Saturday, July 9, 1904. The SS Nemesis had just set sail from Newcastle (Australia) bound for Melbourne with its cargo hold of coal and coke when it was surprised by an imposing storm. It was a strong southerly gale that engulfed the ship and did not let it escape from her jaws until she was lost off the coast of New South Wales.
Up to 32 people lost their lives that day. Bodies that were never recovered because the exact point at which the steamship with an iron hull of up to 73 meters sank was unknown. Exactly 120 years later, the mystery has finally been solved.
The Nemesis has been discovered by a vessel from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the Australian government's national science agency. The first indications of its location were given by the marine studies company Subset, which discovered unexplored remains in May 2022.
Subsea located the wreck during an underwater survey off the city of Wollongong in the Tasman Sea and carried out an initial inspection of the site using a remotely operated vehicle. In September 2023, CSIRO researchers surveyed the area aboard the RV Investigator.
They were thus able to conduct detailed mapping of the seabed using advanced multibeam echo sounders and visually inspect the wreck with an underwater camera while on a voyage from Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, to Sydney.
"The route of our voyage took us past the wreck and we were very lucky with the conditions for the study. We inspected the entire length of the ship with our camera, revealing many details of the structures, including some of the internal spaces" , CSIRO travel director Jason Fazey explains in a statement.
Seafloor mapping revealed the wreckage of the cargo ship is 160 meters from the surface and approximately 28 kilometers off the coast of Wollongong. "They are located towards the edge of the continental shelf and stand upright on the seafloor, but show significant damage and deterioration to both the bow and stern," notes hydrographic surveyor Phil Vandenbossche.
Still, some of the key structures (including two of the anchors) remained intact more than a century after the SS Nemesis sank. The vessel, originally a passenger ship, was converted and operating as a coal carrier when she foundered.
"This is one of thousands of shipwrecks found along the Australian coast, and many are yet to be found," said Heritage NSW archaeologist Dr Brad Duncan. "Confirming the identity of the remains may offer some comfort to the families and friends of those who died on board, as it provides a place where they can mourn their loved ones," he adds.
