Massive shipwreck discovered on seabed off Western Australia

Researchers in Australia have discovered a massive shipwreck estimated to be approximately 64 metres long lying at the bottom of the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia.

A small autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) developed by Sydney-based maritime technology company Advanced Navigation was used to locate the wreck, which is scattered across the seafloor at the Rottnest ship graveyard near Western Australia’s Rottnest Island.

Beginning in the 1900s, the Rottnest graveyard became a final resting place for commercial ships, naval surface vessels, submarines, and even aircraft. The majority of these wrecks have yet to be discovered due to their depths ranging from 50 to 200 metres.

The AUV, which is small enough to be deployed by a single person, utilised its advanced navigation and communication sensors to capture 4K video and imagery simultaneously. Upon the craft’s return to the surface, the team analysed the data and learned that it had examined a 64-metre shipwreck.

Learning the exact coordinates of the ship, the team used two AUVs to perform three missions, completing the full survey in just under five hours.

Curtin University HIVE, which specialises in shipwreck photogrammetry, was able to rebuild a high-resolution replica of the wreck (pictured) using the data gathered by the AUV. This involved taking 4K geo-referenced imagery and video footage from the AUV to generate a 3D digital twin of the shipwreck.

The data were also shared with shipwreck experts from the Western Australian Museum, who identified it as a 100-plus-year-old coal carrier that had been used around Fremantle Port.

Peter Baker, Subsea Product Manager at Advanced Navigation, said the successful and high-resolution portrait of this particular shipwreck validates the powerful capabilities of underwater drones. For this particular mission, use of the AUV was able to lower the operational cost of underwater inspections by 75 per cent compared to traditional methods.