Ship That Went Missing In 1904 Found After Bodies Of Crew Members Washed Ashore
More than a century after its mysterious disappearance, the steamship SS Nemesis, lost at sea in July 1904, has finally been identified. The vessel, which vanished while en route to Melbourne, Australia, carrying coal and 32 crewmembers, remained an enigma until a remote sensing company inadvertently stumbled upon its wreck off the coast of Sydney.
120-year-old mystery solved
"The 120-year-old mystery of SS Nemesis and the 32 crew members lost at sea has been solved," announced government officials from the New South Wales Ministry of Environment and Heritage.
The breakthrough came in 2022 when Subsea Professional Marine, engaged in a search for sunken shipping containers, unexpectedly encountered the wreckage about 16 miles offshore and 525 feet underwater.?Although the identity of the vessel could not be immediately confirmed, suspicions arose that it might be the long-lost SS Nemesis.
Confirmation arrived in September 2023 when CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, conducted a thorough investigation using advanced multibeam echosounders and underwater cameras aboard the research vessel RV Investigator.?The high-resolution images captured revealed distinctive features of the steamship, conclusively identifying it as the SS Nemesis.
"Our visual inspection of the wreck using the drop camera showed some key structures were still intact and identifiable, including two of the ship's anchors lying on the seafloor," remarked Phil Vandenbossche, a CSIRO hydrographic surveyor.
Ship?succumbed to a large wave off the coast of Wollongong?
Further examination of the wreck provided insight into the vessel's fate. It was determined that the SS Nemesis succumbed to a large wave off the coast of Wollongong, overwhelming the engine and causing the ship to sink rapidly, preventing the deployment of lifeboats.
With the wreck finally located, government officials are now committed to tracing the descendants of the crewmembers, hailing from Australia, Britain, and Canada. Among the crew were Captain Alex Lusher, Chief Mate T.A. Renaut, and Second Mate W.D. Stein, all from the U.K.
"Around 40 children lost their parents in this wreck, and I hope this discovery brings closure to families and friends connected to the ship who have never known its fate," expressed NSW Minister for Environment and Heritage Penny Sharpe.
The CSIRO's video imagery of the wreck will be utilised to create a detailed 3D model for further analysis. Sharpe emphasized the significance of the discovery, referring to it as the resolution of one of Sydney's enduring maritime mysteries and likening it to the 'holy grail' for shipwreck researchers.
Another maritime discovery off the Australian coast??
The revelation of the SS Nemesis' fate follows closely on the heels of another maritime discovery off the Australian coast.
The wreck of the MV Blythe Star, a coastal freighter that sank fifty years ago, was located, though all ten crewmembers survived. Despite this, only half of the over 200 shipwrecks off the New South Wales coast have been found, underscoring the ongoing importance of maritime exploration and discovery.
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