Searching NSW Maritime Heritage Online
Always take the time to read and follow the tips for conducting your searches. Every search engine is different so in order to get the
best results it pays to follow the instructions.
[Lyndon - some search options in this document are not currently available but this will be changed shortly. ]
Shipwreck search:
Search under the Name of the Ship
for:
The capital of New South Wales
How many results are there?
Where was the first City of Sydney lost and what was the date?
Locate where the vessel was lost on a map of New South Wales.
What year did the second City of Sydney sink?
What was it carrying?
Who was the owner?
Sydney
What type of watercraft was it?
How did it sink?
A vessel called Sydney sank in 1935
What was its previous name?
HMAS
How many vessels are listed in the results?
Have a look at their records.
Why would so many have been scuttled?
Which vessel has been used to make two separate memorials?
Dunbar lost in 1857
Describe the sinking, where it was lost and the name of the ship’s captain.
Enter these letters - ‘Wa’
How has it been identified in your search?
What number of results did you get?
Check out the vessels with Wave in their name.
Indicate on a map where they were shipwrecked.
What was the Dolly Wamsley carrying when it was grounded in the fog?
Examine the details for the Wollongbar
wrecked in 1943.
Why did it sink?
How many passengers? How many died?
Infotivity
Use your library or the Research Area content of this website for more information
about this disaster.
Imagine you are a reporter for the SMH, write a one page account of the sinking of
Wollongbar.
Rosetta Joseph
Write a paragraph for the Port Macquarie News about this ship and how it was
wrecked.
Queen of Nations
Name the location where this vessel sunk.
Infotivity
Imagine you were a crew member on this vessel. Write a story about life on board in
the hours leading up to this event and what it was like from the time the ship struck to
when you were safe ashore.
Submarine
How many Japanese midget submarines were there and when were they sunk?
Infotivitiy
1. Imagine you are one of the crew on a Japanese midget submarine. Write 4
diary entries in the days on board the ‘Mother ship’ leading up to the sinking.
2. Investigate and report on the World War II attack in Sydney Harbour.
Thomas S Mort
What is significant about this vessel?
Infotivity
Write an imaginative story ….You are the ship, the Thomas S Mort …tell your story
In your story include details about where and how you were constructed and the
journey that you were on when you became shipwrecked.
Daniel O’Connell
What is the grizzly story behind this boat?
Write the headlines for a story on this vessel for the Nelson Bay Advocate.
Shipwreck Search:
Search under Date range.
Search for the years After 1770 Before
1805
How many shipwrecks are in the results list?
How many were refloated?
Which ship is the earliest recorded, give its name?
When did it sink?
Infotivity
1. Find out as much as you can about the ship named Martha. Make a Fact file on
the ship and how it met its fate .
2. Write a paragraph describing a schooner and include a picture. (Hint: Use ‘ship
type’ in ‘Website search’ to assist.)
3. From the search results, which ship was built in Sydney from imported frames?
4. This ship played an important part in one of Australia’s most important
shipwreck events. Find out what you can about this event from newspaper
articles or published sources.
Search these dates
Before 1800 After 1850. (Be sure to
select ‘Status’ as ‘Wrecked’.)
You are an underwater archaeologist. Choose one of the vessels in this list to
investigate. Develop an action plan for a diving expedition. Include a map of the area
equipment you will need and what you expect to find.
(Hint: use the ‘Diver Resources’ section of the Research Centre and download the
‘Wrecks Alive’ file.)
Search by ‘Date Wrecked’
After 1980/01/01
Before 990/01/01
Search from 1995
How many vessels?
Which year had the most shipwrecks?
Infotivity
Search on old newspapers to find an account of one of the vessels, eg a ferry sinking.
Write a review of the article.
Imagine you are interviewing one of the passengers. Write out 10 interview questions.
How many results?
Infotivity
Examine the results and fill in this table
Name of ship
Where built
Year built
Comments
What is the name of the ship in the earliest recorded date for a shipwreck?
Infotivity
Use your library resources and the Internet to find the meaning of the name of this
ship and whether there is any more information about its journey to our shores.
Find the 10 earliest shipwreck dates in the database.
Where were most of these vessels built?
Fill in the table from the results
Name of ship
Where built
Year built
Comments
Why do you think there might be so little information about shipwrecks in this period?
Search for 1889
[Enter 1889 in both the ‘after’ and
‘before’ fields.
Name and draw an example of the Chinese vessel that was wrecked during a
cyclone.
Find the vessel Neptune.
What was it carrying when it went down?
Search under the year that you were
born
How many vessels in the results?
Describe the most interesting vessel and how it was shipwrecked
Search under the dates of the First
World War
Find entry for a barge wrecked on the Clarence River in 1914. What is the name of
the vessel?
Infotivity
Research on the Internet and in encyclopaedias for information about the origin of this
name. What country does it derive from? Write a short account a famous person in
this country’s history who had this name.
Shipwreck Search:
Other fields
Search under ‘Status’
How many entries are in the shipwreck database?
How many entries are for vessels that have been refloated?
How many entries are for vessels that were wrecked and not refloated?
Search under ‘Total Deaths’
Make a list of the 5 greatest disasters in NSW in terms of loss of life.
Search on ‘Where Built’
How many vessels were built in Kiel?
Where is Kiel? Locate it on a map of Europe.
Infotivity
Examine the records of the search results and prepare a report. Give the name/s and
details of sinking. Can you find additional information about this/these vessel/s?
Search under ‘Persons/Organisations’
Infotivity
Research the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company.
Develop an advertising brochure about the company.
Make a website, giving background and archaeological information on the Mimosa.
Search on ‘Sinking’
Explosions are always a concern on board a ship. How many ships have been
wrecked due to explosions in NSW?
List the different reasons given for the explosions.
Search on ‘Sinking’ for ‘Collisions’.
How many ships in New South Wales have been involved in collisions?
Give the descriptions of their sinking.
Search on ‘Sinking; for ‘torpeodo’
Infotivity
How many ships have been torpedoed and sunk?
Name the vessel that was torpedoed in the 20th century.
Imagine you are a passenger on the Wollongbar in 1943. Write a letter to your parents
describing the ordeal.
Infotivity
1. On a map of Australia indicate where the sinking took place, the date and who
torpedoed them, in brackets give the number of deaths.
2. Give a short account of War comes to Australia, telling when and why this
happened.
In ‘Type’ enter
‘Smack’
Which years were these vessels shipwrecked?
Describe and draw a “smack”.
Passengers – international
How many ships used to carrying international passengers have been shipwrecked?
Many vessels were about to undertake
long sea voyages just before meeting
with disaster.
Check 5 of the records and answer these questions.
How far from the Australian port they had left were these vessels when they sunk?
What type of cargo were they carrying?
Did they have any passengers?
Were there any lives lost?
Search in ‘Port to’: enter ‘London’
Country built
Search under each country for the number of vessels built.
Record the total for each country in a table and then make a line graph reflecting each
country and the Number built.
In ‘Port Built’ enter
Newcastle on Tyne
What was the main construction material for these vessels?
Infotivity
Find out as much as you can about the shipbuilding industry in this part of England in
the 19th century. Write a short report for a Shipping journal.
Search on ‘Port From’ and ‘Port To’
What was the name of the vessel that was travelling from Norfolk Island to Sydney
and was sunk near Newcastle?
What was it carrying and why did it sink?
When built:
After 1800 and Before 1810
Examine the results.
Where were these vessels built?
What do you notice about the size of most of the vessels?
What types of vessel were they?
Collect pictures of similar vessels.
Infotivity
Find out as much as you can about the ship building industry in early colonial
Australia. Why were there restrictions on building large vessels or privately owned
vessels? What type ships were being built during this period?
Search by ‘Industry’
Using ships as a means of conveying information, goods and people to and from
regional centres was very important in the 19th century. How many vessels were lost
that are listed as being involved in the coastal trade?
Search by ship ‘Type’
How many yawls have been shipwrecked in New South Wales?
Infotivity
Investigate yawls. Illustrate and describe a yawl.
Search in ‘Where lost’ and enter
‘Byron’
Explain what is so interesting about these results in relation to search techniques?
(finds eg Cape Byron, Byron Bay)
Website search:
Search the website for:
Captain Latto
What was the name of his ship?
How did the captain die?
Chinese passengers
Where had these passengers been working before the voyage?
Timber
Examine the records for ‘Sites contained in the database’.
Which region were most of these vessels travelling in when they sunk?
In the Website Search enter ‘Johnson’.
Click on the ‘Sites Contained in the Database’ option. What is the name of the second
vessel in the search results?
Use the ‘Back’ button to return to the list of options from the Website Search and
choose ‘Research Area Content’.
Read the information about the story of the Dunbar in the article about Camperdown
Cemetery.
Read the information on this site in the ‘Case Study’ in the Research Centre under
‘School Resources’ .
Infotivity
Maritime Heritage Online includes poems that have been written about the Dunbar.
Write a poem about the wreck of this or another shipwreck or maritime heritage
feature of your own choosing.
Search for ‘Churchill’ in Website
Search.
What was the work that this vessel was engaged in at the end of its working life?
Use the Regions map to find out where it is located now.
What was the association of this shipwreck with the British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill?
Infotivity
Research the history of Winston Churchill including his years as a prisoner in Africa.
Do a Website Search for: coal
What were some of the uses for coal?
Where were the main sites for exporting coal on the New South Wales coast?
Infotivity
1. Develop a Fact file about the coal industry.
2. Read some of the comments about the reasons for the sinking of these
vessels. Make a judgement about why you think so many vessels carrying or
loading coal sunk.
Search for ‘whale’ in Website search.
In the Sites Contained in the Database option, how many whaling ships have been
wrecked? Be sure not to include whaling museums etc.
What type of vessels were they?
Where were they lost and how did they sink?
Infotivity
You are a captain of one of these vessels. Produce a log book detailing the events
that led up to the sinking of your vessel.
In ‘Website search’ – enter ‘convicts’
Infotivity
Examine each of the results.
Imagine you are one of the convicts on the Hive. Write a poem about your
experiences.
In ‘Website search’ – enter ‘whaling’
Name as many vessels as you can that were involved in the whaling industry.
Write a 10 point Fact File about the whaling industry in Twofold Bay.
Visit the ‘Research Centre’ menu
item
Choose ‘Training’.
Infotivity
You want to become an underwater archaeologist. Research the Maritime Heritage
Online and the internet for degree courses available at universities in Australia.
Name the universities and list the types of subjects you would undertake.
If you were an archaeologist and wanted to work on a shipwreck sites in New South
Wales which authorities would you have to notify?
Choose ‘Diver Resources’
You are a recreational diver and want to dive on an historic shipwreck. Found out how
divers can legally access shipwreck sites.
Name the two main pieces of legislation that protect underwater cultural heritage? To
what geographic areas do each of these Acts apply?
(How can I get access to a shipwreck site?
Most protected underwater sites do not require an access permit from the Heritage
Office. Most good dive stores will have information those sites that are accessible for
diving. If you are uncertain about a particular shipwreck, speak to the Heritage Office's
Maritime Archaeology Unit on (02) 9635 6155.)
NSW regions
Use the Regions map
In the Hunter Valley regional map in The Maritime Coast, find the name of a bulk
carrier that was washed ashore north on Stockton Beach.
Infotivity
You were the 1st reporter at the scene. Describe what had happened and the scene of
devastation. Give your article a headline.
Search under each of the regions
Which region has the highest number of shipwrecks? Give some reasons why you
think this is such a high number.
Which region has the lowest number of shipwrecks?
Region – Lord Howe Island
Name the vessel that was previously used to transport convicts. (Britannia)
Infotivity
1. You are employed by the NSW Tourist association. Write a short article about
the historical importance of Lord Howe Island, the importance of the shipping
industry to the island and the underwater cultural heritage that can be visited.
2. Design a “Wish you were here..” Lord Howe Island postcard and write to friend
describing your time there.
Region - Murray River
How many results?
Have a closer look at about 10 vessels. What type of vessels are they?
What were the goods that they were transporting?
Why do you think so many vessels floundered along the Murray?
Infotivity
Develop a timeline for the River Murray.
On a map of Australia draw the River Murray and locate the major towns.
What were the main industries along the river and why was it so important? Write a
one page report.
Region - Darling River
What Aboriginal heritage item is featured in the Darling River?
In the Research Centre, under ‘Research’ there is a PDF file about Aborigines and
shipwreck survivors. How many shipwrecks are listed where there are records of
contact between Aboriginal contact and shipwreck survivors.
How many shipwrecks are listed as being located in the Darling River?
Which shipwreck was associated with a shearer’s strike?
Infotivity
You are one of the unionists involved in the strike. Write a poem about the events on
the night that the riverboat was destroyed, or
You were one of the crew onboard the vessel. Write a poem about the events on the
night that the riverboat was destroyed.
Combining searches - try these
Search by:
Name of the Ship and Region
‘Mary’ and ‘Hunter’
Search by:
Name of the Ship and Region
What is the earliest date of a shipwreck with these results?
Name the different types of vessels in these results.
Choose one and find an illustration of this type of vessel and describe it.
Using a map of the Sydney region identify where these shipwrecks occurred.
‘Sea’ and Sydney region
Search by:
Found out how many ships have been found and whose status is also ‘Wrecked’.
‘Status’ and ‘Found’
What percentage of all vessels listed as ‘wrecked’ have been found?
Search by:
Cargo, Date Wrecked and Status:
Sheep
Before 1860 After 1870
Wrecked
How many?
What land mark was named after this shipwreck event?
Infotivity
1. Use your library resources to find a newspaper article relating to this incident.
Write a half page summary of the article.
2. Research to find out more about this industry. Is it still operating today?
Imagine you are employed by the Primary industry department. Record and
report your findings in point form and give it a title.
Search by:
Name of the ship and Region
Who was the builder?
Where was this vessel built?
‘Acme’ and ‘Hunter Valley’
Infotivity
Research the history of shipbuilding in this area. List 8 facts about the shipbuilding
industry in this city.
Conduct a search on:
Examine the results. Make up a table to record the different reasons for their sinking.
What was the most frequent reason for these vessels being shipwrecked?
Name of ship includes letters – mar
Region - Illawarra
Date – Before 1800 After 1900