A maritime mystery that has lasted for decades has finally been solved after the wreck of a long-lost ship was found off the east coast of Australia.
The MV Noongah had 26 crew on board when the ship left Newcastle in New South Wales for Townsville in north Queensland on 23 August 1969 with a cargo of steel.
The tragedy was described as “one of the worst maritime disasters in the country’s post-World War II history” when the ship disappeared without a trace 55 years ago.
The 71-metre long cargo ship ran into difficulties two days into its journey when a heavy storm struck, causing the ship to sink.
Miraculously, five crew members survived the ordeal, but of the remaining 21 missing men, only one body was found.
In a joint project between the CSIRO, Heritage NSW and The Sydney Project, crews found the wreck off the north coast of NSW, 9 News reported.
Ordinary Australians also helped in the search.
“Several members of the public have also contributed to the project, including by locating and reporting the location of the suspected shipwreck off the coast of New South Wales,” a CSIRO spokesperson said.
MV Noongah (pictured) departed Newcastle for Townsville on 23 August 1969 with her cargo of steel, but disappeared two days into the voyage
Teams gathered to determine the location of the shipwreck and found it to be largely intact and standing upright (see photo)
The teams collected data from seabed maps and video footage, which showed that the MV Noongah was not only upright, but largely intact.
CSIRO’s voyage manager Margot Hind said the shipwreck “lies” 170 metres under the ocean, off the coast of South West Rocks.
‘[And it] is approximately 71 metres long, and the dimensions, profile and configuration of the vessel are similar to those of the MV Noongah,” she said.
CSIRO group leader Matthew Kimber said the shipwreck discoveries were of great significance.
“This tragedy remains in the minds of many in the community and we extend our condolences to the families and loved ones of the crew who lost their lives,” he said.
‘Our thoughts are also with the surviving crew of the MV Noongah and we hope knowing where the ship rests will bring closure to everyone.’
Now that the 55-year mystery has been solved, it offers comfort to survivors and relatives of the missing crew members (pictured is the wreck of the MV Noongah)
Brendan McCormack lost his father in the tragedy,
He last saw his father on 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 amazing that they were able to find the ship,” McCormack said. ABC news.
“You know they’re close to the ship, and their souls are somewhere close to the ship.”
The captain aboard the MV Noongah was Leo Botsman, a Victorian father of two and his 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 outgoing and he loved the sea, and the sea was his life,” she recalls.
Family members and descendants of the MV Noongah crew can contact CSIRO for more information about the discovery and the maritime investigation.