Solander

A mystery shipwreck has been unexpectedly found 120 km off the Karratha coast by a team of marine scientists aboard the "Solander" during a routine mapping survey of the area. Australian Institute of Marine Science researchers onboard the research vessel noticed the hitherto unknown vessel appear on their ship’s equipment start of April while travelling between sites on an expedition to map the ocean floor. The captain had been the first to notice the unusual formation show up on their boat’s echosounder, generating a lot of interest among the group. They came back to take a closer look and were able to map it in detail using enhanced multi-beam survey technology onboard. The vessel, which was found in 60 meter deep water, was about 37 meters long and had a modern post-1900s design and was made from metal. It has not been identified so far and all information, including the vessel’s exact location, a multi-beam survey map and video footage has been provided to the WA Museum for future identification. AMSA has advised that the ship does not pose a safety hazard. The AIMS team will stay in touch with the WA Museum to see what they find out. Report with photos: https://thewest.com.au/news/pilbara-news/unidentified-shipwreck-found-off-the-coast-of-karratha-ng-b88809105z