‘Strewed with Wrecks’: Results of the 2017 Archaeological Survey of Kenn Reefs, Australian Coral Sea Territory

Summary

In February 2017, maritime archaeologists affiliated with the Australian National Maritime Museum and Silentworld Foundation conducted a survey of Kenn Reefs. Located at the far eastern extremity of Australia’s Coral Sea Territory, this reef system was an uncharted hazard to navigation in the middle of the ‘Outer Route’, a shipping corridor used by nineteenth-century mariners wishing to avoid transiting through the Great Barrier Reef. Not surprisingly, several shipwrecks occurred at Kenn Reefs during this period, with the majority occurring during the 1850s. In at least two instances, shipwreck survivors spent several weeks on the largest of the reef system’s sand cays, and built a vessel from salvaged ship’s timber, rigging and fittings to aid their escape. This paper provides a synopsis of the of the 2017 field season, including efforts by the project team to identify specific shipwreck sites and evidence of salvage/survivors’ camps on the sand cay.

Cite this Record

‘Strewed with Wrecks’: Results of the 2017 Archaeological Survey of Kenn Reefs, Australian Coral Sea Territory. James Hunter, Paul Hundley, Kieran Hosty, Irini A Malliaros. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018 ( tDAR id: 441530)

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Keywords

General
Australia Maritime Archaeology Shipwreck

Geographic Keywords
AUSTRALIA Oceania

Temporal Keywords
1820-1860

Spatial Coverage

min long: 112.952; min lat: -43.648 ; max long: 153.606; max lat: -10.71 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 614