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Mapping the seabed by steamship

Photo: CSIRO

As a rule, it is difficult to reach anything that has once sunk into the sea.

In the case of an Australian ship, it was difficult to find.

The “SS Nemesis” sank in 1904 and has been considered lost ever since.

Now Australian researchers have tracked them down, reports the local research agency CSIRO.

At that time the steamship loaded with coal and cocaine was traveling from Newcastle to Melbourne.

There were 32 people on board.

When the ship ran into a storm and eventually sank, the crew died.

Since then, there has been no trace of the wreck.

Two years ago, a private salvage company reported that it had found evidence of the “SS Nemesis,” it is said.

A CSIRO team has now examined the ship in more detail using, among other things, remote-controlled cameras.

The goal was to collect more data that would help identify the wreck.

Using the camera footage, the team discovered that it was really the “SS Nemesis,” which had been missing for around 120 years.

"We measured the entire length of the wreck with our camera and discovered many details of the ship's structures, including some interior spaces," said Jason Fazey of Csiro, who led the investigation.

“We were very lucky with the conditions for the survey.”

It is said that the wreck lies about 160 meters below the surface of the water and around 28 kilometers off the coast of Wollongong.

The city is located in the Australian state of New South Wales, which also includes Sydney.

One of thousands of sunken shipwrecks

It is said that the team found significant damage to the bow and stern.

However, other parts of the ship are still in good condition, such as two anchors that now lie on the seabed.

"The wreck is one of thousands of shipwrecks that lie along the Australian coast, many of which have yet to be found," said Brad Ducan of the Heritage Register in New South Wales, which records the state's cultural heritage.

The current find is not only archaeologically valuable.

It is also a "consolation for the families and friends of those who died on board, as they now have a place where they can mourn their loved ones."

ani