The wreck of the MV Blythe Star has just been found.
The Guardian reported on May 15th that scientists from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have confirmed the location of the MV Blythe Star, nearly 50 years after it sank off the coast of Tasmania.
Researchers from CSIRO and the University of Tasmania discovered the wreck of the MV Blythe Star approximately 10.5 km west of the southwest tip of Tasmania while studying an underwater landslide. They used mapping data and video imagery to confirm it was the MV Blythe Star.
The shipwreck was covered in algae and seaweed, the stern was damaged, and the wheelhouse was missing. In the footage, crayfish, fish, and seals were seen swimming around the wreck.
CSIRO said it was pleased to confirm the ship's "final resting place," closing a 50-year mystery.
On October 13, 1973, while on a routine voyage from Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, to King Island, the ship began to list to starboard and capsized.
Ten crew members boarded an inflatable life raft and spent nine days adrift at sea in bad weather before reaching shore. One died at sea, and the remaining nine attempted to walk back to shore from their landing point in Deep Glen Bay on the Forestier Peninsula, southeast of Tasmania. During this journey, two crew members died from exhaustion and hypothermia.
The crew was not rescued until October 26, 1973, nearly two weeks after the shipwreck. A small group of survivors ventured out and planted a flag on a road to signal to passing cars.
Despite Australia's extensive search efforts, they have found no trace of the MV Blythe Star for decades.
The tragedy prompted Australia to make significant changes to its maritime law, including the introduction of a position reporting system, which has dramatically improved safety at sea.
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