the highly secretive seaborne raid on enemy shipping in Japanese-occupied Keppel Harbour (Singapore) in 1943, undertaken by members of Z Special Unit. It is considered by military historians as one of the most successful

Historic photo of Camp X, 1943 (Image courtesy Australians at War Film Archive)and well known commando raids undertaken during the war. However, due to the secretive nature of the operation little was recorded about the one-off

camp that was built specifically for training the raiding party. The survey identified a number of components of the campsite including pathways, tent pad stands and a flag-pole base. Camp X has recently been nominated for inclusion on the NSW State Heritage Register. This survey will help support the nomination and future management of the site.

Commemorative plaque dedicated to members of Z Special Unit (Photo by Stirling Smith)

NEWSLETTER27

AIMA


Lake Mulwala fieldworkThe rivers of old: Investigating the heritage resource of drowned river courses in the Murray-Darling Basin Brad Duncan (University of New England) and Irini Malliaros and Paul Hundley (Silentworld Foundation)

Originally an expanse of river flats along a section of the Murray River, Lake Mulwala came to be when construction of the Yarrawonga Weir was completed in 1939, drowning the area. The lake is part of the Murray-Darling Irrigation Scheme and acts as a reserve. This collaborative project traces its inception to discussions with Noel Wright (Executive Officer, Yarrawonga and Mulwala Tourism Centre) who alerted Brad Duncan to the presence of a number of wrecks in the lake, one of which had been owned by his family. Noel and Brad have been investigating ways of promoting riverine heritage at Mulwala/ Yarrawonga and had discussed the potential of undertaking a survey of known wreck sites in the lake using remote sensing equipment.

In mid-July 2018, as part of ongoing research associated with the NSW Rivers Project, Brad Duncan (Associate Senior Lecturer, UNE), and Irini Malliaros and Paul Hundley (Silentworld Foundation (SWF)) undertook fieldwork to inspect heritage sites at Lake Mulwala on the Victorian/NSW border. This opportunistic fieldwork arose after low water levels were observed at the lake

in mid-June which had recently been drained to eradicate an invasive weed species that chokes the waterway. As the lake is only drained every 4–5 years, this presented an ideal opportunity to inspect two known shipwrecks and search for other sites in this drowned landscape.

Aerial drone surveys of selected sections of the western and southern shoreline were undertaken, as well as more detailed photographic work of two fully exposed wrecks and a former diversion weir. An aerial photographic survey of the entire western portion of the lake was undertaken with the

Irini Malliaros inspecting the rudder from the wrecked paddle steamer Rita (Photo by Brad Duncan)

AIMA28NEWSLETTER


assistance of Kaz Guerney, who generously supplied her aircraft and time to the project. This inspection provided significant insights into the shifting patterns of paleo-river channels before the river valley was flooded. The results of the aerial surveys will be processed as a 3D model using Agisoft photogrammetric software, and will provide key data for future surveys of the former river courses and their use. Utilising remote sensing methods, such as side scan sonar, future field work will search for vessels wrecked/abandoned within them; examine potential shifts in dominant river-side biota on a temporal scale based on core sampling within the paleo-channels of the drowned flats, and provide baseline data comparison of underwater remote sensing techniques of known exposed features.

heritage trail along the lake and the Murray River. Special thanks to Noel, Alan and Helen Wright; Kaz Guerney; Damian Green (Murray Darling Basin Authority); Fraser and Robert Knowles; Peter Martin (P & M Aviation Australia) for their assistance with the project. Results from the survey will be presented at the forthcoming AIMA/ASHA conference.

Drone footage of the wreck of Halburds Punt (Photo by Paul Hundley)

It is envisaged that this is the beginning of a long-term collaboration between UNE and SWF to examine other sectors of the Murray River as they are periodically drained over the forthcoming years with similar research aims. The results of this and future fieldwork will be fed back to the Yarrawonga/Mulwala Tourism Centre for possible incorporation in a proposed

Aerial image of drained Lake Mulwala showing paleo channels of the old river course (Photo courtesy authors)

NEWSLETTER29

AIMA


Western AustraliaRoss Anderson Western Australian Museum

ARC Linkage Grant — Shipwrecks of the Roaring 40sThe Shipwrecks of the Roaring 40s project is due to finish in mid-2018. Current work includes:

Batavia• Archaeological work on Beacon Island investigating the survivors camp• Dendrochronological research into timbers• Numismatic database audit/updating/digital photography• Roaring Forties Workshop, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands The most recent Beacon Island fieldwork finished on 25 March 2018 with excavation of two individuals from a mass grave containing a total of seven individuals (five individuals were excavated in the November 2017 fieldwork previously reported on).

Zeewijk• Photogrammetric research into 3D mapping of legacy data and research into the Zeewijk site• Ongoing research into theories of a second wreck on the site

Other• Numismatic research recently undertaken at WAM by Jan Pelsdornck, Numismatics Curator at the Teylers Museum, Haarlem• Trace element analysis of silver

content of coins• 3D scanning research project to investigate methods of recording artefacts• A major publication is planned for 2018

The Australian Historic Shipwreck Preservation ProjectThis project continues with Clarence (1850) and James Matthews (1841) being regularly monitored by Heritage Victoria and WA Museum, respectively. The in situ preservation strategies applied earlier are still successful. Vicki Richards, Head of the Museum’s Conservation Department is using the results of these in situ preservation programmes on both sites to complete her part-time PhD by publication at the University of Western Australia.

Conservation The Waterlogged Ivory Treatment research project continues. Step 5 in the project involves trialling three new treatments and utilising different drying techniques on a larger Vergulde Draek ivory tusk.

Development and planningThe Western Australian government is proceeding with plans to declare the Houtman Abrolhos a National Park, with jurisdiction issues to be worked out between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (Department of Fisheries) and Department of Biodiversity Conservation and

Attractions (Department of Parks and Wildlife). The WA Museum is involved in inter-agency discussions with regard to cultural heritage management, including Batavia/Zeewijk VOC wrecks and survivor camps, other historic shipwrecks and historic 19th-century guano mining sites. A heritage management plan is in preparation for the National Heritage Listed Batavia shipwreck and survivor camps in the Wallabi Group.

Following vandalism in 2017 to the wreck of Alex T. Brown (1901), one of only two 4-masted wooden schooners wrecked in Australia, it has been protected by a Conservation Order under the Heritage of Western Australian Act 1990.

New discoveries and site inspectionsIn May, the Australian Institute for Marine Science research vessel MV Solander discovered a wreck 70km off Port Walcott in the Pilbara using their MBES. The wreck has been identified as a modern (c.1970s) steel fishing vessel, possibly of Southeast Asian origin. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority and WA Department of Transport Marine Accident Investigation Unit have been advised: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-17/mystery-shipwreck-found-off-pilbara-coast/9663740.

Rock ballast, fastenings, iron knees and ceramic have been reported found on West Reef,

Western Australia

AIMA30NEWSLETTER


Easter Group, Abrolhos, likely to be remains of Cochituate (1848–61).

A small wooden wreck found by Aletta Buschenschutt at 7 Mile Beach, Dongara, was inspected and identified as likely to be a cray-fishing boat of post-WWII origin. Media articles requesting assistance from the public determined the vessel to be the remains of Margaret Ann, an auxiliary, single masted carvel-built crayboat owned by Mick Akerstrom that sank at its moorings circa 1960: http://museum.wa.gov.au/about/latest-news/wreck-dongara-beach-identified.

In January 2018, a message in a bottle jettisoned from the German merchant barque Paula in 1886 was found by Tonya Illman on a mainland beach north of Wedge Island. This find was authenticated by WAM in conjunction with Dutch and German authorities, and WAM coordinated a media release timed with the 150th anniversary of German Weather Bureau and Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Office, with participation of the WA Honorary German Consul Torsten Ketelsen. The object has been confirmed to be the oldest message in a bottle in the world and is entered into the Guiness Book of World Records. The bottle and message

Mack McCarthy recording the Dongara 7 Mile Beach wreck (subsequently identified as the crayboat Margaret Ann c.1961) (Photo by Clay Bryce)

have been put on display at the WA Maritime Museum. Further information and the report can be found at: http://museum.wa.gov.au/about/latest-news/132-year-old-message-bottle-found-on-wa-beach.

In 1942 the Dutch submarine KVIII was scrapped at Woodmans Point. A side scan sonar/ magnetometer target located just south of the Woodmans Point boat ramp was inspected and confirmed to be remains of the submarine.

Remote sensing fieldwork was undertaken in Warnboro Sound to relocate and confirm positions of the wreck of the barque

NEWSLETTER31

AIMA


Highland Forest (1901) (famous as one of the vessels author Joseph Conrad sailed in as second mate) and brig Robertina (1859).

In April, a follow up survey of the AE1 submarine wreck was undertaken using Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s research vessel Petrel and coordinated by Find AE1 Ltd in partnership with the Australian National Maritime Museum, the Royal Australian Navy, Curtin University, WAM and the Submarine Institute of Australia. Approval for the survey was granted by PNG National Museum and Art Gallery. The ship’s remotely-operated vehicle, fitted with high-definition video and stills cameras, undertook a comprehensive, non-invasive inspection of the submarine. WAM was involved in pre-planning for ROV survey and the provision of high quality underwater cameras originally acquired for the 2015 HMAS Sydney/HSK Kormoran ‘Two Ships’ expedition.

In May–June, strong storms and large swells exposed an intact building at the Port Gregory whaling station, parts of which have subsequently collapsed due to the eroding beach and foredune. The building is believed to be related to Captain Sanford’s earliest whaling station constructed in 1854, and appears likely to have been built using convict labour and quarried materials from the nearby Lynton Hiring Depot.

A new Makassan trepang site was located at Niaulara (Sir Graham Moore Island) as part of a fieldtrip with Kwini Traditional Owners

working with East Kimberley Parks and Wildlife Officers (DBCA) towards the creation of a jointly managed marine park. The Sir Graham Moore Islands (unallocated Crown land, proposed as a national park) are located north of Anjo Peninsula, at the northern end of Napier Broome Bay approximately 40km north of Kalumburu. Kwini traditional owners form part of Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation, who together have determined native title rights and interests covering approximately 26,000km2 of land and sea in the northern Kimberley region of Western Australia. Archaeologists Corioli Souter (WAM) and Alistair Paterson (UWA) were invited to participate in this process by reviewing WAM collection items and archives as well as helping to identify cultural heritage sites on country. During May 2018, a field trip was made to Niualara and a number of archaeological sites were identified, some for the first time. Of particular

interest were the remains of on-shore trepang processing works, generally termed as Makassan sites. These sites represent a direct connection with Southeast Asia which may extend back several hundred years. Makassan fishers introduced technology to Aboriginal groups including canoes and their visits have been preserved in oral traditions. WAM archaeologist Ian Crawford, worked with the Kwini people during the 1960s to document these stories and to locate and excavate Makassan sites on the mainland. The project aims to work collaboratively with Kwini people to reconnect with these islands and other coastal places to ensure that the natural and cultural heritage along with the Aboriginal understandings of this region are identified and managed with a view to encourage tourism to this unique part of Western Australia.

Community engagement and public outreach

Rendered stone structure exposed at Port Gregory whaling station during storms in May 2018 (Photo by Ross Anderson)

AIMA32NEWSLETTER


A new interpretive Coin Cabinet installed in the upper VOC Gallery, WA Shipwrecks Museum, funded by a Protecting National Heritage Sites grant is now complete, exhibiting a large number of shipwreck coins from Batavia, Vergulde Draeck, Zuytdorp, Correio da Azia and Rapid on open display.

A new webpage ‘Digital Archive of Shipwreck Journals’ produced by the WA Museum and Netherlands National Archive is available: http://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/projects/digital-archive-shipwreck-journals.

Courtesy of Museum intern Aaron Bailey, the complete journey of Xantho is now available as a comprehensive GIS. This incredible resource combines large datasets, records, documents, photographs, and object analysis to geographically

map the history of Xantho: http://museum.wa.gov.au/research/departments/maritime-archaeology/ss-xantho-geographic-information-system-gis.

An AIMA/NAS course was run for Ocean Reef High School students from 11–12 May 2018.

The exhibition ‘The Art of Science: Nicolas Baudin’s Voyagers 1800–1804’ will be displayed at the WA Museum later this year. Essays by curators and researchers including WA Museum staff Diana Jones, Michael McCarthy and Myra Stanbury can be found at: http://museum.wa.gov.au/art-science.

The Department of Maritime Archaeology is currently supporting Flinders University students Trevor Winton (PhD candidate) with his sub-bottom profiling experiments on James

Matthews (1841), collections research by Flinders University Masters students Liam Phillips (VOC ship rigging) and Taylor Gray (Cervantes shipwreck), and PhD research by Kevin Edwards into the Zeewijk collection.

PublicationsJane Lydon, Alistair Paterson, Ted Snell, Corioli Souter, and Paul Uhlmann, 2018, Batavia: Giving Voice to the Voiceless, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, University of WA.

Anderson, R. and Porr, C., February 2018, ’Diese Flasche wurde űber Bord geworfen’: a message in a bottle from the German barque Paula (1886) discovered at Wedge Island, Western Australia, Report–Department of Maritime Archaeology–No. 325.

Anderson, R., April 2018, Maritime archaeological analysis of two historic shipwrecks located during the MH370 aircraft search, Report–Department of Maritime Archaeology–No. 322.

Paterson, A., Anderson, R., Souter, C., Franklin, D., Flavel, A., Edwards, K., Manders, M., Clayton, L., McAllister, M., March 2018, Summary of fieldwork on Beacon Island, Houtman Abrolhos and other islands of the Wallabi Group (March 17–25, 2018) conducted for the ‘Shipwrecks of the Roaring Forties: A Maritime Archaeological Reassessment of some of Australia’s Earliest Shipwrecks’ ARC Linkage Project (LP130100137), Western Australian Museum and the University of Western Australia. The new ‘Shipwrecks and Coins’ display in the WA Shipwrecks Museum,

Fremantle (Photo by Ross Anderson)

NEWSLETTER33

AIMA


VictoriaVictoriaMaddy McAllister Heritage Victoria

Maritime Heritage at Risk ProgramIn November 2016, Heritage Victoria commenced a program that applies a quantifiable methodology designed to identify and prioritise the State’s most significant shipwrecks; provide an assessment of their current and future risk and implement a site management program to better safeguard them. Called the ‘Maritime Heritage at Risk Program’ it aims to identify and protect the most significant Victorian shipwrecks at the highest risk. The Program, which is based on a similar one launched in 2008 by English Heritage (now Historic England) for their terrestrial and maritime heritage sites, also includes the introduction of a Shipwreck Risk Register and reporting to the public on the status of the wrecks entered in the Register.

Stage 3 (Assessment Stage) of the Program which identified the most significant Victorian shipwrecks at the highest risk was completed in January 2018. This stage determined which wrecks should be on the Shipwreck Risk Register and those to be placed on the “On Watch” List. The Program has now progressed to Stage 4 (Site Management) activities including the implementation of

regular monitoring at significant wreck sites and the capture of information that facilitates the risk management process. Dario de Bortoli completed a substantial analysis of the sites based on their significance, location and known condition. See his detailed discussion about this project in the next AIMA Bulletin. This project allows Heritage Victoria to focus on sites that are deemed both highly significant and at risk of extensive degradation. We are planning to conduct a trial with community organisations aimed at safeguarding the most significant sites. The proposed trial involves selected Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Flotillas and Surf Life Saving Clubs.

The Amazon (1863) projectHeritage Victoria and Flinders University are running a joint

project to record the Amazon wreck at Inverloch, Victoria, towards the end of this year. The project will run as an Advanced Maritime Archaeology Practicum allowing Flinders University Masters of Maritime Archaeology students to take part.

Amazon is one of the top sites within the Maritime Heritage at Risk Program. Over recent years the level of erosion at the Inverloch Surf Beach has drastically increased. During the July 2018 visit, it was clear that the top of the primary sand dune directly behind the site has completely eroded and a dune ‘cliff ’ now stands at 3–4m high. Consequently, Amazon is also being uncovered and degrading further with high swell and winter storms. This project aims to record the site to a level never-before completed on Amazon,

SS Alert and diver (Photo courtesy Heritage Victoria)

AIMA34NEWSLETTER


including conventional site plans, drone footage and accurate and detailed 3D models. In addition, the extent of the area will be surveyed to determine the extent of the buried remains.

The students will get to learn valuable site interpretation skills and put them into practice. In addition, they can employ their ship building/construction knowledge and create a site conservation and management plan for Amazon. As this site is highly visible to beachgoers, with easy access at low tide, community engagement and outreach through lectures by

maritime archaeologists and specialists at Inverloch will also be a focus.

The Amazon shipwreck is archaeologically significant as a rare example of an international wooden trading ship from the mid-19th century. It is protected under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976. Amazon was built in Jersey, UK, in 1855. The three-masted wooden barque operated in the international cargo trade between the UK, Australia and South America. On 12 December 1863, Amazon left Melbourne bound for Mauritius with a cargo

of salted meat.

During a storm, some of the vessel’s vital sails were damaged and Amazon drifted close to shore. By 10am the vessel eventually ran aground at the Inverloch beach, where it remains today. The crew were exhausted after remaining on deck for 48 hours straight, and did not make it to shore until 3pm. They set up tents on the beach the next day and searched the nearby area for signs of inhabitants. Nobody was sighted until 21 December when a passing traveller saw a distress flag. He escorted Captain Ogier to Melbourne who raised the

Amazon site (Photo by Maddy McAllister)

NEWSLETTER35

AIMA


alarm. The crew remained near Amazon and were soon rescued by H.M.C.S Victoria. Stay tuned for the next stage of the Amazon project.

HMVS CerberusIn the previous newsletter, we reported that the City of Bayside applied for a permit under the Heritage Act 1995 (Vic) to use marine concrete infill to support the armoured breastwork and turrets of HMVS Cerberus. On 18 July 2018, Heritage Victoria granted the permit to the City of Bayside. The permit includes some of the following conditions:

- Prior to commencement of works, an archival quality photographic and video survey is to be prepared to record the internal elements of HMVS Cerberus that will become inaccessible when the infill is complete- A Heritage Interpretation Program outlining the history and significance of HMVS Cerberus is to be prepared- A maritime archaeologist approved by Heritage Victoria is to monitor and report on the proposed works- Ongoing cathodic protection is to be established and maintained

on the submerged sections of the wreck and the four Armstrong riffled muzzle loading guns currently located adjacent to the wreck- Upon completion of the works, the applicant must commission a study to determine the feasibility of reinstating public access to the site and returning the Armstrong guns to their original position on the wreck

For the full permit details, conditions and the ‘Questions and Answers’ sheet please go to www.heritage.vic.gov.au/permits/permit-decisions.

Peter Harvey, Des Williams and Brian Martin inspecting a part of Amazon washed further up the beach (Photo by Maddy McAllister)

AIMA Newsletter ISSN 1446–8948

EXECUTIVEAIMA 2017–2018

EDITOR’S NOTE

Executive President

Senior Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

David SteinbergPh: 0404 302 [email protected]

Ross AndersonPh: (08) 9431 [email protected]

Matt [email protected]

Danielle [email protected]

Celeste [email protected]

Phyllis [email protected]

Publications Committee

Newsletter Editor

Website Administrator

Scholarships Committee Chair

Public Officer

AIMA/NAS Senior Tutor

AIMA/NAS Tutors

Mark Polzer (Publications Editor), John McCarthy (Assistant Editor), Mick de Ruyter (Assistant Editor), Ross Anderson, David Gregory, Peter Harvey, Sarah Holland, Bill Jeffery, Margaret Leshikar-Denton, Jennifer McKinnon, Widya Nayati, David Nutley, Jason Raupp, Nathan Richards, Vicki Richards, Della Scott-Breton, Debra Shefi, Wendy van Duivenvoorde

Maddy Fowler

Chris Lewczak

Emily Jateff

Secretary

Cassandra Philippou

Kieran Hosty (NSW), David Steinberg (NT), Andy Dodd (NZ), Toni Massey (QLD), Peta Straiton (SA), Cass Philippou (TAS), Peter Harvey (VIC), Nic Bigourdan (WA)

Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology, Inc. Registration No. A0820044JWestern Australian Associations Incorporation Act 1987 s.18(6)Newsletter Registered by Australia PostPublication No. WBH 1635

This issue features too many contributions to list individually, although includes detailed state reports from SA, NSW, WA and VIC, as well as reviews of the discoveries of AE1 and South Australian. Of note are the upcoming AIMA/ASHA and NZAA/AAA conferences. Submissions for Issue 3 2018 (July–September) are due by 26 October 2018. — Maddy Fowler

Please send all postal correspondence to:

AIMA C/O Flinders University GPO Box 2100, ADELAIDE, SA 5001

Council

Canberra

New South Wales New Zealand

South Australia

Queensland

Western Australia

Victoria

USA

Malaysia

Social Media

Merchandise

Andrew Viduka

Milly Bendell, Cos Coroneos, Brad Duncan, Chris Lewczak

Kurt Bennett, Andy Dodd

Jonathan Benjamin, Wendy van Duivenvoorde, Trevor Winton

Maddy Fowler, Peter Illidge, Amer Khan, Toni Massey

Vicki Richards, Deb Shefi

Peter Harvey, Peter Taylor

Jennifer McKinnon

Charlotte Looram

Danielle Wilkinson, Chris Lewczak, Milly Bendell, Stephanie Morris

Peta Straiton

The AIMA Newsletter is supported by:

THE HISTORIC SHIPWECKS PROGR AM

AIMA NewsletterVolume 37, Number 2

June 2018

first submarineHMAS AE1...immense value of submarines in naval warfare, and recommended their use in...

Documents

Transcript of first submarineHMAS AE1...immense value of submarines in naval warfare, and recommended their use in...