The Society for Underwater Historical Research (SUHR) was an amateur

maritime archaeology Maritime archaeology (also known as marine archaeology) is a discipline within archaeology as a whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains, be they vessels, s ...

organisation operating in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

(SA). It was formed in 1974 by recreational scuba divers and other persons to pursue an interest in

and

maritime history Maritime history is the study of human interaction with and activity at sea. It covers a broad thematic element of history that often uses a global approach, although national and regional histories remain predominant. As an academic subject, it ...

. The SUHR was renamed as the South Australian Archaeology Society in March 2012 as part of a plan to expand its activities beyond maritime archaeology to include other archaeological disciplines.

Origins

The SUHR was founded in September 1974 by recreational scuba divers principally from the Underwater Explorers Club of South Australia (UEC) and occupational scuba divers from government agencies such as the

South Australian Museum The South Australian Museum is a natural history museum and research institution in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856 and owned by the Government of South Australia. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultu ...

and the

South Australian Police South Australia Police (SAPOL) is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. SAPOL is an independent statutory agency of the Government of South Australia directed by the Commissioner of Police, who reports to the Minister for ...

, as well as a number of individuals interested in

. The origin of the SUHR is due in part to the positive public response to the aftermath of a successful expedition in 1973 to locate and recover two

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...

s discarded during 1803 by whilst under the command of

Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to u ...

off the coast of what is now Western Australia. The recovery of the anchors and their connection to the voyage of HMS ''Investigator'' is commemorated in the inclusion of the best bower anchor and the outline of the Australian continent on the SUHR emblem.

Organisation

After its formation in 1974, the SUHR was initially managed by a committee consisting of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and the following specialist officers – Research Officer, Registrar of Relics (added in 1976), an officer to liaise with the responsible part of the South Australian Government which was initially the South Australian Museum, and an officer to liaise with the South Australian Police Force (removed in 1978). By the late 1970s, it had evolved into a project-based organisation whose work consisted of activities such as planning, research, exploration, logistics, photography, survey and the publication of reports. Activities such as recovery and conservation, while historically significant, ceased to be carried out in the late 1980s except where permitted by archaeological practice. In April 1982, a group within the membership who were unhappy with the increasing level of professionalization, resigned and founded a competing organisation known as the Nautical Archaeology Association of South Australia. In 1999, after nearly a decade of stagnation, new life was breathed in the organisation via new funding opportunities and interest in membership from undergraduate and postgraduate archaeology students.

Projects

The 1970s

* The SUHR’s first project was a survey ( including excavation of artefacts) of the remains of the Glenelg Jetty at

Holdfast Bay The Holdfast Bay is a small bay in Gulf St Vincent, next to Adelaide, South Australia. Along its shores lie the local government area of the City of Holdfast Bay and the suburbs of Glenelg and Glenelg North European settlement on Holdfast Bay ...

which were destroyed by a storm in April 1948. *''

Loch Vennachar ''Loch Vennachar'' was an iron-hulled, three-masted clipper ship that was built in Scotland in 1875 and lost with all hands off the coast of South Australia in 1905. She spent her entire career with the Glasgow Shipping Company, trading betwee ...

'' – discovery of the wreck site on the west coast of

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

in 1976, a site survey and the recovery of some material in February 1977 followed by the recovery and conservation of an anchor in 1980. * Morgan – recovery of artefacts from the

River Murray The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...

immediately adjoining the wharf during the years 1977 to 1983. * ''Star of Greece'' – a survey of the wreck site at

Port Willunga Port Willunga is a semi-rural suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is known as Wirruwarrungga or Ruwarunga by the traditional owners, the Kaurna people, and is of significance as being the site of a freshwater spring said to be created by the ...

during early 1978. * ''

Grecian The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, other ...

'' – survey of the shipwreck located near North Haven including the recovery of some material during the years 1978 to 1980. * ''Santiago'' – survey of the abandoned hull near

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

during 1978. * '' Lady Kinnaird'' – the recovery of a large anchor from the wreck site near

Port Neill Port Neill (formerly Carrow) is a small coastal town on the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsula, in South Australia about 3 km off the Lincoln Highway (Australia), Lincoln Highway between the major towns of Whyalla and Port Lincoln. It is 576 ...

during 1979 in response to a request from the local community, and its subsequent conservation and installation for public display in Port Neill in 1980. * ''Norma'' – a survey of the wreck site located west of

Semaphore Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...

during the period April to December 1979.

The 1980s

* An anchor found in

Fishery Bay __NOTOC__ Sleaford Bay is a bay located in the Australian state of South Australia on the southern coast of Eyre Peninsula. It was named by the British navigator, Matthew Flinders in 1802. Extent & description Sleaford Bay is located on the s ...

near

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...

by an

abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any of a group of small to very large marine gastropod molluscs in the family (biology), family Haliotidae. Other common name In biology, a common name of a taxon o ...

diver was recovered by the SUHR and local divers during January 1981. It was then conserved with the intent of placing it on public display at 'Whaler’s Way', a privately owned nature reserve near the site where the anchor was originally found. The anchor is currently on display at the Axel Stenross Maritime Museum in Port Lincoln. * ''Tigress'' – discovery of the shipwreck at Robinson Point south of Port Noarlunga in late 1981 and the subsequent recovery of artefacts from shipwreck site in early 1982. *

Wardang Island Wardang Island, also known as Waralti (also spelled Waraldi or Wauraltee) is a low-lying 20 km2 island in the Spencer Gulf close to the western coast of the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. It acts as a natural breakwater, protecting the f ...

– a survey carried out in early 1982 to locate and document the wreck sites of the following ships – SS ''Australian'', ''MacIntyre'', ''Monarch'', ''Notre Dame D'Arvor'', SS ''Investigator'', , ''Songvaar'', ''Moorara'', and ''Maid of Australia''. The strandings of the ships ''Candida'', and ''Jean Bart'' were also studied. * – the unsuccessful search for the wreck site near

Ardrossan Ardrossan (; ) is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in southwestern Scotland. The town has a population of 10,670 and forms part of a conurbation with Saltcoats and Stevenston known as the 'Three Towns'. Ardrossan is located on the east shore ...

during 1982 and 1983 up until its discovery by others in April 1983. The SUHR subsequently assisted on archaeology surveys during the three seasons of fieldwork conducted by the South Australian Government in the late 1980s. * – the discovery of the shipwreck in the River Murray near Blanchetown in 1982 followed by a survey project in 1984 in association with the South Australian Government and divers from the

. * ''Cowrie'' (also spelt ''Cowry'') – unsuccessful search for the wreck site near Yankalilla during 1987. *

Port Elliot Port Elliot is a town in South Australia toward the eastern end of the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is situated on the sheltered Horseshoe Bay, a small bay off the much larger Encounter Bay. Pullen Island lies outside the mouth of t ...

– a survey carried out during 1987 and 1988 to locate and document the wreck sites of the following ships: ''Emu'', ''Commodore'', ''Josephine L'Oizeau'', ''Lapwing'', ''Harry'', ''Flying Fish'' and ''Athol''. * Margaret Brock Reef – a project conducted during 1987 to locate the wreck of the '' Margaret Brock'' on the

Margaret Brock Reef __NOTOC__ Margaret Brock Reef is a reef in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state's coastal waters on its south-east coast about west of the headland of Cape Jaffa and about south-west of the town of Kingston SE. It is th ...

near

Kingston SE Kingston SE (Kingston South East to distinguish it from Kingston-on-Murray) formerly Kingston is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state's south-east coastline on the shores of Lacepede Bay. It is located about ...

. * The North Arm

Ships' Graveyard A ship graveyard or ship cemetery is a location where the hulls of scrapped ships are left to decay and disintegrate, or left in reserve. Such a practice is now less common due to waste regulations and so some dry docks where ships are brok ...

– a project run during the years 1989 and 1990 to research and survey abandoned hulls in North Arm of the

Port River The Port River (officially known as the Port Adelaide River) is part of a tidal estuary located north of the Adelaide city centre in the Australian state of South Australia. It has been used as a shipping channel since the beginning of European ...

such as the following – ''Flinders'', ''Gem'', ''Grace Darling'', ''Garthneill'', ''Karatta'', ''Mangana'', ''Sarnia'', ''Dorothy H, Sterling'', ''Stanley'', ''Sunbeam'' and ''Ullock''. * "Steamships" was a project to research and survey the following steam-powered vessels during 1989 -1990 – SS ''Australian'', , SS ''Investigator'', and SS ''Willyama''. The SUHR also participated in archaeological work organised by others concerning the following wreck sites: * Wreck site of an unknown vessel near

Point Cloates Point Cloates (), formerly known as Cloate's Island, is a peninsula approximately 100 kilometres south south-west of North West Cape, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It features Point Cloates Lighthouse and the ruins of a previous li ...

, Ningaloo,

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

during 1980. * ,

Port Gregory Gregory (Port Gregory until 1967) is a small town and fishing port located northwest of the mouth of the Hutt River, in the Mid West region of Western Australia. At the 2016 census, Gregory had a population of 64 in 83 dwellings. Most of the ...

, Western Australia during 1983. * , near

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

during 1984.

The 1990s

* ''Lillie May'' – an unsuccessful search for the wreck site near

Port Hughes Port Hughes is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on northern Yorke Peninsula about north-west of the state capital of Adelaide. It is considered part of the Moonta urban area by the Australian Bureau of ...

during 1992. *

– a second project carried out at the remains of the Glenelg Jetty destroyed in 1948 during early 2000 to undertake additional survey and artefact recovery works and to create an exhibit in the former Glenelg Town Hall.

The 2000s

* ''Star of Greece'' – a second project involving a non-disturbance measured survey was carried out from 2002 to 2004. * SS ''Ellen'' – survey of the wreck site located at Morgan’s Beach near

Cape Jervis Cape Jervis is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located near the western tip of Fleurieu Peninsula on the southern end of the Main South Road approximately south of the state capital of Adelaide. It is named after the headla ...

in early 2003.

Advocacy

During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the SUHR actively lobbied alone and with others for government action on the following matters: * Extension of the Commonwealth ''

Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976 The ''Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976'' was an Australian Act of Parliament designed to legally protect historic shipwrecks and any relics or artefacts from those wrecks. The Act automatically affects all shipwrecks that meet the "historic" crite ...

'' to the coastal waters of South Australia (i.e. from the Low Water Mark out to three nautical miles) which was realized in 1980. * The enactment of specific South Australian shipwrecks legislation to complement the Commonwealth Act which was realised in 1981, * The appointment of a Government maritime archaeologist which was realised in late 1981 * The creation of a maritime museum which was realised by the opening of the

South Australian Maritime Museum The South Australian Maritime Museum is a state government museum, part of the History Trust of South Australia. The Museum opened in 1986 in a collection of historic buildings in the heart of Port Adelaide, South Australia's first heritage prec ...

in 1986.'Anchor sparks call for museum', ''The Advertiser'' (Adelaide, SA), 27 January 1981

Publications

Reports

* * Sexton, Robert T., (1976), ''Shape of Ships: The Cross-section'
OCLC: 221124455
* Various, (1977), ''Loch Vennachar Expedition Report'', ()
OCLC: 27625714
* Hale, Alan, (1980), ''The Wreck of the Lady Kinnaird'', (
OCLC: 220361798
* Various, (1983), ''Wardang Island: Graveyard of Ships: Technical Report'', (
OCLC: 220216731
* Various, (1983), ''Wardang Island: Graveyard of Ships'', (
OCLC: 220216792
* Drew, Terry, (1983), ''The Holdfast Bay Project 1974–1978'', (
OCLC: 220188245
* Kentish, Peter & Booth, Brenton, (1983), ''Conservation of the Loch Vennachar Anchor'', (
OCLC: 215801002
* Kentish, Peter; Drew, Terry & Booth, Brenton (1985), ''The Anchor – Fishery Bay, Eyre Peninsular'', (
OCLC: 27625732
* Harris, Chris A., (1986), ''The Discovery and Survey of the wreck Tigress'', (
OCLC: 219985703
* Perkins, John, (1988), ''The Shipwrecks of Port Elliot 1853–1864'', (
OCLC: 26446519
* Christopher, Peter, ''South Australian Shipwrecks: A Database (1802–1989)''; Paperback edition – (1990), () and PDF on CD-ROM (Adobe Version 5) edition (2006), (
OCLC: 25914190
an
OCLC: 224865467
* Marfleet, Brian, (2006), ''The Morgan Project'', ( – set containing volumes 1 & 2), ''The Morgan Project: Volume 1 – Progress, Newsletter & Annual Reports (1977–1983)'' (

and ''The Morgan Project: Volume 2 – The Final Report (1989)'' (

– PDF on CD-ROM (Adobe Version 5) editio
OCLC: 224749850

Collections

* Cowan, David (editor), (2007), ''The Society for Underwater Historical Research – Publications 1974–2004'', ()
OCLC: 225516296

Serials

* ''Annual Reports'' for the years 1979 to 1988
OCLC: 220111704
* ''Soundings'' – newsletter prepared during the years 1988 to 1992
OCLC: 220469036
* ''Soundings'' (2nd Series) – newsletter prepared during the years 2000 to 2004
OCLC: 220469036

Gallery

Image:HMS investigator anchor.jpg, Best Bower Anchor dropped from HMS ''Investigator'' by Matthew Flinders in 1803. Recovered by the Underwater Explorers Club of SA in 1973. On display at the Port Adelaide#Museums#South Australian Maritime Museum, South Australian Maritime Museum. Image:Loch Vennachar (ship, 1875) - SLV H99.220-6.jpg, ''Loch Vennachar''. Glasgow. 1485 Tons. Built at Glasgow. 1875. Wrecked, Kangaroo Island 1905. Wreck site discovered by the SUHR in 1976. Image:Santiago shipwreck adelaide.jpg, Wreck of ''Santiago'', in the ships graveyard in the North Arm, a waterway between the Port River and Barker Inlet, Port Adelaide, South Australia. Originally surveyed by the SUHR in 1978. Image:Port Neill Lady Kinnaird anchor.jpg, ''Lady Kinnaird'' anchor on the foreshore at Port Neill. Recovered by the SUHR & others in 1979. Image:StateLibQld 1 133910 Aagot (ship).jpg, The remains of ''Aagot'', not long after it was wrecked in 1907. Wrecksite surveyed by the SUHR in 1983. Image:Wreck of the Sunbeam.jpg, Wreck of ''Sunbeam'', Built in 1857 and abandoned in the ships graveyard in 1910. In the North Arm of the Port River, Adelaide, South Australia. Wreck Site surveyed by the SUHR in 1989 & 1990. Image:StateLibQld 1 145607 Oregon Pine (ship).jpg, ''Dorothy H Sterling'' (formerly ''Oregon Pine''). Wreck site surveyed by the SUHR in 1989 & 1990. Image:The trawler "Ellen" wrecked on Morgan Beach Yankalilla coast 12 December 1908.jpg, The trawler ''Ellen'' wrecked on Morgan Beach. Wreck site surveyed by the SUHR in 2003.

References

External links

SUHR Publications website
archived 18 October 2020. {{DEFAULTSORT:Society for Underwater Historical Research Maritime archaeology Archaeological organizations Maritime history of Australia 1974 establishments in Australia Organisations based in South Australia