A barge wreck present in September final yr has been confirmed because the earliest recognized shipwreck found up to now in Western Australia’s Swan River, the WA Museum stated. The barge was recognized as one which misplaced in 1882 whereas carrying limestone from Fremantle to Perth.
The State Authorities’s launch of detailed 3D multibeam surveys of the Swan River riverbed performed an important position within the preliminary discovery of the wreck, which was first recognized by Maritime Archaeology Affiliation WA President Patrick Morrison and his colleagues Jess Inexperienced and Ian McCann.
Following this discovery in 2023, WA Museum Maritime Archaeologist Ross Anderson undertook thorough investigations of the positioning and historic paperwork to pinpoint the wreck’s id, age, and its historic and archaeological significance. Necessary elements within the identification included the wreck’s design, its exact location and depth, and the presence of a giant ceramic demijohn discovered on the website.
This wreck holds historic significance because it highlights the position of barges in transporting bulk cargoes between Fremantle and Perth in the course of the nineteenth century, earlier than the appearance of motorized transportation.
Along with its historic worth, the wreck is of appreciable archaeological curiosity because of its well-preserved state, which supplies insights into the development and cargo dealing with strategies of typical Swan River barges.
Tradition and the Arts Minister David Templeman stated, “I commend the excellent work of the WA Museum and Maritime Archaeology Affiliation of WA for integrating state-of-the-art search expertise and historic analysis to search out and determine this historic wreck.
“WA has a wealthy maritime historical past with greater than 1,600 ships wrecked off our huge shoreline. It’s thrilling to see how new expertise is unveiling additional glimpses into our maritime historical past.
“Having recognized the wreck from 1882, it’s protected beneath the State’s Maritime Archaeology Act. Whereas individuals might go to or dive the wreck, it is very important bear in mind it’s an offence to anchor on, injury or take away objects from a protected website.”
(Picture: WA Museum)
