Mystery Shipwreck Activity 6 - Conclusions Answers

The objects provide clues about what the people were doing on this ship before it sank.  

Courtesy of the State Library of South Australia.

BRG 42 South Australian Company records.

• The site has rocky reefs and rough seas, so it was not suitable as a harbour for migrant or cargo ships.
• The nearby bluff was a good place for whale spotting, and there were fisheries nearby.  

• The broad arrow on the spike shows that it was once the property of the British Royal Navy.  
• Royal Navy ships were sometimes sold to private British individuals and companies once they were no longer needed. 

• The tingle would have been used to patch up a leak in the ship. 
• Leaks on timber ships could be caused by rough seas, especially if the ship was older.  

• The whetstone would have been used for sharpening blades and knives.  

• The gun flints may have been used for a larger weapon such as a harpoon gun.  
• Harpoons and harpoon guns are used primarily for whaling, which was a significant industry in South Australia at the time.  

In fact, this is the shipwreck of a whaling ship called South Australian.