A shipwreck has been found off the Tasmanian coast after being lost for nearly 50 years.
The MV Blythe Star was travelling from Hobart to King Island on a routine journey when it capsized and sank on October 13, 1973.
Three crew members died in the following days, with seven survivors waiting nearly two weeks to be rescued from an inflatable raft.
No trace of the marine vessel was ever found – until now.
Researchers from the CSIRO and the University of Tasmania uncovering the shipwreck about 10.5 kilometres west of South West Cape, while studying a submarine landslide. The location of the wreck was confirmed by RV Investigator on April 12, 2023.
The investigation by RV Investigator used seafloor mapping (called bathymetry) which showed the unidentified shipwreck was lying in approximately 150 metres of water.
The shipwreck was intact and sitting upright on the seafloor. Its bow is pointing towards the northwest, almost in the direction of King Island.
The visual inspection showed the vessel in relatively good condition – covered with minimal growth of algae and seaweed.
The find bringing closure to a decades-long mystery.
Image: CSIRO.
