Samir Alhafith, founder of The Sydney Project, and Navy Clearance Diver Lieutenant Rus Pnevski take us deep into one of NSW’s most enduring maritime mysteries — the rediscovery of the SS Nemesis. Built in 1880 by Thomas Turnbull & Sons in Whitby, England, the steamship was later used to haul coal between Newcastle and Melbourne and was tragically lost in a savage gale off Wollongong on the night of July 8–9, 1904, taking all 32 crew members with her.

For over a century, the location of the 73-metre iron-hulled wreck remained unknown. Debris and bodies washed ashore at Cronulla, but the hull eluded discovery — until May 2022, when Subsea Professional Marine Services stumbled upon it by accident while searching for lost shipping containers roughly 26 km offshore in about 160 metres of water.

Identification came after CSIRO’s RV Investigator conducted high-resolution seafloor mapping with multibeam echosounders and captured drop-camera footage of key structural features — including two of the ship’s anchors — confirming the wreck as the long-lost SS Nemesis.

Now the wreck lies upright on a sandy plain, with serious damage to its bow and stern. The storm appears to have overwhelmed the engine, and a massive wave struck before lifeboats could be launched, sealing its fate.

In this episode, Samir and Rus walk us through their historic dive — the first human dive on the wreck in over 120 years. We share video footage from the team, taking you deep into the thrill and discovery, the history that nearly vanished, and even the gear troubles they faced in 160-metre depths.

 

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