Wreck of Dutch World War II submarine found off Western Australia

Technical diving group Wrecksploration has confirmed the discovery of a World War II-era Dutch submarine lying on the seabed off the coast of Western Australia.

By cross-referencing multiple datasets, including historical museum records and magnetometer survey results, the WreckSploration team successfully pinpointed the location of the submarine HNLMS K XI off Rottnest Island.

Launched in April 1924, K XI served in the Dutch East Indies during World War II, patrolling the waters of what is now Indonesia from its base in Surabaya.

In 1942, the submarine rescued 13 survivors from the Royal Australian Navy sloop HMAS Yarra after it was sunk by an overwhelming Japanese force.

After being decommissioned in Fremantle in 1945, K XI was scuttled in 1946, its final resting place remaining unknown until only recently.

This, led by WreckSploration, was made possible through collaboration with the WA Maritime Museum, Diving Western Australia's Shipwrecks, and the Maritime Discovery Group. Funding for the project was provided by the Dutch National Cultural Heritage Agency.