Marine Parks diver Julie Smith assists Heritage Office Maritime archaeologist, Tim Smith, records details of the boiler from the steamer Ovalau. Photograph by David Nutley

Lord Howe Island with the remains of the steamer Jacques del Mar, wrecked in 1954, in the foreground.
Photograph by Tim Smith

The shaft of volcanic rock jutting half a kilometre above the waters of the South Pacific was a surprise to the crew of the little brig HMS Supply on the 17 February 1788. This dramatic volcanic plug - today known as Balls Pyramid - is a marker for nearby Lord Howe Island, but its existence was not known to the crew of HMS Supply who had set out from Sydney Cove in search of Norfolk Island.

Maritime archaeologists David Nutley and Tim Smith from the NSW Heritage Office have just completed a survey of Lord Howe Island and its many significant historic shipwrecks. The project, undertaken with the Lord Howe Island Marine Park Authority, aimed to assist the authority in managing the range of unique natural and cultural remains within the park's waters.

HMS Supply, armed tender to the Flagship of the First Fleet, HMS Sirius, left an important mark at Lord Howe: an anchor believed lost on its return voyage on 14 May 1788. Records indicate that the Supply's commander, Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball, urgently ordered the cutting of the anchor when the ship was driven dangerously towards the fringing coral reef. After Supply escaped into safer waters, the first official charting of the island began.

The search for the lost iron anchor became a target of the Heritage Office's 14-day field expedition. Variations in the island's natural magnetic signature were mapped with a sophisticated magnetometer towed from the Marine Parks vessel, Corris. While the exact location of the anchor was not detected in the time available, an enthusiastic team of local divers has begun searching for the historic marker in the area of the located magnetic anomolies.

The Heritage Office-led team mapped a number of other historic shipwreck sites including the steamer Jacques del Mar wrecked at the North Passage in 1954, and Favorite nearby in 1965. A significant discovery was the steamer Ovalau, lost near this entrance in 1903.

In fact, the Ovalau was wrecked once - but lost twice. This large, 70-metre steamer belonged to the Burns Philp line and sank after a fire erupted in its cargo of copra. Up until the 1980s divers visited the wreck site, but then the shore-side markers pointing to its position were destroyed and the Ovalau's location was forgotten. Relying on local information, David and Tim quickly rediscovered this impressive wreck site lying in just 20 metres of water.

Research into the Ovalau's loss continues with original plans being sourced from the United Kingdom and colourful stories unfolding of the sinking event. Before the vessel exploded in a sheet of flames, the crew set free a significant collection of parrots and cockatoos through the portholes. Local resident, Harry Ovalau Payten, who was born on the night of the wreck, was named after the vessel. The ship itself was named after the Fijian island of the same name.

The Lord Howe survey was a great success, with the community becoming involved in all aspects of the work. A remarkable place with a significant maritime heritage, Lord Howe Island will continue to be the focus of ongoing research and site documentation.

The Heritage Office acknowledges the support of Environment Australia, Howea Divers (Brian Busteed), PADI Asia Pacific (through the Project Aware Foundation) and ABC TV. The Western Australian Maritime Museum and Australian National Maritime Museum provided equipment support.

For more information: http://maritime.heritage.nsw.gov.au