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www.aima-underwater.org.au/

Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology

ABN 37 830 874 307 • Registration No. A0820044J Western Australia Associations Incorporations Act 1987 Section 18(6) • ISSN 1446–8948Australasian Institute of Maritime Archaeology Inc. • Department of Maritime Archaeology • WA Museum • 47 Cliff St • Fremantle WA 6160

Pitcairn: The island of Pacific mutineers

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Volume 36 | Issue 4 December 2017

1 Pitcairn Island (continued 3–7)

2 AIMA President’s Report 8–10 Australasian News from

New Zealand 11 Australasian News from

Western Australia 12–16 Australasian News from

New South Wales 17–18 Australasian News from

South Australia

Irini Malliaros Silentworld Foundation

A mission for the Crown. A journey across the globe. Mutiny on the high seas. Survival against all odds.A mysterious, deserted island.A community of fugitives.A maritime archaeologist’s dream.

The tale behind Silentworld Foundation’s (SWF) most recent expedition has it all. In October, the team made the journey to one of the most remote places

One of Pitcairn Island’s two boats welcoming the SWF team (Photo by Julia Sumerling)

in the South Pacific Ocean.The Pitcairn group of islands is situated approximately 2,000 km southeast of French Polynesia and 5,600 km northwest of Santiago, Chile. It consists of four volcanic islands—of which the two smaller, Oeno and Ducie, and the largest, Henderson, are uninhabited. Pitcairn is the only island to currently harbour a human settlement, the central hub of which is Adamstown. Although settled in the past by Polynesian groups, the island is now well-known as the final destination and new home of the mutinous members of Bounty’s crew.

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Welcome to the final quarterly Newsletter for 2017! I can report that AIMA had some significant wins over the remainder of the year, following our successful annual conference and AGM held in September.

In November 2017, AIMA signed a three-year funding agreement with Environment Australia under the Historic Shipwrecks Program. We have committed to continue to deliver an annual conference, annual journal (previously the bulletin) and a Newsletter. The new funding arrangement, which has moved from an annual cycle to a three-year cycle, brings our funding in line with that of the State and Territory agencies. The continued funding of AIMA under the program is a strong endorsement of our capacity to

From the President’s deskDecember 2017 meet the shared goals of public

education, dissemination and promotion of the protection of underwater cultural heritage.

In August 2017, scientific diving members of the Standards Australia SF-017 committee submitted a proposal that the standard AS/NZS 2815.6 Training and certification of occupational divers: Restricted SCUBA diver be reviewed. AIMA and various workplaces that run archaeological diving operations contributed letters of support, which were appended to the application. This quarter we were notified that the application was successful, which is a significant step towards effective and appropriate standards for our industry. This was a successful collaboration between maritime archaeology agencies and departments and our marine science counterparts. Credit also

to Standards Australia which took our concerns on board.

A number of important administrative matters were also dealt with this quarter including the renewal of our insurance and updating our details to ASIC. Thanks to our Treasurer, Phyllis Coxhill, for her work here.

Finally, congratulations to the organising committee of the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Heritage (APCONF 2017), which was held in November in Hong Kong. A significant conference which AIMA was proud to sponsor.

Enjoy!

David Steinberg

President

National Archaeology Week aims to increase public awareness of Australian archaeology and promotes the importance of protecting Australia’s unique archaeological heritage. A nationwide program of events and exhibitions is held in May.

If you are running a maritime archaeology event, please contact our social media team! We will promote your event to the AIMA community and collaborate with NAW organisers. You can reach us at vicepresident2@aima-underwater.com.au or message the AIMA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AIMAunderwater/.

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PitcairncontinuedThe vessel in question was acquired by the Royal Navy in 1787, renamed Bounty and refitted specifically for a mission to Tahiti to acquire breadfruit plants. However, before the voyage was complete, some of the crew mutinied, led by the first mate, Fletcher Christian. They set the ship’s master, William Bligh, an officer of the Royal Navy, adrift on a small boat, along with those of the crew that remained loyal to the captain.

The mutineers eventually came to settle on Pitcairn with a number of Tahitian men and women. There they stripped Bounty of material they might need for their

new home and then burned the vessel to the waterline, so that they might not be discovered by any passing ships, especially those of the Royal Navy—mutiny was treason against the crown; the penalty, death. Pitcairn Island is, to this day, still inhabited by many of the crew’s direct

A welcome feast prepared by the islanders in honour of the team’s visit, overlooked by a Bounty anchor (Photo by Julia Sumerling)

descendants.

Throughout this time of habitation there have been several other vessels that have come to grief on the islands. However, Bounty is of special significance to Australia, due to its close association with William Bligh, who survived being set adrift in an open boat, to be later appointed Governor of NSW in 1806. The follow-up mission of Pandora, sent to ‘round up’ the mutineers, is also of significance as the vessel came to grief on the Great Barrier Reef in 1791 after having captured a number of the Bounty mutineers. Objects raised during its excavation are on display at the Museum of Tropical Queensland.

Onward, to the mutinous isles!SWF’s journey was set back by weather—ever the great betrayer—and, under the circumstances, an executive decision was made to visit just two of the islands, Pitcairn and Oeno. Ducie is too far to the east and Henderson, although

The Bounty cannon, on display in the open, believed to have been used for the ‘defence’ of the island by the mutineers (Photo by Julia Sumerling)

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a worthy destination, has no documented wrecks. Archival research prior to the expedition revealed records of at least five wrecks at Oeno Island.

The team was received warmly by the folk of Pitcairn. The joy was twofold as the SWF team had with them “precious” cargo, in the form of Trent Christian (son of Steve and Olive Christian, of the Fletcher Christian lineage!)

a Pitcairn Islander who had not been home for over 16 years. A feast was laid on in the town square, attended by the island’s 42 inhabitants, under the quiet presence of a Bounty anchor. Upon completion of the work on Pitcairn, the team departed for Oeno Island—holiday destination of the Pitcairn Islanders—with detailed instructions regarding areas of spotted wreckage material and with Trent on board

Steve Christian shows John Mullen, founder and director of SWF, around the site, where iron kentledge used as ballast on Bounty is now the only prominent feature (Photo by Julia Sumerling)

to guide us on location as best as his memory allowed.

All that remainsThe main aims of the expedition were to assess the condition of and photographically record the Bounty wreck site and material culture present on the island. A secondary aim was to attempt to locate and document the sites of other known wrecks. There is a small museum in the town which holds a mix of artefacts from Bounty, the other wrecks from Oeno and a grounding on Ducie, as well as some older artefacts from the Polynesian settlement of the island and locally produced/crafted objects by the mutineers/Tahitians that settled there later.

BountyTwo dives were undertaken on the site of Bounty, led by Steve Christian. The site is located fairly close inshore, in what is now known as Bounty Bay. There are no real bays at any of the Pitcairn Islands and no sheltered anchorages—this was obviously beneficial to the mutineers who wished to remain undiscovered.

All that remains of Bounty underwater is iron ballast, scraps of copper sheathing and various fastenings. On the island, artefacts are split into three main groups: those in the museum, those dotted about the island and those in private hands. The collection in the museum consists of pieces that are conserved and some that are not. A number of items, including a cannon, were removed from the island under the direction of Nigel Erskine and treated in Queensland before they were returned. The team found these items to be stable.

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sailing from San Francisco to Liverpool, was wrecked on Pitcairn on 23 January 1875, while the captain and some of the crew were visiting the island. Due to there being no anchorage at Pitcairn, the mate was left in charge to keep the vessel no closer than 3 miles to the island. The ship missed stays while tacking and in trying to come about went on the rocks and quickly broke up.

The orientation of the wreck is very clear with the bow section, demarcated by the two bow anchors, hawsepipes and windlass, towards the island. The hull has split and fallen open to either side with the two masts lying over to the starboard side of the site.

Bowden (or Bowdon)A British, ship-rigged, iron vessel of approximately 1,620 tonnes, Bowden was on a course from San Francisco to Falmouth when, by error of positional calculations, it struck the breakers on the north-eastern side of the reef surrounding Oeno Island.

The wreck site on the reef flat is characterised by a large coiled mass of anchor chain. There are three anchors in close proximity to the chain mound and a scatter of iron structural components. At the time of investigation the tide was coming in and strong waves washing over the site made it difficult to move around and record it fully. However, in addition to a drawing up a rough site plan, a drone was used to survey the site from above, capturing an almost plan view.

John and Jacqui Mullen, founders and directors of SWF, examine a Bounty cannon that was professionally conserved before being returned to the Pitcairn Museum (Photo by Julia Sumerling)

Copper alloy artefact from Bounty, exhibiting ‘bronze disease’, held by the Pitcairn Museum (Photo by Irini Malliaros)

However, some artefacts raised and donated to the museum with no professional treatment are found to be suffering severe degradation. Another cannon, probably the one used by the mutineers for ‘defence’ is now

almost barely recognisable as such.

CornwallisA British iron vessel of approximately 1,200 tonne,

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UnknownA dive on the northern part of the reef surrounding Oeno Island revealed some length of anchor chain, while a walk around the island itself revealed a keel section washed up on the beach on the southern side of the island. Wood samples were obtained for analysis to be undertaken in Australia.

The futureA full report of the expedition and post-fieldwork research is forthcoming. It includes recommended future work—the maritime archaeological resource on the Pitcairn Islands

Peter Illidge at the bow anchors of Cornwallis (Photo by Julia Sumerling)

The hull section of Cornwallis with a section of one mast visible in the foreground (Photo by Julia Sumerling)

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is substantial and largely unexplored. It links two and perhaps three maritime countries via shipping routes and has the potential to provide the grounds for international collaboration.

A special thank you to the Pitcairn Islanders, particularly Steve and Olive Christian, Randy and Nadine Christian and Carol Warren, not only for their hospitality but also for their enthusiasm and energy in providing the team with information about their beautiful home and especially the maritime heritage it holds. In addition, the passion for their home is infectious and the team were humbled at being made to feel at home themselves and like family.

Irini Malliaros at a concreted mass of anchor chain from the wreck of Bowden (Photo by Julia Sumerling)

Irini Malliaros and Peter Illidge recording a section of keel washed up on the southern beach of Oeno Island (Photo by Julia Sumerling)

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New ZealandNEWSAustralasia

Edwin Fox fieldworkKurt Bennett PhD Candidate, Flinders University

Kurt Bennett conducted fieldwork on the historic Edwin Fox hull and disarticulated timber remains from HMS Buffalo between September and November 2017. His research focuses on recording English East Indiamen ship’s hull structures to determine what influenced changes in design and construction. The following is a short summary of his recent fieldwork.

Edwin FoxConstructed in Calcutta (Kolkata), India in 1853, Edwin Fox had a varied history of service. The ship was sold shortly after construction and converted into a troop ship for use in the Crimean War. After the war, the ship transported convicts to Australia and then immigrants to New Zealand. After its sailing career, the ship was converted and used as a refrigeration store at various ports around New Zealand. It was finally berthed in Shakespeare

Bay, Picton (c.1900). In the 1960s, the vessel’s future became uncertain and the Edwin Fox preservation society was formed to save the ship. Fortunately, the society was successful. The team of passionate enthusiasts floated the ship to its final resting place where the hull is now preserved in dry-dock and is the main exhibit at the Edwin Fox Maritime Museum on Picton’s waterfront. In September 2017, the Edwin Fox hull timbers were sampled for dendrochronology analysis. Assisted by Dr Gretel Boswijk, School of Environment, Auckland University, 10 timber core samples

were extracted. The cores ranged in diameter between 6 and 12 millimetres, with lengths varying depending on the thickness of the timber being sampled. The ship timbers targeted were located around midships and included: keel, keelson, planking, futtocks and a floor timber. The cores were taken back to the tree-ring lab at Auckland University where they were prepared for analysis. This consisted of sanding the cores in half to expose tree-rings. The rings were counted using a microscope with distances between rings measured using specialist software (TsapWin). Results from the analysis showed

Edwin Fox c. 1900 (Ship Edwin Fox at Picton. Daroux, Louis John, 1870– 1948: Photographs of New Zealand and the Pacific. Ref: 1/1-039355- G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand)

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three timber species were used in the construction of the vessel. The species identified were Tectona grandis (teak), Cedrus deodara (Himalayan cedar) and Shorea robusta (saul). Determining dates of felling and the age of the trees used in the construction were inconclusive. This is due to not having enough tree-rings in the sample set and limited (current) timber chronologies specific to the species collected. This was the first time that dendrochronology was applied to an historic vessel in New Zealand and it is hoped that this attempt will provide a foundation for future projects.

Author collecting samples (Photo by Gretel Boswijk)

HMS Buffalo (ex Hindostan) ship model (Wikimedia Commons)

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HMS Buffalo (ex Hindostan) HMS Buffalo (ex Hindostan) was constructed in 1813 for the English East India Company but was sold immediately to the English Navy. The ship was then used to transport convicts and immigrants to Australia. In December 1836, the vessel arrived in South Australia carrying immigrants and Sir John Hindmarsh—South Australia’s first governor. After its use in transporting people, the ship continued its sailing career in the timber trade between New Zealand and Australia. In 1840, while loading timber, a storm caused the ship to drag its anchors and shipwrecked in Whitianga harbour, Coromandel, New Zealand. The wreck site was visited in the 1980s by archaeologists from the Department of Environment, South Australia. They excavated areas of the hull as part of an archaeological investigation. The site lies in approximately two metres of water and 200 metres southeast from the low tide mark on the beach in line with the modern-day shipwreck memorial. Various items from the ship

HMS Buffalo copper sheathing showing the number ‘28’ and the ‘broad arrow’ (Photo by Kurt Bennett)

Prepared sample from a portside plank, Edwin Fox (Photo by Kurt Bennett)

are now displayed in the local Mercury Bay Museum and these items are what the researcher recorded.

In November 2017, HMS Buffalo disarticulated timber remains and copper sheathing located at the Mercury Bay Museum, New Zealand, were examined and recorded. The recorded timbers included: a wooden

knee, a possible timber frame and a possible piece of the sister keel. These timbers were photographed and drawn to scale. Copper sheathing was also examined for patent stamps and other marks. The copper sheathing displayed a number of different stamps, including numbers indicating weights of copper and the ‘broad arrow’. Finally, timber dimensions will be used to compare with other case studies with results produced in the final thesis.

This project is ongoing with fieldwork due to be completed in early 2018 and the final thesis to be completed in early-2019. The author would like to acknowledge the support for this project from Flinders University, AIMA, Flinders University Student Association Development Grant, Marlborough Heritage Trust and the Edwin Fox Maritime Museum, and Mercury Bay Museum, Whitianga.

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Western AustraliaChasing the Dragon’s TaleBob Sheppard Archaeologist, Heritage Detection Australia & Honorary Associate, Western Australian Museum

Archaeologist Bob Sheppard is continuing his Vergulde Draeck (1656) research and plans to release his book, Chasing the Dragon’s Tale: The ‘Vergulde Draeck Story’, in 2018. Bob began researching the history, myths and legends about the wreck in 2008 and has concentrated much of his efforts on finding archaeological evidence of the 68 survivors from the wreck who were left on the coast when seven sailed to Batavia (Djakarta) to get help. The fate of the 68 missing survivors is one of Australia’s great maritime mysteries and, along with misguided stories of lost treasures buried on shore, has been subject to much conjecture since the early 20th century. Copies of Vergulde Draeck survivors’ letters have

been located by researcher Steve Caffrey in the VOC archives in Cape Town and these provide new information regarding the plight of the survivors. Bob has recently been interviewed by ABC Radio in the Mid-West and the resulting exposure has produced numerous new research avenues. The author is particularly interested in the effect of the wreck on the history of the Mid West region

and acknowledges his approach to social history has been heavily influenced by his mentor Mack McCarthy. Bob’s book has been written in two parts. Part one is a formal history of the wreck and part two will cover the author’s adventures as he searches for clues to the fate of the survivors. Anyone interested in the Vergulde Draeck story can contact Bob at bob@heritagedetection.com.au.

Bob Sheppard searches for evidence of Vergulde Draeck (1656) adjacent to the wreck site (Photo by Ian McCann)

MAPMAS International WorkshopIan MacLeod, Fellow, Western Australian Museum

I gave a plenary lecture on the modelling of decay rates of WWII shipwrecks at the MAPMAS International Workshop on Marine Pollution and Maritime Safety in Barcelona at the Institute of Marine Sciences. The conference ran from 3–6 October and was overflowing with a diversity and richness of approaches to the

mangement of biodiversity, of reducing pollution from plastics and oil and other chemical discharges and how the Spanish people and their teams are doing some brilliant pioneering work.

As part of the conference we were taken on a guided archaeological tour of the old part of the city from the 17th–18th century which had been reduced to rubble during the wars of succession between Spain and France. They had built a giant steel and glass market over the leveled

area in Victorian times and the installation of a major library showed up the site for the first time in a few hundred years. The stories were brilliant, the food was irresistible and the architecture knocks most other European cities flat.

The general strike and the presence of heaps of police did not dampen the spirit of the conference but a lot of people stayed away on the first day in solidarity with the Catalonian cause.

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AviationHeritage.org: Documenting aviation history and heritage online Daniel J. Leahy Administrator, AviationHeritage.org

In 2016, the AviationHeritage.org website went live with the intention for the site to become an online repository of documents, research and imagery relating to Australia’s aviation history and heritage. The site mostly revolves around aviation of World War II and, although it includes terrestrial sites, due to the nature of the war in the Pacific, also includes reference to a number of aircraft lost over the ocean or in intertidal areas as well

as their supporting areas such as flying boat bases.

In late 2017, two historical aircraft wreck surveys were made publicly available through the website both as online Google Maps as well as downloadable geographic information system (GIS) shape files. These surveys were originally compiled by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during the early 1960s and included references to known wreck sites as well as ‘last known’ locations for missing aircraft. In the 50 years since the documents were originally produced, a number of the missing aircraft have been found while some of the known wreck sites have since been salvaged. Unfortunately a number of wrecks that had been known about since

Twin-row radial engine from an unidentified aircraft (possibly A-20G 43- 9626) in Fairfax Harbour, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (Photo by Daniel J. Leahy)

World War II were not included in the original documents. Although this information is not entirely accurate today, it does allow historical data to be made easily accessible in the 21st century—possibly allowing for some sites to be identified in the future—while also creating a working framework to allow modern, accurate surveys to be efficiently created in the same format throughout the existing website.

In addition to the surveys, RAAF unit diaries (known as Operations Record Books) are also being transcribed into the website’s database. These diaries include day-to-day events that took place during World War II, including operational sorties, aircraft losses, enemy attacks, unusual weather, etc. Digitising this data allows for easy searches to be conducted for specific sites, events and people, while also linking back to the original photographed documents held by the National Archives of Australia. RAAF maritime units whose diaries are currently (partially) digitised include No. 41 Squadron, RAAF (based at Cairns; the unit operated Dornier Do. 24 and Martin PBM Mariner flying boats) and No. 1 Flying Boat Repair Depot, RAAF (based at Lake Boga; the unit worked to repair flying boats in service with the RAAF and other allied air forces). New diary entries are being entered on a regular basis.

A section which will be made accessible on the website in the near future is a catalogue of known artefacts salvaged from

New South Wales

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wreck sites that are currently held by various museums. It is hoped that this catalogue will allow an artefact to be searched individually, or when details of a particular wreck are accessed, all known artefacts are shown. Information, photographs, and possibly 3D models of such artefacts are hoped to be presented. As at January 2018, this section of the website is in the process of being established.

It is hoped that the AviationHeritage.org website will continue to grow as further information is made available over the coming months and years. Daniel J. Leahy, the administrator of the website, can be contacted via email at info@aviationheritage.org.

Map of the sites included in the digitisation of both aircraft wreck surveys (Image courtesy of Daniel J. Leahy)

Submerged: A travelling exhibition about Australian shipwrecks Emily Jateff and Em Blamey Australian National Maritime Museum

The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) collaborated with the Australian Maritime Museums’ Council (AMMC) to create an exhibition with input from their Australia-wide membership. The unique development process saw ANMM

working with regional museums, historical societies and agencies from across the country to create: Submerged: stories of Australia’s shipwrecks. It will tour Australia from 2018–2020.

The first step was to engage people in the project; let them know what was planned and how they could be involved. Funding from the Visions of Australia regional exhibition touring program (an Australian Government program aiming to improve access to cultural material for all Australians), allowed us to take the project on the road and bring together AMMC members from across the country. The workshops also included presentations from local maritime archaeologists and object conservators. We held seven workshops in six

Participants at the Submerged workshop at Queensland Maritime Museum, June 2017 (Photo by Desley Pedrazzini)

states, seeing 198 people from 88 different regional museums and organisations.

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Workshop participants and all AMMC members were encouraged to tell the stories of their local shipwrecks (in just 150 words), add notes on available images and objects and submit them to the website. Then members could vote for their favourites. Finally, a joint panel of AMMC and ANMM representatives

sat down to work out the final list of stories to include, taking into account the voting, but also ensuring there was at least one from each state and a variety of types and ages of vessel. With 68 stories to choose from and only 14 slots available, it wasn’t easy, and inevitably there were some great stories we couldn’t feature

in the exhibition. All submitted shipwrecks stories are featured as an on-going digital archive on the AMMC website: http://maritimemuseumsaustralia.com.

Venues hosting the exhibition can augment it with shipwreck objects from their collections and their own shipwreck stories (if they’re not already in the exhibition). They can use our templates so their labels and story panels will match the rest of the exhibition.

The final product is a lot different to the one a small team from ANMM would have produced. Developing an exhibition with contributions from hundreds of people is not without its challenges, and we learnt a lot from the process to feed into any future projects of this type. But crucially, the large team allowed us to cast the widest net and gather a huge array of fabulous exhibition content; from rescuers to racehorses, errors to eels. Australia has about 11,000 shipwrecks—that’s roughly one wreck for every three kilometres of coastline. Most of them remain undiscovered, but those we’ve found have yielded some amazing stories, enough for many more exhibitions.

The exhibition features tales from across Australia. Shipwreck stories included on the panels are:

Batavia’s graveyard (1629) submitted by Western Australian Museum

Sydney Cove (1797) submitted by Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery

Participants at the Submerged workshop at Mannum Dock Museum, March 2017 (Photo by Pauline Cockrill)

Participants at the first Submerged workshop hosted by the Maritime Museum of Tasmania, February 2017 (Photo by Sharon Babbage)

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The sixth Submerged banner with stories on Sanyo Maru and HMAS AE2

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Samuel Wright (1840) submitted by Western Australian Museum

Cataraqui (1845) submitted by King Island Historical Society and Museum

Sovereign (1847) submitted by North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum

Admella (1859) submitted by Port MacDonnell Maritime Museum, Glenelg Shire Council and Port Fairy Historical Society

Foam (1893) submitted by Museum of Tropical Queensland

PS Wagga Wagga (1913) submitted by Museum of the Riverina

HMAS AE2 (1915) submitted by Australian National Maritime Museum

Sanyo Maru (1937) submitted by NT Heritage Branch

City of Rayville (1940) submitted by Apollo Bay and District Historical Society

Wollongbar (II) (1943) submitted by Mid North Coast Maritime Museum

Degei (1974) submitted by Axel Stenross Maritime Museum

Lake Illawarra (1975) submitted by Maritime Museum of Tasmania

Ian MacLeod delivering a talk on conservation as part of the Submerged workshop at the Western Australian Museum, July 2017 (Photo by Emily Jateff)

Angela Syme and Emily Jateff at the Submerged workshop hosted by the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum, May 2017 (Photo by June Negri)

Submerged—stories of Australia’s shipwrecks—coming to a venue near you from February 2018—do dive in.

Submerged is touring Australia free of charge from 2018–2020. To

reserve your spot, please contact touringexh@anmm.gov.au. This exhibition is supported by the Visions regional touring program, an Australian Government program aiming to improve access to cultural material for all Australians.

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South Australia

Ship Shapes: Flinders archaeologists win grant for Dutch-Australian ship model 3D scanning projectJohn McCarthy PhD Candidate, Flinders University

Researchers in the Maritime Archaeology Program at Flinders University have been awarded a substantial grant to carry out an ambitious program of 3D scanning of 17th and 18th-century ship models in the Netherlands. The ‘Ship Shapes’ project will run through 2018 and will be funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Canberra. Wendy van Duivenvoorde and I have designed a program of 3D scanning of scale models of 17th and 18th-century ship models that have the potential to shed light on some of the Dutch shipwrecks around the world, including within Australian waters.

The project will involve 3D scanning of museum artefacts by Flinders researchers in several locations across the Netherlands during 2018, with fieldwork planned from late March to early May. Researchers will

apply innovative techniques of 3D photogrammetry, laser and CT scanning to capture the highest possible level of detail for these intricate models. This program has been made possible with the support and assistance of several museums, including the Rijksmuseum and the Scheepvaartmuseum in Amsterdam, as well as the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency and leading Dutch ship expert Ab Hoving.

The ships at the centre of this project are Dutch East India Company returnships—large, specialised vessels built to travel from Europe to the East Indies bearing cargoes of silver, returning laden with exotic spices. These ships dominated trade in the Indian Ocean for

much of the 17th and 18th centuries and it was Dutch ships that made the first European sighting of the Australian coast in 1606, some 150 years before James Cook. During the next two centuries, the powerful trade winds carried some ships too far east, leading them to their doom off the treacherous reefs of the west coast of Australia. The wrecks of these unfortunate ships now provide some of the earliest archaeological traces of European presence on the Australian continent and have been a major focus within Australian maritime archaeology. Four have been found in Australian waters, including Batavia (1629), Vergulde Draeck (1656), Zuiddorp (1712) and Zeewijk (1727), with three more known losses yet to be located.

Test of the value of laser scanning has been undertaken using a modern scale reconstruction of the Dutch East India ship Batavia, wrecked off Australia in 1629 (Photo by John McCarthy)

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Since their discovery in the 1960s and 70s, these shipwrecks have been studied intensively but there are still many gaps in our knowledge due to the fragmentary nature of the archaeological evidence. Wendy van Duivenvoorde is the author of Dutch East India Company Shipbuilding, a recent award-winning book published in 2015 on the archaeological evidence for these ships (http://www.tamupress.com/product/Dutch-East-India-Company-Shipbuilding,8171.aspx). Wendy’s book lists a total of 50 Dutch East India wrecks discovered around the world. Sadly, most of the remains have been destroyed by natural decay or through uncontrolled treasure hunting. To help address this problem, analysis of the scale models will be undertaken to furnish more information on the design and decoration of VOC ships. The models are also fascinating in their own right as objects of art and incredible craftsmanship, originating from the same artistic period that gave us Rembrandt and Vermeer. Each one was built for different reasons and has its own story to tell.

I will carry out this project as part of my PhD studies. Less than 20 contemporary models of these ships are known to survive globally, mostly held in Dutch museums. Our aim is to survey as many of these beautiful models as possible and to apply cutting-edge techniques to do so with maximum detail and precision. The scans will be used to create reconstructions and animations as well as 3D prints and even virtual reality simulations.

The Netherlands and Australia have recently signed a major new agreement on joint management and research of shipwrecks, sunken relics and other underwater cultural heritage. This Memorandum of Understanding builds on collaborations undertaken since 1972 and seeks to encourage more joint projects and sharing of skills and resources, in line with

the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

Dutch and Australian maritime archaeologists from the Western Australian Museum and Flinders University recently undertook fieldwork at the sites of the Dutch shipwrecks Zeewijk and Batavia as part of the ‘Shipwrecks of the Roaring 40s’ project.

The Ship Shapes project team tested and refined CT scanning techniques for ship models in the Flinders University Medical Centre (Photo by John McCarthy)

AIMA Newsletter ISSN 1446–8948

EXECUTIVEAIMA 2017–2018

EDITOR’S NOTE

Executive President

Senior Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

David SteinbergPh: 0404 302 015president@aima-underwater.org.au

Ross AndersonPh: (08) 9431 8442senior.vicepresident@aima-underwater.org.au

Matt Cartervicepresident1@aima-underwater.org.au

Danielle WilkinsonE-mail: vicepresident2@aima-underwater.org.au

Celeste Jordansecretary@aima-underwater.org.au

Phyllis Coxhilltreasurer@aima-underwater.org.au

Publications Committee

Newsletter Editor

Website Administrator

Scholarships Committee Chair

Public Officer

AIMA/NAS Senior Tutor

AIMA/NAS Tutors

Mark Polzer (Publications Editor), John McCarthy (Assistant Editor), Mick de Ruyter (Assistant Editor), Ross Anderson, David Gregory, Peter Harvey, Sarah Holland, Bill Jeffery, Margaret Leshikar-Denton, Jennifer McKinnon, Widya Nayati, David Nutley, Jason Raupp, Nathan Richards, Vicki Richards, Della Scott-Breton, Debra Shefi, Wendy van Duivenvoorde

Maddy Fowler

Chris Lewczak

Emily Jateff

Secretary

Cassandra Philippou

Kieran Hosty (NSW), David Steinberg (NT), Andy Dodd (NZ), Toni Massey (QLD), Peta Straiton (SA), Cass Philippou (TAS), Peter Harvey (VIC), Nic Bigourdan (WA)

Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology, Inc. Registration No. A0820044JWestern Australian Associations Incorporation Act 1987 s.18(6)Newsletter Registered by Australia PostPublication No. WBH 1635

Thanks to the contributors of this issue that provided such fantastic photographs—bringing Australasian maritime archaeology to life! Don’t forget that the AIMA Newsletter accepts content from across Australia and New Zealand, and particularly welcomes submissions from our colleagues in the Asia-Pacific region. Submissions for Issue 1 2018 (January–March) are due by 27 April 2018. — Maddy Fowler

Please send all postal correspondence to:

AIMA C/O Flinders University GPO Box 2100, ADELAIDE, SA 5001

Council

Canberra

New South Wales New Zealand

South Australia

Queensland

Western Australia

Victoria

USA

Malaysia

Social Media

Merchandise

Andrew Viduka

Milly Bendell, Cos Coroneos, Brad Duncan, Chris Lewczak

Kurt Bennett, Andy Dodd

Jonathan Benjamin, Wendy van Duivenvoorde, Trevor Winton

Maddy Fowler, Peter Illidge, Amer Khan, Toni Massey

Vicki Richards, Deb Shefi

Peter Harvey, Peter Taylor

Jennifer McKinnon

Charlotte Looram

Danielle Wilkinson, Chris Lewczak, Milly Bendell, Stephanie Morris

Peta Straiton

The AIMA Newsletter is supported by:

THE HISTORIC SHIPWECKS PROGR AM

AIMA NewsletterVolume 36, Number 4

December 2017