A ship that disappeared in what was dubbed “one of the nation’s worst post-war maritime disasters” 55 years ago has been discovered off the New South Wales coast.
MV Noongah, with a cargo of steel and a 26-person crew, departed Newcastle for Townsville on August 23, 1969.
Just two days into the voyage, the 71-metre coastal freighter became caught in a heavy storm and vanished under the rough sea.
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Multi-agency water and aerial crews conducted one of the largest searches for survivors and retrieved just five.
Out of the 21 people who died, only one body was recovered.
The ship itself was never found.
But now, a joint project – with CSIRO, Heritage NSW and The Sydney Project crews – has successfully located the wreckage off the New South Wales coast.
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“Several members of the public also contributed to the project, including by pinpointing and reporting the location of the suspected shipwreck off the NSW coast,” CSIRO said.
Seafloor mapping data and video footage showed the wreck upright and largely intact.
“The bathymetry data shows the wreck is sitting at a depth of 170 metres and is approximately 71 metres long, with the vessel dimensions, profile and configuration matching MV Noongah,” CSIRO voyage manager Margot Hind said.
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CSIRO group leader Matthew Kimber pointed to the significance of maritime heritage discoveries.
“This tragedy is still very much in the memory of many in the community and we offer our condolences to families and descendants of the crew who were lost,” he said.
“Our thoughts are also with the surviving crew members from MV Noongah, and we hope that knowing the resting place of the vessel brings some closure for all.”
Family members and descendants of the MV Noongah crew can contact CSIRO for further details about the investigation.Investigator.
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