A decades-long maritime mystery has finally been solved after the wreckage of a long-lost ship was found off Australia’s east coast.
The MV Noongah had 26 crew members on board when it departed Newcastle in New South Wales for Townsville in North Queensland with its cargo of steel on 23 August 1969.
The tragedy was described as “one of the country’s worst post-war maritime disasters” when the ship disappeared without a trace 55 years ago.
The 71-metre-long coastal freighter ran into trouble two days into its journey when a severe storm blew up, causing the ship to sink.
Miraculously, five crew members survived the ordeal, but only one body was found of the remaining 21 missing men.
In a joint project between CSIRO, Heritage NSW and The Sydney Project, teams found the wreck off the mid-north coast of New South Wales. 9 News reported.
Everyday Australians also helped with the search.
“A number of members of the public also contributed to the project, including by pointing out and reporting the location of the suspected wreck off the coast of New South Wales,” a CSIRO spokesperson said.
The MV Noongah (pictured) left Newcastle for Townsville with its cargo of steel on 23 August 1969, but disappeared two days into the voyage.
The teams worked together to pinpoint where the wreck was located and discovered it was virtually intact and upright (pictured)
The teams obtained seafloor mapping data and video footage that showed the MV Noongah not only upright but also virtually intact.
CSIRO voyage director Margot Hind said the wreck lies “170 metres below the ocean off the coast of South West Rocks”.
“It is approximately 71 metres long and the dimensions, profile and configuration of the vessel match those of the MV Noongah,” he said.
CSIRO group leader Matthew Kimber said the shipwreck discoveries were significant.
“This tragedy is still very much in the minds of many in the community and we offer our condolences to the families and descendants of the crew who were lost,” he said.
‘Our thoughts are also with the surviving crew members of the MV Noongah, and we hope that learning of the ship’s final resting place will be a blessing to everyone.’
Now that the 55-year-old mystery has been solved, it has brought comfort to survivors and descendants of missing crew members (pictured, the remains of the MV Noongah).
Brendan McCormack lost his father in the tragedy,
The last time she saw her father was the day the MV Noongah left Newcastle.
“I knew I would never see my father again, we all knew we would never see our family members again and we accepted that… so it’s great that they were able to find the boat,” McCormack said. ABC News.
‘You know they are near the ship, and their souls are near the ship somewhere.’
The captain aboard the MV Noongah was Leo Botsman, a Victorian father of two and a husband.
Widow Pamela last saw her husband when she dropped him off at Essendon Airport a month before the tragedy.
“He was very talkative and direct and he loved the sea and the sea was his life,” he recalled.
Relatives and descendants of the MV Noongah crew are asked to contact CSIRO for further details on the discovery and the maritime investigation.
