Lost Dutch shipwreck discovered off South Australia after 170 years

Marine archaeologists have discovered the long-lost Dutch merchant vessel Koning Willem de Tweede, which sank nearly 170 years ago off the coast of South Australia. The wreck offers a powerful glimpse into a tragic chapter of maritime history during the height of the nineteenth-century Australian gold rushes.

The 800-ton sailing ship, launched in the Netherlands in 1840, had just completed a voyage transporting around 400 Chinese miners from Hong Kong to the goldfields of Victoria. The passengers disembarked near the town of Robe and began a 400-kilometre journey on foot to reach the mines.

Shortly afterwards, the vessel was caught in a violent storm as it prepared to return to the Netherlands in June 1857. The bay at Robe offered little protection from the fierce winds, and when the ship sustained severe damage, the captain attempted to run it aground on a sandbank. During the manoeuvre, the hull broke in two. A lifeboat carrying crew members capsized during the chaos, resulting in the deaths of two thirds of the crew.

Magnetometers and metal detectors

Although the wreck lay just offshore, its precise location remained a mystery for over 150 years, concealed beneath the shifting sands of the bay. Using advanced equipment such as magnetometers and metal detectors, archaeologists recently identified major structural remains – including iron components of the ship’s frame and windlass, the mechanism used to raise the anchor. Long wooden planks believed to be part of the upper deck were also found nearby.

Because the Koning Willem de Tweede sank so suddenly, researchers believe the wreck site may still contain well-preserved artefacts and personal belongings. These discoveries could offer valuable insights into life aboard nineteenth-century merchant ships and shed new light on a little-known episode in Australia’s migration and maritime history.