CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has helped confirm the resting place of motor vessel (MV) Noongah, a 71-metre coastal freighter lost at sea in 1969 in one of the nation’s worst post-war maritime disasters.
MV Noongah was travelling between Newcastle and Townsville carrying steel when it encountered a storm and sank in heavy seas on 25 August 1969.
The loss of MV Noongah led to one of the largest searches for survivors in Australian maritime history, involving navy and merchant vessels, aircraft, helicopters and shore-based searches of beaches along the coast.
Tragically, 21 of the 26 crew on board lost their lives in the incident. Only one body was ever recovered and the wreck of MV Noongah had never been found.
The location of the wreck has now been confirmed through a collaborative project between CSIRO, Heritage NSW and The Sydney Project. Several members of the public also contributed to the project, including by pinpointing and reporting the location of the suspected shipwreck off the NSW coast.
CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator completed an investigation of the unidentified shipwreck in June 2024, collecting high resolution bathymetry (seafloor mapping data) and video footage of the wreck.
CSIRO Voyage Manager, Margot Hind, said the investigation showed the wreck is sitting upright on the seafloor and is largely intact.
“We were lucky to have favourable sea conditions for the survey and our CSIRO technical teams were able to gather excellent bathymetry and drop camera vision of the wreck,” Ms Hind said.
“The bathymetry data shows the wreck is sitting at a depth of 170 metres and is approximately 71 metres long, with the vessel dimensions, profile and configuration matching MV Noongah.”
The data and vision collected by RV Investigator was provided to project partners to enable them to confirm the identity of the wreck and support planning for a dive by The Sydney Project to collect additional vision from the site.
CSIRO’s Matt Kimber, who informed key stakeholders of the outcomes of the RV Investigator survey, said those conversations offered a poignant reminder of the significance of such maritime heritage discoveries.
“This tragedy is still very much in the memory of many in the community and we offer our condolences to families and descendants of the crew who were lost,” Mr Kimber said.
“Our thoughts are also with the surviving crew members from MV Noongah, and we hope that knowing the resting place of the vessel brings some closure for all.”
Mr Samir Alhafith from The Sydney Project said the discovery of MV Noongah has been 20 years in the making but it was only recently that the technology and diving knowledge allowed wrecks at such depths to be more easily identified.
“Not only is the discovery of these significant wrecks important for the surviving sailors and families of those that perished during the tragedy but also it allows us to investigate the mystery behind the sinking,” Mr Alhafith said.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the founders of the wreck, Paul and James Wright, and to Heritage NSW and CSIRO for their assistance to identify the wreck as the Noongah. These collaborations are more important than ever when dealing with challenging deep sites.”
Mr Tim Smith OAM, Director Assessments from Heritage NSW said the dangers of coastal shipping have led to many tragic losses of life.
“We hope this discovery of the ship’s final resting place offers the survivors and families of the crew some closure,” Mr Smith said.
