Maritime archaeology
Dive into the museum’s maritime archaeology research, including the dramatic stories of shipwrecks and understanding diverse underwater heritage sites.
For over 20 years our maritime archaeologists have explored the physical remains of how people in the past interacted with our oceans, lakes and rivers. While our archaeologists have dived on many shipwrecks, they also study jetties, wharves and other underwater sites that bear traces of human activity. They love their job.
Discovering the wreck of HM Bark Endeavour.
Did you know that James Cook’s world-famous ship ended up being sunk by the British military in an American harbour?
Its location was forgotten for over two centuries until our maritime archaeologists worked with a team in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, to hunt for clues that confirmed its identity.
The story of HMB Endeavour
The tale of how a little coal-carrying ship, originally called the Earl of Pembroke, but better known as His Majesty's Bark Endeavour, travelled around the world under the command of Lieutenant James Cook before ending up at the bottom of Newport Harbour, Rhode Island.
This animation was commissioned by the Australian National Maritime Museum Education Team and produced by Roar Film.
Australian National Maritime Museum
Wrecks and relics
The museum, in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, Silentworld Foundation, and National Trust of South Australia (Robe Branch), has produced a community artefact conservation booklet.
Finding HMAS AE1
AE1 was the Australia’s first submarine.
The loss of AE1 and the loss of the entire compliment of 35 officers and crew in the first months of World War One was the Royal Australian Navy’s first major tragedy. On 14 September 1914, AE1 disappeared without trace off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Despite numerous searches over many years, its location remained unknown.
The Batavia shipwreck disaster
In the 1600s the Dutch-owned, Batavia, was shipwrecked off Western Australia and what befell the survivors was sheer horror!
Researching shipwrecks
Did you know that two historic shipwrecks lie hidden beneath the sands of Stockton Beach, Newcastle? New research is revealing the fascinating stories of the Berbice and Durisdeer, two sailing vessels that met their fate on this treacherous coastline.
Read this fascinating article by Dr James Hunter and discover how these shipwrecks were identified and analysed using archival records from Lloyd's Register LRF Heritage & Education Centre