The wreck of
HMS Pandora

Archaeologists uncovered another layer in the story of HMS Pandora, one of the most significant shipwrecks in the Southern Hemisphere, when they excavated the site in February this year. The Royal navy warship sank over 200 years ago when it foundered on the Great Barrier Reef, 120 km east of Cape York, while in search of the infamous Bounty mutineers. The excavation is the most recent in a series of expeditions to investigate the site and recover artefacts from the seabed.

The story of HMS Pandora is inextricably linked with the notorious mutiny on the HMS Bounty. The immediate consequence of that mutiny was an heroic 6400 km voyage in an open boat by Captain Bligh and those of his crew not persuaded to throw in their lot with Fletcher Christian. The Bounty initially went to Tahiti where some of the mutineers disembarked. Fletcher Christian and his closest supporters continued on to Pitcairn Island. Here they destroyed the Bounty so that it could not be seen from a passing ship and most successfully escaped capture. Their descendants still live on the island.

Bottles found in the stern section of the Pandora. Photograph courtesy of the Queensland Museum.

The British Admiralty did not look kindly upon the theft of a naval ship. The voyage of the HMS Pandora under the command of Capt Edward Edwards was to be a signal that no corner of the globe was a safe haven for the perpetrators of such a crime. The visit of the Pandora to Tahiti and other islands in the region was only partially successful. Those mutineers on Pitcairn Island remained undetected. But Edwards was able to capture several others before returning to England.

In an attempt to pass safely through the treacherous waters of the Great Barrier Reef during the return voyage of the HMS Pandora, Capt Edwards launched one of the ship's boats to find a passage. As evening fell and the reflected light from the setting sun masked the barely submerged reefs, Capt Edwards endeavoured to recover the crew and boat. The manoeuvre resulted in disaster.

Unbeknown to Capt Edwards, the Pandora had become almost encircled by reefs. The ship struck and was holed. Some hours later the stricken vessel succumbed to the inflowing sea and settled onto the coralline sand 33 metres below the surface.

Several crew and mutineers perished. The remainder set out on yet another epic open boat voyage to Timor.

The Pandora remained lost from 1791 to 1977. A magnetometer search by a naval air crew located the wreck site which was subsequently confirmed by scuba divers. Since then the conservation and archaeological investigation of the site has been the responsibility of the Queensland Museum. A series of surveys and excavations was conducted in the 1980s. In 1993 the Heritage Branch of the NSW Department of Planning participated in the Pandora Project for the first time by sending David Nutley, coordinator of the office's maritime archaeological unit, to assist in the excavation.

Following the 1993 expedition, the Queensland Government agreed to set up a Pandora Foundation to attract private sponsorship for continued investigation of the site on a $1 for $2 basis. The Foundation was established with a $1m contribution from the Government. Subsequent sponsorship increased the Foundation funds to a total of $3m. It is expected that this and any additional sponsorship will enable the excavation phase to continue for another 3-4 seasons. In addition, and to house, conserve and display material from the Pandora as well as natural history and other thematic museum collections, a new museum is being built in Townsville. The NSW Heritage Office provided the Queensland Museum with assistance for the 1998 maritime archaeological investigation of the wreck of the HMS Pandora. This assistance was again in the form of the services of maritime archaeologist David Nutley, who participated as a team leader.

Above: Maritime archaeologists David Nutley and Annabel Wood recovering a copper alloy cooking pot from the seabed near the ship's stove. Photograph courtesy of the Queensland Museum. This tiny intaglio or carved gem was probably used as a seal by one of the ship's officers. Photograph courtesy of the Queensland Museum.

Investigations during the 1998 expedition focused on the bow section near the ship's stove and the stern where the officer's cabins and storerooms were located. The Pandora sank virtually intact and the wreck and its contents were covered by sand thus preserving objects in their original setting inside the ship. These material remains hold valuable evidence about 18th century customs in the Royal Navy and the maritime exploration of the Pacific. Among the artefacts retrieved from the bow were items related to the ship's galley including cooking pots, spirit bottles and a spoon; an unusual ceramic jar with a design suggestive of Tenerife or Rio de Janerio; Polynesian artefacts and other local curios from the Tahiti region; and a 1715 copper 20 Reis Brazilian coin, possible minted in Lisbon, Portugal and perhaps acquired by one of the crew when Pandora stopped in Rio de Janerio on the way to Tahiti. These objects will help to tell the story of daily life on board the Pandora.

The Pandora Project is currently the most important maritime archaeological excavation project in Australia. As a project of national significance it has been supported by maritime archaeological management agencies from around Australia. On the 1998 expedition alone there were representatives from State agencies from New South Wales, South Australian, Tasmania and the Northern Territory as well as from the Australian National Maritime Museum. Volunteers from Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and the United Kingdom also assisted in the field work.