Wreckage of 800-ton ship found after its deadly sinking well over a century ago: 'Significant discovery'

Archaeologists are confident they have found the wreckage of an 800-ton Dutch merchant ship that sunk off the coast of Australia 168 years ago. 

The Koning Willem de Tweede was lost near Robe, Australia, in June 1857, killing 16 of its 25 crew members. 

The "significant discovery" was announced this week by the Australian National Maritime Museum and the SilentWorld Foundation after a four-year search. 

The find "connects us to stories of trade and migration, having discharged over 400 Chinese miners just days before its sinking," the museum said in a post on social media about the discovery. 

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James Hunter, acting manager of maritime archeology at the Australian National Maritime Museum, told the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) Wednesday that archaeologists had uncovered several components of the ship, including its windlass, a device that raises and lowers equipment to the ship sticking out of the seabed. 

"We looked at things like the depth of the ship - the draught - and we've looked at the water depth it's sitting in, and that all seems to line up really well," he told ABC of the confidence they had found its final resting place. 

He added that researchers also found a "magnetic anomaly" that is the same length as the 140-foot ship. 

The museum said the find was a collaboration with the Silentworld Foundation, a nonprofit that supports underwater archeology, and, South Australia's Department for Environment and Water and Flinders University.

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"This significant discovery, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, marks the culmination of dedicated research since 2022," the museum said on Facebook Tuesday. "Future monitoring visits are planned to further assess the site and uncover more of this important piece of maritime history." 

"When the weather has been kind enough, they have carried out survey work searching for the wreck," SilentWorld said on Facebook Wednesday. "The latest visit to Robe, in association with the team listed above, led to the probable identification of the shipwreck. The visibility was challenging, but still enough for the team to make this incredible call!"

Hunter told ABC the ship may have run aground on the seabed and was buried by sand. 

The team thought it had found the wreck three years ago, but Hunter said the sand made visibility difficult. 

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"It takes nothing to stir the sand up, and it kind of sits in suspension almost like you're in a blizzard underwater," he said.