Discovery of 168-Year-Old Shipwreck off South Australia's Coast

A team of researchers believes they have found the location of a long-lost Dutch vessel, submerged off the Australian coastline since its sinking over a century and a half ago.

The Koning William de Tweede, a ship weighing 800 tons, sank near the town of Robe, located in South Australia, back in June 1857. Only a few days before its demise, a large number of Chinese miners had disembarked safely, according to the Australian National Maritime Museum.

At the time of the ship's sinking, it had 25 crew members aboard, out of which 16 tragically perished, as reported by ABC.

The search involved collaboration between the museum, the Silentworld Foundation—which investigates Australian maritime history—Flinders University, and South Australia's Department for Environment and Water. The project also had backing from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Netherlands' Cultural Heritage Agency.

Dr. James Hunter from the maritime museum shared with ABC that they found pieces of the vessel, such as the winch and iron fixtures, on the sea floor in Guichen Bay.

The Silentworld Foundation revealed on social media that this search had been ongoing for about four years, with poor underwater visibility presenting significant challenges. Although they initially suspected they had pinpointed the wreck in 2022, it wasn't till March 2025 that the ship's identity was confirmed.

"Recent expeditions to Robe have likely identified the shipwreck," stated the Silentworld Foundation, adding that difficult visibility conditions made this discovery all the more remarkable.

The maritime museum announced on Facebook that future exploration will be conducted at this site. These visits aim to evaluate the site further and reveal more of this remarkable piece of maritime heritage.

Australia's coastal waters are peppered with numerous shipwrecks, many of which have been uncovered in recent times.