September ~ Winter 2014 Issue 133 HMAS Pioneer Discovered The wreck of HMAS Pioneer, a Pelorus-class light The pair, who both have backgrounds in cruiser, which served during WW1 was discovered engineering have been recreaonal divers for 30 by Sco@ Willan and a crew who completed the first years before they decided to purchase a Side dive with him including: Max Gleeson, Damien Scanner to assist in the search for new wrecks to Siviero, Geoff Cook and Save wood . explore. The scanner was purchased on Ebay, and formerly belonged to MariMme Safety Queensland. The wreck located four kilometers out from the Sydney coastline, is an impressive 93m long and is The unit was only parMally operaonal when it was sMll relavely intact. However, some of the bought by Steve and Sco@ spent around eight superstructure and upper decks were removed prior months and more than $10,000 making it fit for use, to the wreck being scu@led. to date spending more than $17,000. Another twelve months followed before the scanner was Sco@ and Steve came across the wreck aer analysis fine tuned and running reasonably well. of raw data provided by CSIRO, Marine Naonal Facility. Together they have been searching for ConMnued page four. wrecks since the purchase of their Side Scan Sonar three years ago. HMAS Pioneer - Damien Siviero VE Reviewers Kenneth Memorial Needed McPherson Lecture Memorial Lecture The 2014 Vaughan Evans Howard Gray, Reviews Memorial Lecture was a Editor for Great Circle has Confirmed for 14 huge success - page 6-7 Four more Mtles needing November. All upcoming reviewers - page 5 events page 4. Two From the President Bergen is the ancient capital of Norway and is currently its leading port for shipping, servicing the North Sea Oil fields, the Royal Members following Norwegian Navy and the fishing industry. the Associaon’s Facebook page will Both our organisaons share goals to promote have read a li@le of mariMme history and research and I thank Atle my recent trip to and Per for taking Mme out to meet me to discuss Copenhagen, mariMme history maers and for a tour of the Stockholm, Oslo Museum. and Bergen. I took every opportunity I By the Mme you receive this, the annual Vaughan could to visit Evans Memorial Lecture will have been held for mariMme museums the first Mme in Brisbane at the Queensland and places of interest. I also met new member MariMme Museum. Saturday 30 August was the Associate Professor Rene Paulson in Copenhagen centenary of Australia’s first ‘combined’ and Dr Atle Thowsen, Director Emeritus, and operaon with New Zealand forces landing in Associate Professor Per Sebak at the Bergen German Samoa under the guns of the Australian, MariMme Museum. BriMsh and French Fleet and guest speaker, Captain Ian Pfennigwerth PhD RAN (Rtd) topic for The Bergen MariMme Museum opened in 1921 the lecture was The Royal Australian Navy at war and provides high quality presentaons on in 1914. Ian Pfennigwerth served in the RAN for Norwegian mariMme history (not just Bergen) and 35 years and has authored eight published books has public and academic research programs. It is on Australian naval history. also responsible for the very rich mariMme archaeology of the region. Peter The historic wharf area of Bryggen in Bergen, Norway. These buildings were once the warehouses, offices and living quarters of the HanseaGc League which dominated trade into and out of many European ciGes for over 400 years. In more recent Gmes, Norway developed a formidable ship building and shipping industry. Norwegian crews and ships are very familiar with Australian ports. Even with compeGGon from Asia, Norwegian mariGme businesses are sGll prominent with companies such as the Wallenius Whilhelmson line vehicles carriers a familiar sight in Australian ports. Three From the Editor late October event in Albany marking the RAN’s departure. Dear all, Also this issue I had the pleasure to talk to Sco@ This issue has Willan about his Side Scan Sonar, which he and been another Steve Lonegran are using to discover new wrecks interesMng of the New South Wales coast. journey, as I conMnue to As we approach the end of the year, I hope you learn about the have been enjoying 2014’s new look Quarterly interesMng Newsle@er. As always feedback and contribuMons world of are welcome. MariMme History. I am Safe travels. eagerly awaiMng the next WA event, with the Kenneth McPherson Memorial Lecture taking Sarah-Jane place at the WA MariMme Museum on 14th November. I am also hoping to aend the special HMAS Pioneer Using this method of surveying since they bough the unit Steve and Sco@ have discovered 17 new wrecks in the last twelve months, of those about Side Scan Sonar works by eming sounds across ten or twelve are classed as “historic” and more the sea bo@om, in the same way light creates than 75-years-old. Among their other discoveries lumps and shadows the scanner can provide are the original quaranMne staon and mooring images of debris on the ocean floor. point off Sydney’s coast. They have also found the legacy of Australia’s WW2 defenses in One of the challenges in locang wrecks like various remnants discovered in the bo@om of HMAS Pioneer is sorMng through vast volumes of Sydney Harbour. data, which is generated addiMonally to their own data, which Sco@ and Steve oNen collect Sco@ explains that more than anything this kind from government departments and reassess it of work takes Mme and persistence. They have for potenMal shipwreck targets. recently begun developing a Newsle@er to recognise the contribuMons of their data Sco@ explained this reassessment of data in the providers. search for wrecks was in part coming at it from a different perspecMve. If you’d like to view the discovery of HMAS Pioneer, a video is available at vimeo.com/ ‘They are trying to put together a “google map” 89867057 and we’re trying to find someone with a pool in the backyard,’ Sco@ said. Anyone interested in learning more about their discoveries should contact Steve or Sco@ via www.nswwrecks.info Four Brig Amity Research Continues In All Respects Ready Since the last ediMon of the Quarterly David Stevens, one of Great Circle’s book Newsle@er Danny Tangney has conMnued his reviewers, is soon to release a book of his efforts to create an exhibiMon remembering own. Brig Amity and verifying the accuracy of its replica. In All Respects Ready: Australia’s Navy in World War One, provides detailed and He has conMnued his detecMve work, receiving comprehsive accounts of the RAN’s about 100 pages of documents from the State involvement in WW1. The book is described as Library of Tasmania containing records of the more than just a chronological history but an Brig Amity when she was owned by Captain engaging narrave of the war at sea. James Kelly, of Hobart Town, and was used as a whaler. Danny has also been researching social Published by Oxford University Press, the book and economic environment at the Mme Brig is set to become available in November, at a Amity was in service. He has also been lucky cost of $59.99. When ordering in advance from enough to gain access to the journal and www.oup.com.au/stevens, enter the code records of the current replica builder. This STEV20 for a 20%discount. imformaon he is compiling alongside his other research with the aim of creang a book. Danny is sMll working on exhibiMon themes, Upcoming Events while The City of Albany is focused on organizing ANZAC centenary events. • 17th-21st September 2014 10th MariMme Heritage Conference (USA) - www.seahistory.org/10th-mariMme- heritage-conference-sept-17-21 Renovation planned • 2nd-3rd October 2014 Australian InsMtute of MariMme Archaeology A 102-year-old Steamship from Tasmania, Conference - www.aima-underwater.org.au/ named Cartela, is likely to begin being restored. conference-2014/ • 31st October- 2nd November 2014 Albany Cartela was constructed in Hobart at Baery Convoy Commemorave Event, see website Point by Purdon and Featherstone. She was for details - www.anzaccentenary.gov.au/ intended to operate as a cargo and passenger program/acce.htm vessel. At the outbreak of WW1 she was • 2nd November 2014 requisiMoned by the Royal Australian Navy to Voyage to Gallipoli - Meet author Peter assist in protecMng the Port of Hobart. Her rich Plowman at the Australian Naonal history is detailed on the website of MariMme Museum - www.anmm.gov.au/ Steamshipcartela.com.au. whats-on/calendar/voyage-to-gallipoli • 14th November 2014 “SteamShip Cartela Limited” is the organisaon Kenneth McPherson Memorial Lecture, WA which is undertaking the project to restore her. MariMme Museum They are currently waiMng on Federal Funding to go ahead with the project. Five name SUTLEJ was discovered, the man was The Lost Antares buried in Warrnambool cemetery. In 1914 the windjammer Antares was lost on the With quesMons and mystery sMll overhanging shores of Victoria, near Nullawerre. Originally events and her crew, descendants of those who named SUTLEJ, she was built in Glasgow in 1888, first reported the siMng of the wreckage are but renamed in 1907. seeking to find possible relaves of the lost crew, somewhat of a challenge given there is no Shipping records suggest she was a regular available manifesto to reference. visitor to Australia, she would carry a general cargo that oNen included items such as roofing A headstone at the single burial site is already in Mles and marble. existence to commemorate the event. Later this year an addiMonal small plaque will be installed At the Mme of her disappearence she was long at the Mme of a dedicaon ceremony.