15 January 2017
The team returned to the outside edge of the reef. The prevailing winds here are southeast, so getting to this edge is sometimes difficult. However, weather conditions were perfect so far for the crew to scan it using the magnetometer and provide visual references.
The day was full of surprises, with visual spottings of cannons and anchors. The team also found what is thought to be a copper alloy component of a marine toilet! We documented these previously unknown wrecks for later identification.
16–17 January 2017
The weather was brilliant for us to access remote locations. We remained at the same anchorage each day in the lee of the sand cay, using the tender to explore. The team found more wreck sites venturing out in the tender, gathering
photographic evidence and carefully documenting activities and discoveries.
Unfortunately, the wind increased overnight out at the reef, to 15 to 20 knots from the southeast. The swell was increasing, too. This meant the expedition had to come to an end.
While en route back to the Australian mainland, Silentworld encountered a pod of seven Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins. The beautiful creatures rode our bow wave for around an hour before dispersing.
We’d observed wildlife on Kenn Reefs, too, though mainly birds like boobies, frigates, and terns. In addition, our guests were graced with stunning sunsets and the full moon rising to illuminate Observation Cay and its pristine waters. The visibility while diving was beyond belief.
A shipwrecking is traumatic. But when the dust settles, the remains have a powerful story to tell. They quietly describe the ship, the people on board, the efforts they made to save the ship or survive off it until help came, and what happened after it was abandoned. As usual for Silentworld Foundation expeditions, most of the wreck identification happens after the trip, as the archaeologists piece together the size of the items found, and identify any markings or shapes particular to certain ships from different countries.
There are eight vessels known to have come to grief on Kenn Reefs, but we found more. This means that in some cases, the sailors never got rescued, so no news of the loss made the papers. We were glad to help play a role in righting history. The largest wreck we found was that of the Dutch-built, three-masted, wooden ship Delta, which came to its end in 1854. We also identified the sites of Rodney (British), Olivier van Noord (Dutch), Delta (Dutch), Hesther (Dutch), and Doelwyck (Dutch). We found further remnants of Jenny Lind, a British ship already identified in the 1980s by a Queensland Museum team.
Silentworld is, in every way, a luxury superyacht, with delicacies provided by a private chef, an attentive crew of eight, and a suite of sea toys. We just happen to utilise her in an extraordinary way to make new discoveries. As such, we were pleased to receive the inaugural Voyager Award at the AIMEX 2018 Australian Marine Industry Awards.
This kind of mission may not be for everyone, since the reef is quite remote. But, in terms of Australian history and wildlife, it was bountiful indeed.
This account was written in collaboration with maritime archaeologist Irini ‘Renee’ Malliaros.
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