Shipwrecks, museums and a passion for collecting Shipwrecks, museums and a passion for collecting  

John Mullen AM has been a guiding influence in maritime archaeology and at the Australian National Maritime Museum for more than 15 years. He has been intimately involved in the museum’s development, first as Chair of the museum’s Foundation (2016–19) and on the museum’s Council, and for the past six years, as Chair of the Council.

In another capacity, his private foundation, Silentworld, has been integral to the discovery and exploration of some of the Australia’s most significant shipwrecks, often in partnership with the museum. A highlight was worked together on one of Australia’s most exciting shipwreck discoveries, that of HMCS Mermaid, which sank in 1829. He was also part of a successful expeditions to locate Australia’s first submarine, HMAS AE1, and the Japanese prisoner-of-war ship Montevideo Maru. 

His passion for maritime history extends over four decades and he has spent much of his spare time diving for early shipwrecks, and collecting historical material from early maritime voyages to the Pacific, with a personal collection which includes some 2,500 items.

To mark the end of his time on the museum's council, Tim Barlass sat down with John to discuss maritime heritage, archaeology and the future of the museum.

The first item he collected

“I remember the first item was a letter to do with the Endeavour. It was not a very important letter and it was only an oblique reference, but I found it in a bookshop [in the mid-1970s]. I think it was in Maggs Brothers in London. That was the first time I actually got to touch and feel something of that age, and it sort of went from there. I think it cost a lot for me at the time. I can't remember now, but I think it might have been $1,000 or maybe $500, but it was a lot for me.”  

Links to the National Maritime Museum

“The interaction with the museum started way back, I think 20 years ago. 

I think in Kevin Fewster's day [the director of Australian National Maritime Museum 1989-2000]. We had a boat and we spent a lot of time up in North Queensland on the reef and I would go looking for wrecks then I'd ring Kevin and say, ‘We found X or Y, what do you think it is?’ Later on, I said, ‘Why don't we actually put a program together. Let's go looking for a wreck of significance to Australia's history each year. I'll sponsor the expedition if the maritime archaeologists at the museum help with the research and do the diving.’ It's become a really good partnership and we basically went pretty well every year for years, up until COVID.”

Wreck hunting

“There's, a big difference between treasure hunting and historical hunting, which is what we're doing. The rules and ethics of shipwreck hunting are contentious in some cases, but reasonably well laid down. Certainly, in Australia, there's strong legislation around it. So, all shipwrecks are protected, and you cannot raise any material from a shipwreck without specific permission from Canberra. If you're a serious scientific expedition, like I think we are, you do get permission to raise limited material, normally for the purposes of identification."

The dangers of diving

“I made a mistake once or twice, stayed down too long, you get really excited and you know you should be going up and the air is getting perilously low. On one particular occasion I was very foolish but I survived it and that taught me a lesson. Sharks predominantly don't bother divers but we've had one or two moments. I had to bash one on the nose once many years ago when it got a bit frisky.”

The wreck of HMB Endeavour

“I'm 100 per cent satisfied that the vessel we found, the museum found, is the Endeavour. Beyond that, we've had all the research peer-reviewed by people at the top of the profession internationally, and there's 100 per cent consensus  that it's the Endeavour. I don't think there's any doubt.”

What's next

“We're going to look for a boat called the America, which was lost on the northern Great Barrier Reef. [The America was a ship of 391 tons and carried convicts to Sydney in 1829 and to Hobart in 1831. She was wrecked on a coral reef on June 20, 1831, at night in a squall. The crew landed without loss on a small island four kilometres from the wreck the following morning using the ship’s pinnace and longboat.]

“We're still doing the research but we're pretty sure we know which reef it's on. And we'll still use the old-fashioned way - we'll tow a magnetometer, which basically will pick up tiny movements in the Earth's magnetic field. If you go over ferrous metal, which is, you know, chain anchors, cannons, that will give you a blip.

“We'll be doing that at Christmas time - provided you don't have a cyclone, you can actually have ideal diving conditions on the weather side of the reef at that time.

“My wife [Jacqui] usually comes as well, so from a family perspective I get the green light and it's also a good time workwise because everything shuts down at Christmas.”
 

The idea of using ‘journeys’ to tell stories

The journey theme lends itself to a museum like the National Maritime Museum. Obviously, immigration and migrants coming by sea, but it's more than just the actual journey.

“It's the shaping of a nation that I think is interesting. And all those immigrants from different parts of the world all arrived here and have formed the Australia of today, one of the most multicultural countries on earth. I think it's one of our greatest strengths as a nation. The museum has an obligation to tell that story, of the influence that the sea has to this day, most of our exports still go by sea.”

The future of the museum

How the museum stays relevant is probably the most critical thing. Yes, everything is online today, but it's still not the same as actually going and touching, feeling and standing on the replica of the Endeavour, looking up at the masts and rigging. You can't do that online. That is still a huge draw card.”