Scientists set sail to find shipwrecks

Scientists from the Australian National Maritime Museum have departed on an expedition to the Coral Sea to search for a number of famous 19th century shipwrecks.

The team of 11 are travelling from Bundaberg to Kenn Reefs, 500km off Australia's eastern coast, where they'll spend a week looking for the wrecks of seven ships known to have gone down in the area in the early to mid-19th century.

In particular they're looking for the wrecks of the brig Bona Vista, lost in 1828, and the barque Jenny Lind, lost in 1850.

The team is the same dive crew which in 2009 found the government schooner Mermaid wrecked in 1829 off the coast of Cairns.