The wreck of the SS "Iron Crown" sunk in 1942 has been found.

The wreck of the merchant ship SS “Iron Crown”, which was sunk as part of the war effort by a Japanese submarine in 1942, has been discovered off the coast of Australia after 77 years. The entire incident resulted in the deaths of 38 of the 42 crew members. The incident was one of the most tragic episodes of World War II to affect the state of Victoria.

On her last voyage the Iron Crown sailed on 4 June 1942 with a shipment of manganese ore, from Whyalla, South Australia to Newcastle, New South Wales. The ship was attacked and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-27, while passing through Bass Strait, 44 Mm off Gabo Island.

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The wreck was found approximately 100km off the coast of Australia during a search conducted using multibeam sonar. In addition to the sonar image, photo/video documentation was also obtained. The researchers informed the media and the public of their discovery on Tuesday, 23 April.

[blockquote style=”2″]”Iron Crown” is located at a depth of over 700 meters, which means that access to the wreck is possible only with the use of specialized equipment equipped with video cameras. Fortunately, the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) research team from the R/V “Investigator” unit cannot complain about a lack of suitable equipment, and as a result the first images of the wreck are now available[/blockquote].

Further inspections of the sunken vessel are also planned, as well as the creation of a detailed map of the wreck, which would make it possible to protect it in the future and to observe the changes occurring on it. At the moment we know that the SS “Iron Crown” has settled almost evenly on its keel and appears to be in a very good state of preservation. Further trips to the wreck will help to assess the vessel in more detail.

There are 4 World War II shipwrecks resting in the waters of the state of Victoria, but the Iron Crown is the only one sunk as a result of an enemy submarine attack. Finding the final resting place of the 38 victims is an opportunity for their families and the local community to close the final chapter of this tragedy.

The ship SS “Iron Crown” was built at the Lithgows Ltd shipyard, Glasgow, for the Broken Hill Proprietary Company and measured almost 101 metres long and nearly 15 metres wide. The vessel entered service under the name “Euroa” on 22 October 1937. She was subsequently renamed and her home port became Sydney.

Source: csiro.au
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