Rottnest ship graveyard
The Rottnest ship graveyard is a ship graveyard and dump site located off Rottnest Island, Western Australia.[1] The graveyard is located south-west of Rottnest Island: older records identify it as a 7-mile-diameter (11 km) area centred on 32°04′S 115°20′E / 32.067°S 115.333°E, while a 1996 report placed the site between the coordinates of 32°00′S 115°10′E / 32.000°S 115.167°E and 32°05′S 115°23′E / 32.083°S 115.383°E.[1] The seabed in this area rests between 50 and 200 metres (160 and 660 ft) below sea level.[1] It has been used for the disposal of obsolete ships since 1910.[1] After World War II, the graveyard was also used for the disposal of Lend-Lease vehicles and aircraft.[1]
As of 2006, the wrecks of 47 historically significant vessels are known to have been sunk in the Rottnest graveyard.[1]
See also
[edit]- Rottnest Island shipwrecks, for shipwrecks close to the island's shore