Mystery Shipwreck Activity 2 - Investigation
This activity is part of Mystery shipwreck, an archaeology case study for students.
The phone rings in your office, and you answer professionally.
Maritime Archaeology department, how can I help you?”
“Listen, I’ve found something strange out at Encounter Bay. After the storm, I found these wooden discs with holes in them washed up on the beach. My mate’s a sailor, and he says they’re deadeyes from an old sailing ship. No one sails in Encounter Bay these days, it's way too rough! I’ve heard stories about a bad shipwreck that happened here in 1837, but it was never found – do you think the deadeyes could be related?”
“Sounds interesting, I’ll have a look into it. Can you show me the deadeyes?”
“Sure thing. Let me know what you find out.
After ending the phone call, you examine the mysterious washed-up object.
The distinctive arrangement of holes indicates that this is a deadeye, an item used to secure the ropes that supported the masts on traditional sailing ships.
You want to find out which ship this has come from.
You try to find out more about the site (Encounter Bay, South Australia) using a historic map from 1838.
Courtesy of the State Library of South Australia.
BRG 42 South Australian Company records.
Map key:
A - Western bluffs, ideal site for whale watching
B & C - Fisheries
D - Granite Island
E, F, G, H, I - Ships
K - River entrances
L - Fishing station
M & N - Islands
O & P - Coral reefs
Q - Causeway, nearly dry at low tide
Discussion questions
- What do you see on the historic map?
- What were the features of this area in 1838?
Compare the historic map to a modern map (e.g. Google Maps).
- On the modern map of Encounter Bay, zoom out to see where this site is located in Australia.
- Is the bay protected from strong surf by any land barriers?
Searching the Maritime Museum’s collection database, you find a painting of a 19th century ship in Encounter Bay.
Watercolour titled 'The brig SCOUT, 95 tons, Capt. Condell beating out of Encounter Bay during a gale ... June 11th 1840' by Frederick Garling.
Australian National Maritime Museum Collection
You also discover some written sources from the early years of the South Australian colony, commenting on the conditions at Encounter Bay.
“This anchorage, I think, is not fit for anything”
Col. William Light (Surveyor General)
“it is... a place pregnant with danger, and it has already become the scene of dreadful disaster... the shore abounds in reef and rocks, and the surf is represented by old captains as being worse than that at Madras Roads”
Robert Gouger, South Australia in 1837 In a Series of Letters (pp. 33-34)
Skill: Analysis and use of sources
You begin to wonder about the mysterious shipwreck of 1837. What would a ship be doing there with those sorts of conditions? Could this be the ‘dreadful disaster’ Robert Gouger alluded to? What secrets could be hidden under the waves?
Something tells me I might be making a trip to Encounter Bay sometime soon