Over 1400 ships have been wrecked on the coast of Western Australia. This relatively large number of shipwrecks is due to a number of factors, including: * a long and very difficult coastline with very few natural harbours; * powerful storms and gales that are very common at certain times of the year (these winds are normally on-shore); * a long cyclone season rendering all sea travel hazardous and many harbours ineffectual in providing a safe haven; * the inability to accurately measure longitude until the late 18th century, and the tendency to reduce ships' travel time by keeping them in the "

Roaring Forties The Roaring Forties are strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40°S and 50°S. The strong west-to-east air currents are caused by the combination of air being displaced from the Equator ...

" for as long as possible, which caused many ships to fail to turn north for the Indies at the right time.

Listings

Most listings of the wrecks of Western Australia present them chronologically or group them into regions, areas or adjacent capes and coastal features, so as to divide the large number into manageable collections, thematic or regional studies. These groupings and individual data on each site can be seen in electronic databases and in a number of 'hard copy' works produced by a number of authors (e.g. the Australian Shipwrecks series, by

Charles Bateson Charles Bateson (4 August 1903 – 5 July 1974) was a maritime historian, journalist and author. Early life Charles Henry Bateson was born in Wellington, New Zealand, son of Charles Bateson, a company manager born Liverpool, England, and moth ...

and then by

Jack Loney Jack Kenneth Loney (21 October 1925 – 13 February 1995) was an amateur Australian maritime historian who published over one hundred books and numerous newspaper and magazine articles. He was a schoolteacher and principal until his retirement. ...

appearing in both formats) and in focussing specifically on Western Australia, by the Department of Maritime Archaeology at the

Western Australian Museum The Western Australian Museum is a statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, now known as WA Museum Boola Bardip, officially re-ope ...

. Its CEO is charged with the responsibility of managing the wrecks lying offshore and in inland rivers and estuaries for both the State of Western Australia and the Commonwealth Government. A chronological listing of all known wrecks on the Western Australian coast, for example, appears in the three volume 'Unfinished Voyages' Series produced by Graeme Henderson with the assistance of other authors. Sarah Kenderdine produced an analysis of the historic wrecks of the Metropolitan coast. WA Museum volunteers and Honorary Associates, Peter and Jill Worsley, together with David Totty produced an analysis of wrecks on the mid-west coast. Other databases produced by the WA Museum include its 'Strangers on the Shore' listing. This work produced by cultural heritage student Lesley Silvester assisted by Michael Murray appears in both hard copy and electronic form and it documents the many interactions between Indigenous people and shipwreck survivors. They landed bereft of the trappings of power that are normally associated with those arriving for exploration, trading or commerce, rendering the interaction doubly of importance in analysing indigenous reactions to 'foreign' presence on their shores. The Australian Netherlands Committee on old Dutch Shipwrecks (ANCODS) provides details specific to the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

(VOC) ships lost on the coast, including database on the artefacts raised. The VOC Society is another group providing information on the Dutch wrecks on the coast. Though concentrating on the Dutch East India Company, it also produces regional listings providing information on many shipwrecks. To assist researchers in obtaining detailed information on many of the wrecks (other than that appearing in its books, articles and journal entries) the WA Museum has made all its unpublished departmental reports available in PDF form. These deal with a wide variety of shipwreck-related issues.

Regions

The WA Museum has also produced a series of pamphlets documenting wrecks in specific regions. Part of its 'wreck trail', or 'wreck access' concept welcoming visitors to shipwrecks as part of 'their' maritime heritage, these and the plaques placed above and below water at many sites are aimed towards cultural tourism, the recreational visitor and schools. Provision is also made for access to sites for people with disabilities, though this program produced with assistance from residents of the Rocky Bay Village is yet in its infancy. Sustainable visitation to the shipwrecks is welcomed and only three wrecks off the coast of Western Australia require a permit for entry to the site. These are the VOC ship ''

Zuytdorp ''Zuytdorp'', also ''Zuiddorp'' (meaning "South Village", after Zuiddorpe, an extant village in the south of Zeeland in the Netherlands, near the Belgian border) was an 18th-century trading ship of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost ...

'' and the WWII adversaries ''Kormoran'' and . While also presenting its work in books, journals and other specialist outlets, the Department has also promulgated all its wreck reports to the web where they are available in PDF form. Appearing also are bibliographic and artefact databases, shipwreck projects and other data.

Notable wrecks

The first known wreck on the Western Australian coast was the ''Trial'' (''

Tryall ''Tryall'' (or ''Trial'') was a British East India Company-owned East Indiaman launched in 1621. She was under the command of John Brooke when she was wrecked on the Tryal Rocks off the north-west coast of Western Australia in 1622. Her crew ...

'') in 1622. The Dutch East India Ship (VOC) ''

Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...

'', which was lost in 1629, is the best known, being the subject of many books, articles, an opera and numerous films. All the VOC ships following (see list below) have attracted considerable interest, partly because of the treasure they carried, the remarkable stories of their destruction and in some cases salvation, and also the possibility that in some cases survivors may have intermingled with the indigenous inhabitants. This is especially of interest at the wrecks of the ''

Vergulde Draeck The ''Vergulde Draeck'' (), also spelled ''Vergulde Draak'' and ''Vergulde Draek'', was a , ship constructed in 1653 by the Dutch East India Company ( nl, Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, commonly abbreviated to VOC). The wrecking of the ''V ...

'' and ''

''. Other notable pre-colonial wrecks include ''Correio da Azia'', a Portuguese Despatch vessel bound for Macau, and ''Rapid'', an American China Trader bound for the Indies. These were both wrecked on the Ningaloo Reef, which like the Abrolhos Islands off Geraldton was a notorious "ship trap". Of the colonial-era wrecks, the ''James Matthews'', a former

slave ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...

, and the , an iron-hulled steamer with a unique ex-gunboat engine are the most prominent. Others prominent on the basis of their being excavated and on the amount of research conducted into them include the ''Elizabeth'' ''Belinda'', ''Stefano'', and ''Eglinton'', all early wooden-hulled merchant vessels; the ''Sepia'' and ''Europa'', iron barques; the ''Day Dawn'', a former American whale ship; and the wooden whalers ''Star'', ''Lively'', and ''Lady Lyttelton'' . The iron-hulled SS ''Macedon'', the composite barque ''Lady Elizabeth'' and the other

Rottnest Island shipwrecks Since the first Europeans visited the west coast of Australia in the 17th century, Rottnest Island has seen numerous shipwrecks. The long and wide island is surrounded by hidden and partly exposed reefs whilst being buffeted by north-w ...

assume considerable prominence as a suite of sites presented in the "wreck trail", "wreck access" or "museum-without-walls" mode. In the modern era, and the German auxiliary cruiser ''Kormoran'', adversaries in World War II, have been the subject of extensive study. Both wrecks were discovered in 2008.

Timeline of significant wrecks

This is a listing of all shipwrecks recorded on the WA Museum database. * 1622 ''

'',

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

ship, on the

Tryal Rocks Tryal Rocks, sometimes spelled Trial Rocks or Tryall Rocks, formerly known as Ritchie's Reef or Greyhound's Shoal, is a reef of rock located in the Indian Ocean off the northwest coast of Australia, northwest of the outer edge of the Montebell ...

, near the

Monte Bello Islands The Montebello Islands, also rendered as the Monte Bello Islands, are an archipelago of around 174 small islands (about 92 of which are named) lying north of Barrow Island (Western Australia), Barrow Island and off the Pilbara region of We ...

* 1629 ''

'',

(VOC) ship, on the

Houtman Abrolhos The Houtman Abrolhos (often called the Abrolhos Islands) is a chain of 122 islands and associated coral reefs, in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia, about west of Geraldton, Western Australia. It is the southernmost true coral ...

* 1656 ''

'', VOC ship, near

Ledge Point Ledge or Ledges may refer to: * Ridge, a geological feature * Reef, an underwater feature * Stratum, a layer of rock * A narrow, flat area with cliff faces or steep slopes both below and above, a one sided cut into a cliff or mountain side * Slan ...

* 1712 ''

'', VOC ship, north of Kalbarri * 1727 ''

Zeewijk The ''Zeewijk'' (or ''Zeewyk'') was an 18th-century East Indiaman of the Dutch East India Company ( nl, Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, commonly abbreviated to VOC) that was shipwrecked at the Houtman Abrolhos, off the coast of Western Austr ...

'', VOC ship, on the Houtman Abrolhos * c.1806-08 ''Lively'', English whaler, on Mermaid Reef,

Rowley Shoals The Rowley Shoals is a group of three atoll-like coral reefs south of the Timor Sea, about west of Broome on the northwestern Australian coast, centered on , on the edge of one of the widest continental shelves in the world. Each atoll cover ...

* 1811 ''Rapid'', American China trader, on

Ningaloo Reef The Ningaloo Coast is a World Heritage Site located in the north west coastal region of Western Australia. The heritage-listed area is located approximately north of Perth, along the East Indian Ocean. The distinctive Ningaloo Reef that fring ...

* 1816 ''Correio Da Azia'', Portuguese Despatch vessel, on Ningaloo Reef * 1824 ''

Belinda Belinda is a feminine given name of unknown origin, apparently coined from Italian ''bella'', meaning "beautiful". Alternatively it may be derived from the Old High German name ''Betlinde'', which possibly meant "bright serpent" or "bright linde ...

'', A coastal brig, at Middle Island, Esperance * 1829 '' Marquis of Anglesea'', a ship, at

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

* 1830 ''James'', A colonial trader, at Owen Anchorage, south of Fremantle * 1830 ''Emily Taylor'', a brig, blown ashore near Fremantle * 1830 ''Cumberland'', British ship, south of Hamelin Bay * 1839 ''Elizabeth'', Australian barque, near Cottesloe * 1839 ''Lancier'', French barque, near Stragglers Reef, Fremantle * 1839 ''North America'', American wooden ship rig, whaler, at Koombana Bay * 1840 ''Governor Endicott'', American barque, whaler, at Toby Inlet, Geographe Bay * 1840 ''Samuel Wright'' American whale ship, beached at Koombana Bay * 1841 ''Perseverant'', French whaler, on Dirk Hartog Island * 1841 ''James Matthews'', a wooden brig and former slave-ship, at Woodman Point * 1842 ''Ocean Queen'', British barque, on the Abrolhos * 1844 ''Cervantes'', a wooden whaling barque, at Cervantes * 1849 '' Arpenteur'', British brig, Hassell Beach in Cheyne Bay * 1850 ''Harlequin'', Australian schooner, West Cape Howe, west of Albany * 1850 ''Wave'', Australian brigantine, in Cheyne Bay * 1852 ''Eglinton'', a wooden barque, lost off Wanneroo * 1859 ''Robertina'', Australian brig, near Rockingham * 1861 ''Cochituate'', American barque, on the Abrolhos * 1863 ''African'', British ship, on African Reef south of Geraldton * 1864 ''Calliance'', British ship, at Camden Harbour * 1867 ''Emma'', Australian schooner, Ningaloo Reef * 1867 ''Lass of Geraldton'', Australian 2-masted schooner, southwest of Peel Inlet * 1867 ''Favourite'', Australian coaster, Port Gregory * 1867 ''

Lady Lyttleton ''Lady Lyttleton'' was a barque that sunk in the Emu Point Channel in Oyster Harbour near Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The ship was built as ''Sultan'', with a female figurehead and a single deck. It was registe ...

'', British barque, in

King George Sound King George Sound ( nys , Menang Koort) is a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use ...

* 1868 ''Northumberland'', a wooden barque, in King George Sound * 1872 ''

SS Xantho SS ''Xantho'' was a steam ship used in the colony of Western Australia as a pearling transport and mothership, as a tramp steamer, carrying passengers, including Aboriginal convicts and trade goods before she sank at Port Gregory, Western Austr ...

'', an iron hulled steamer, at Port Gregory * 1872 ''

Fanny Nicholson ''Fanny Nicholson'' was an iron-framed, timber-clad barque that sank in 1872 in Frenchman's Bay in King George Sound near Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The barque was built in Hartlepool in County Durham. It was fi ...

'', Australian whaling barque in King George Sound * 1874 ''

Centaur A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being ...

'', Scottish-built iron brig, north of Fremantle * 1874 ''Chalmers'', British ship, near Rockingham * 1874 ''Sea Bird'', Australian two-masted schooner, Seabird near Moore RIver * 1874 ''Contest'', British barque, near Rockingham * 1875 ''Fairy Queen'', Australian brigantine, at Exmouth Gulf * 1875 ''Stefano'', an Austro-Hungarian barque, on the Ningaloo Reef * 1870s An unidentified wooden ship, on the Ningaloo Reef * 1875 ''Zedora'', British barque, off Fremantle * 1876 ''Gem'', Australian cutter, off Rottnest island * 1876 ''Hero of the Nile'', British barque, near Rockingham * 1876 ''

SS Georgette SS ''Georgette'' was a steamship built in 1872. She is best known, especially in Irish-American circles, for the part played in the story of the ''Catalpa'' rescue in April 1876. While the events surrounding her shipwrecking eight months late ...

'' Australian steamer, Calgardup Gully, Margaret River * 1877 ''Hadda'', Australian barque, in the Abrolhos Islands * 1877 ''Twilight'', Australian cutter, Twilight Cove, near Esperance * 1877 ''Bunyip'', Australian cutter, Twilight Cove, near Esperance * 1878 '' Lady Elizabeth'', British composite barque, off Rottnest island * 1878 ''Diana'', British schooner, south of Fremantle * 1878 ''James Service'', Australian iron barque, off Mandurah * 1878 ''Marten'', Australian schooner, in the Abrolhos Islands * 1879 ''Ben Ledi'', British iron ship, in the Abrolhos Islands * 1879 ''Rosette'', Australian schooner,

Rosemary Island Rosemary Island is an island in the Dampier Archipelago in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. With Enderby Island it forms Class A Nature Reserve 36915, part of a proposed national park. During World War II an airstrip was established at ...

, Dampier Archipelago * 1879 ''Mary'', Australian schooner, near Busselton * 1879 ''Manfred'', British barque, in the Lacepede Islands * c.1880 Browse Island unidentified, Guano ship? * c.1880 Ringbolt Bay unidentified, Australian barge near Augusta * c.1880

Mardie Station Mardie Station is a pastoral lease and sheep then cattle station that was established in 1866 in the Pilbara region of Western Australia near the mouth of the Fortescue River. The leasee in 2012 was Fourseasons Corporation; Mardie is operating ...

unidentified, Australian pearler? * 1880 ''Batoe Bassi'', Dutch barque, near Esperance * 1880 ''Mayflower'', Australian brig, near Augusta * 1880 ''Star'', Australian schooner, near Rockingham * 1882 ''Agincourt'', Australian wood barque, Hamelin Bay * 1883 ''Chaudiere'', Australian wood barque, Hamelin Bay * 1883 ''SS Macedon'', an iron steamer, off Rottnest island * 1884 ''Yarra'', Australian iron barque, Scott Reef * 1885 ''Kingfisher'', Australian iron hulk, Albany * 1886 ''SS Right Jeremy'', a former whale chaser, Esperance * 1886 ''Mira Flores'', German iron barque, off Rottnest island * 1886 ''Belle of Bunbury'', Australian schooner, off Penguin Island * 1886 ''Day Dawn'', Australian barque, in Careening Bay * 1887 ''Janet'', Australian schooner, off Rottnest island * 1887 ''SS Perth'', Australian iron screw steamer, Ningaloo reef * 1887 ''Amur'', Australian barque, near Rockingham * 1888 ''Benan'', British iron ship, Ningaloo reef * 1888 ''Ada'', Australian cutter, Oyster harbour, Albany * 1890 ''Denton Holme'', British iron barque, off Rottnest island * 1891 ''Raven'', Australian barque, off Rottnest island * 1891 '' Eveline Mary'', Australian schooner, Abrolhos * 1892 ''SS Sunbeam'', British iron screw steamer, Osborne Islands * 1893 ''Dato'', Australian brig, Carreening Bay * 1893 ''Ulidia'', British iron schooner, off Fremantle * 1893 ''Priestman Dredge'', British grab dredge, off Fremantle * 1894 ''SS Eddystone'', Australian iron screw steamer, Depuch Island * 1894 ''Sarah Burnyeat'', Australian wood hulk, Albany * 1895 ''Mayhill'', British steel 4-masted barque, off Geraldton * 1897 ''Europa'', Italian barque, near Jurien Bay * 1897 ''Villalta'', British steel barque, Moore River * 1897 ''Carbet Castle'', British iron barque, Koombanah Bay * 1898 ''Redemptora'', (ex North American), wooden

Clipper A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. Clippers were generally narrow for their length, small by later 19th century standards, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. "C ...

ship (built in 1851) abandoned/sunk in Jervoise Bay in 1898 * 1898 ''Sepia'', an iron barque, off Carnac Island * 1899 ''

City of York The City of York is a unitary authority area with city status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The district's main settlement is York, and it extends to the surrounding area including the town of Haxby and the villages of E ...

'', British iron barque, off Rottnest island * 1899 ''

Carlisle Castle Carlisle Castle is a medieval stone keep castle that stands within the English city of Carlisle near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. First built during the reign of William II in 1093 and rebuilt in stone under Henry I in 1122, the castle is over ...

'', British iron ship, near Rockingham * 1900 ''Katinka'', German iron barque, Hamelin Bay * 1900 ''Cambria'', Australian steamship, off Rottnest Island * 1901 ''Gudrun'', Norwegian barque, Shark Bay * 1901 ''SS Karrakatta'', Australian iron screw steamer, Cape Leveque * 1901 ''Highland Forest'', British barque, Warnbro near Rockingham * 1901 ''Ville de Rouen'', French 4-masted barque, Moore River * 1902 ''SS Zvir'', Australian iron screw steamer, Ningaloo reef * 1902 ''SS Franklin'', Australian iron screw steamer, Point Malcolm east of Esperance * 1903 ''SS Escort'', Australian steam tug, Walpole * 1903 ''Camilla'', Australian lighter, south of Fremantle * 1904 ''SS Mildura'', Australian iron screw steamer, North West Cape * 1904 ''Conference'', Australian iron barque, Quinn's Rocks north of Fremantle * 1905 ''Omeo'', Australian iron barque South of Fremantle * 1905 ''SS Orizaba'', British steel screw steamer, near Rockingham * 1908 ''SS Windsor'', British steel screw steamer, Abrolhos islands * 1910 ''

SS Pericles SS ''Pericles'' was a UK steam ocean liner and refrigerated cargo ship. She was launched in 1907 in Ireland for the Aberdeen Line service between Great Britain and Australia via South Africa. When new, she was the largest ship on the route. ...

'', off Cape Leeuwin. * 1911 ''Mandalay'', Norwegian iron barque, south coast * 1912 ''Crown of England'', Norwegian iron ship, Depuch Island * 1912 ''

SS Koombana SS ''Koombana'' was a late Edwardian-era passenger, cargo and mail carrying steamship. From March 1909 to March 1912, she operated coastal liner services between Fremantle, Western Australia and various ports in the northwest of that state. ...

'', off

Port Hedland A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

* 1914 ''SS Cambewarra'', Australian iron screw steamer, Jurien Bay * 1914 ''Grace Darling'', Australian schooner, Lancelin * 1916 ''Dunster Castle'', Australian screw steamer, Shoal Cape, Esperance * 1917 ''SS Dunskey'', Australian tug, Nornalup Inlet * 1923 ''SS Fin'', Norwegian iron whaleship, Ningaloo reef * 1923 ''SS Venus'', Australian, Moore River * 1923 ''Sea Flower'', Seabird near Moore River * 1920s 19-Mile Unidentified pearling schooner?, Broome * 1921 ''Arab'', Australian schooner, Abrolhos * 1922 ''

SS Kwinana SS ''Kwinana'' was an Australian ocean-going cargo and passenger steamship. She was built in England in 1892 as the cargo ship SS ''Darius''. In 1912 she changed owners, was refitted as a cargo and passenger ship and renamed ''Kwinana''. She w ...

'', Australian, off Kwinana * 1926 ''Abemama'', 3-masted schooner, Jervoise Bay * 1930 ''SS Dolphin'', Penguin Island, Jervoise Bay * 1930s Turtle Boat, Australian, wooden, near Rockingham * 1931 ''SS Alacrity'', tugboat, Jervoise Bay * 1931 ''SS Chofuku Maru'', Japanese iron screw steamer, Ningaloo reef * 1936 ''SS Stanford'', Norwegian motor ship, African Reef south of Geraldton * 1942 ''Uribes'', Australian 3-masted schooner, Thompson Bay, Rottnest island * 1942 and the German auxiliary cruiser ''Kormoran'', off Shark Bay * 1961 ''Jon Jim'', a fishing boat, wrecked at

Pelsaert Island Pelsaert Island is one of the islands of the Pelsaert Group, which is the southernmost of the three groups of islands that make up the Houtman Abrolhos island chain in Western Australia. Nominally located at , it consists of a number ...

* 1963 '' SS Alkimos'', a former Liberty Ship, north of Fremantle * 1990 ''SS Cheynes II'', a former whale chaser, in King George Sound * 1991 ''

Sanko Harvest ''Sanko Harvest'' was a 32,502 DWT dry bulk carrier that sank off Esperance, Western Australia after striking a charted reef on 14 February 1991. The Korean-crewed Japanese-owned ship was long and was carrying a cargo of 32,790 tonnes of phosp ...

'', in the Archipelago of the Recherché

Notes

References