Mystery ship vanished 120 years ago with 32 crew members finally unearthed in Australia
Unlocking a maritime mystery from the depths of history, a ship that disappeared without a trace 120 years ago with its 32 crew members has been unearthed off the coast of Australia. The astounding discovery has captivated researchers and maritime enthusiasts alike.
FollowOne of the biggest sea mysteries of Australian history has finally been solved thanks to the joint efforts of various stakeholders in the public sector. The steamship SS Nemesis while en route to Melbourne in 1904 suddenly vanished into thin air after a sea storm struck in the waters of New South Wales.
Despite attempts at trying to find the steamship, researchers over the course of history failed to make progress. SS Nemesis was carrying coal with 32 crew members on board. The families of those 32 crew members have lived their lives without any closure of what happened to the ship and their people.
However, Subsea Professional Marine Services, a remote sensing company searching the ocean floor off the coast of Sydney for lost cargo made an accidental discovery that has led to the solving of the 120-year-old mystery. The company stumbled upon the wreckage of the ship which was nearly 525 feet underwater.
Upon the discovery, it was noted that the SS Nemesis was intact without any significant damage to its body. CSIRO, Australia's national science agency through its underwater imagery technology confirmed the features of the discovered ship were matching that of the lost SS Nemesis.
Phil Vandenbossche, a CSIRO hydrographic surveyor part of the mission said, “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.” The cause of the ship's demise in 1904 was also discovered.
The storm that struck the shores of New South Wales was so powerful that strong waves collided with the ship resulting in the rapid sinking of the SS Nemesis. The rapid fall didn't even allow the crew members to deploy lifeboats resulting in the death of all those on board.
