1978–2009 Shipwrecks of the Ningaloo Reef Shipwrecks of the Ningaloo Reef: maritime archaeological projects from 1978–2009 Edited by Jeremy Green Jeremy Green Special Publication No. 14, Australian National Centre of Excellence for Maritime Archaeology 2011 Shipwrecks of the Ningaloo Reef: maritime archaeological projects from 1978–2009 Jeremy Green (Editor) with contributions by: Ross Anderson Patrick Baker Jon Carpenter Kalle Kasi Michael McCarthy Lyndon O’Grady Vicki Richards Corioli Souter Myra Stanbury Jim Stedman The 2004 Expedition Team. Left to right standing: Geoff Kimpton, Jon Carpenter, Steve Trowbridge, Susan Green, Jeremy Green, Jim McGinty, Daniel Glazier, Carolyn Glazier, Geoff Glazier, Ed Punchard, Mack McCarthy; front sitting: Corioli Souter, Leighton De Barros, Matthew Gainsford, Annie Boyd, Graeme Henderson, Rhian Skirving, Patrick Baker. Special Publication No. 14, Australian National Centre of Excellence for Maritime Archaeology 2011 First published 2011 by the Australian National Centre of Excellence for Maritime Archaeology, Department of Maritime Archaeology, Western Australian Museum, Cliff Street, FREMANTLE, Western Australia 6160 Editorial Board Jeremy Green, WA Museum (editor) Myra Stanbury, WA Museum Michael McCarthy, WA Museum Ian Godfrey, WA Museum Vicki Richards, WA Museum Alistair Paterson, University of Western Australia John Penrose, Curtin University of Technology Wendy van Duivenvoorde, Flinders University Mark Polzer, Institute of Nautical Archaeology This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be to the publisher. © 2011 Australian National Centre of Excellence for Maritime Archaeology National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Green, Jeremy N., 1942- Title: Shipwrecks of the Ningaloo Reef : maritime archaeological projects from 1978 - 2009 / Jeremy Green, editor; Ross Anderson ... [et al.]. ISBN: 9781876465025 (pbk.) Series: Special publication (Australian National Centre of Excellence for Maritime Archaeology); no. 15. Notes: Includes bibliographical references. Subjects: Shipwrecks—Western Australia—Ningaloo Reef. Underwater archaeology—Western Australia—Ningaloo Reef. Other Authors/Contributors: Australian National Centre of Excellence for Maritime Archaeology. Dewey Number: 994.13 Printed by: PK Print Cover design: Jeremy Green Typesetting: Jeremy Green Proofreading: Myra Stanbury Cover photograph: Ross Anderson The views and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government and the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for any information or advice contained herein. Contents Acknowledgements xii Foreword xiii PART 1 General studies in the Point Cloates Ningaloo Reef area 1 History of Point Cloates and Cloates Island 2 Strangers on the Ningaloo shore 8 Point Cloates whaling station, Norwegian Bay: a reappraisal 13 Introduction 13 Background history 13 Significance of the place 16 The 2009 inspection of the site 25 Survey procedure 26 Site observations 26 Conclusions 28 Appendix 1: Historical images of Point Cloates Whaling Station 44 Appendix 2: Comments on Point Cloates Whaling Station 45 Early port related structures 46 Introduction: the first Europeans and the Point Cloates country 46 The first maritime infrastructure 48 Cannons, hoaxes and cairns 53 The utchD inscriptions 53 Reports of an ancient cannon 54 Quobba Point Lighthouse 55 Point Cloates Lighthouse 56 Fraser Island Lighthouse 58 Vlamingh Head Lighthouse 62 PART 2 Found wreck sites between Quobba Point and North West Cape 63 Magnolia 1938 64 Emma 1867 66 The Emma: a North-West coastal trader 66 Early link to the North-West 67 The Emma and the pearling industry 70 The loss of the Emma 70 A wreck believed to be the Emma is found 72 The Emma diving helmet 74 Background to the appearance of a diving helmet on the Emma 75 Conservation report 1992 81 Wood identification 82 Correio da Azia 1816 83 Historical background 83 The 1987 and 1988 searches 89 The 1997 and 1998 searches 93 The wreck site 96 Coins from the Correio da Azia 101 Ningaloo Reef Unidentified shipwreck 102 iii Artefacts and identification 102 Discussion 105 Conservation report 108 On-Site Conservation Survey Data Sheet 112 Stefano 1875 115 Introduction 118 The wreck of the Stefano 118 The ingalooN Reef and its changing features 121 The useumM begins searching for wrecks 122 Historical and social developments in the search for Stefano 123 The emoter sensing phase of the Stefano search begins 124 Stefano is found 125 Found on the last day 125 The aftermath of the find 126 Recent books and websites 128 2009 wreck inspection 130 Jane Bay unidentified 131 Introduction 131 First site inspection 132 Second site inspection 132 Discussion 132 Results of timber analyses 136 Conclusions 136 Recommendations 136 Wood identifications of Jane Bay Unidentified samples 139 Rapid 1811 142 Indications of a wreck 143 The eportr of finding 144 Controversies surround the finding process 145 TheWA Museum excavations 146 The Rapid reward 147 Some historical notes 148 Conservation report 1992 149 Conservation report 2009 152 Benan 1888 162 Wrecking event and inquiry 167 Site description 168 Site survey 168 Newspaper reports 169 Conservation report 1992 172 Conservation report 2009 175 Wood identification 179 SS Perth 1887 180 Newspaper reports 180 The wreck of the Perth inquiry 183 Historical background to SS Perth (1863–1887) 185 iv Fin 1923 188 Introduction 188 Fraser Island 188 1980 site inspection and gazettal 190 Background research 190 The Fin and Frey 192 The loss of the Fin 193 Zvir 1902 194 Wrecking event and inquiry 194 Site description 194 Site survey 200 Site significance 200 Features 201 Conservation report 1992 201 Conservation report 2009 202 Chofuku Maru 1931 and the Shunsei Maru 213 The salvage of Shunsei Maru 218 Inspection report 2009 221 Conservation report 2009 222 The orwegianN Bay Barge 231 Mildura 1907 233 Fairy Queen (ex Rhio) 1875 242 Fairy Queen in modern times 245 PART 3 Undiscovered sites in the Ningaloo Reef area 248 Mercury 1833–4 249 Occator 1856 249 Brothers 1867 Cutter lost all six on board 250 Cape Cuvier site c. 1874 250 Bertha 1874 250 Cock of the North 1879 251 Queen 1892 (1880) 252 Don Joseph 1899 252 GSS 1901 Lugger 254 Don 1902 Schooner 254 Wyndham 1910 Lugger 254 Queen of the Seas 1916 Motor Sailer 254 Langdon Lugger B3 1942 255 Kittyhawk aircraft 1943 255 American Submarine Chaser SC-751, 1943 255 Three Sisters II 1976 259 Undated site Cape Farquhar 259 Undated site at Butterfly Bay 259 Norwegian Bay Whaling Station boat 260 General conclusions 261 References 262 v List of Figures Figure 1. The 1997 WA Museum expedition team with Billy and Jane Lefroy and the Stefano bell. Left to right: Geoff Kimpton, Billie Lefroy, Jeremy Green, Bob Richards, Jane Lefroy and Mack McCarthy, insert Edgar Lefroy (Jeremy Green). xvi Figure 2. Map of the study area showing wreck sites (Jeremy Green). xvii Figure 3. Sunset at Ningaloo beach with museum workboat Seaspray (Patrick Baker). 1 Figure 4. Chart of Louis Stanislas d’Arcy Delarochette A chart of the Indian Ocean [cartographic material]: improved from the chart of M. D’Après De Mannevillette; with the addition of a part of the Pacific Ocean, as well as of the original tracks of the principal discoverers, or other navigators to India and China; and in which it has been attempted to give a chronological indication of the successive discoveries, 1817. Published by W. Faden. 2 Figure 5. Chart of Mortier Covens et fils Carte Générale de la Polijnesie Australe ou des Îles Éparses de la Mer Pacifique, 1801 showing Cloates Island and Bally Island. 3 Figure 6. Chart of J.M. Reineke General charte von Australien: nach den neuesten entdeckungs-reisen und astronomischen bestimungen, 1801 showing Cloates Island and Bally Island. 3 Figure 7. Philip Parker King’s map of Point Cloates. 5 Figure 8. View of the Norwegian Bay Whaling Station from the Manager’s House, 1952 (R.G. Chittleborough). 17 Figure 9. Aerial photograph of the Norwegian Bay Whaling Station in 1946 (from the Stanley Fowler Collection, courtesy of R.G. Chittleborough). 17 Figure 10. Brick fire-box, 1982 and 2007 (Colin Cockram). 19 Figure 11. Chain 1 (Colin Cockram). 19 Figure 12. Chain 2 (Colin Cockram). 19 Figure 13. Early Norwegian digesters (Colin Cockram). 20 Figure 14. Flensing deck winches (Colin Cockram). 20 Figure 15. General view of storage tanks, brick fire-box and boilers from the south-west (Colin Cockram). 20 Figure 16. Horizontal medium pressure boiler (Colin Cockram). 21 Figure 17. Looking north from Station 1 (Colin Cockram). 21 Figure 18. View of the whaling station from the ‘new’ Manager’s residence (Colin Cockram). 21 Figure 19. Oil storage tanks (Colin Cockram). 22 Figure 20. Remains of steam winches at seaward end of flensing deck (Colin Cockram). 22 Figure 21. Seaward approach (Colin Cockram). 22 Figure 22. GIS showing the locations of the main objects on the site (Jeremy Green). 29 Figure 23. Setting up the Total Station at Station 1. View to the south-south-west showing remains of a vertical marine boiler (see Stanbury, 1985: 38, fig. 19) and to the right, the engine of the now demolished brick fire-box (Myra Stanbury). 30 Figure 24. Corioli Souter setting up the OmniStar and DGPS (Myra Stanbury). 30 Figure 25. Total Station survey from Station 1 based on 1982 landmarks. Looking south (Myra Stanbury). 31 Figure 26. View from Station 2 back to Station 1 (Myra Stanbury). 31 Figure 27. Setting up the DGPS at Station 3 (Myra Stanbury). 32 Figure 28. View from Station 3 back to Station 1 (Myra Stanbury). 32 Figure 29. Total Station set up at Station 3 (Myra Stanbury). 32 Figure 30. Panorama of the whaling station at Norwegian Bay, May 2009 (Myra Stanbury). 33 Figure 31. Bottle site (Myra Stanbury).