WA shipwreck mystery solved

A maritime mystery off the WA coast has been solved – but this time there’s no treasure or Nazi submarine involved.

Last month marine researchers stumbled upon an uncharted ship wreck off the state’s north coast.

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The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) research vessel Solander was mapping the ocean floor when it detected the wreck.

A scientist told nine.com.au of the buzz of excitement aboard the ship when it was first picked up by a sonar sensor about 60m below the ocean surface.

But they were unable to identify the ship.

Now, after examining GPS coordinates and sonar scans, experts at the WA Museum say it’s an unidentified fishing vessel, about 40 years old.

Dr Ross Anderson, assistant curator maritime archaeology at the WA Museum, told nine.com.au the wreck has no historic value.

“Based on the size, intact hull, and structural features identified on the video footage such as the hatch and steel deck the wreck is not historic [more than 75 years old as defined by the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976],” Dr Anderson said.

“It appears to be an unknown fishing vessel dating from around the 1970 to 1980s.”

It will be recorded on the museum’s shipwreck database as a located wreck.