The waters off the South Coast hold many stories and a rich maritime history.
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Many ships have met their fate in the waters just off-shore. Whether it be unforeseen natural circumstances or man-made errors, there are a number of ships that lie just below the surface.
A total of 71 shipwrecks have been recorded off of Jervis Bay, with the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum describing the coast as a "graveyard of ships and souls."
Here are some of the most captivating wrecks that rest in the waters of the South Coast
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Marina Star - 2000
The Marina Star, a fishing trawler from the Ulladulla tuna fishing fleet, is one of the most recent ships to be claimed by the waters of the South Coast.
The ship was travelling north towards Sydney, battling four metre high seas when its engines suddenly failed.
Despite it's advanced construction, powerful engine and radio and satellite navigation, the rough seas proved too tough an opponent.
The Marina Star was washed onto rocks at Point Perpendicular. Her skipper Russell Donoghue reversed the vessel off the rocks when he was able to restart one engine.
While being towed by another local ship (Blue Marlin), the Marina Star took on water, breaking two tow ropes, and sunk.
The ship rests 1km east of Point Perpendicular at a depth of 60m, and is a wreck with many technological instruments of the time still visible on the inside.
For this reason it is a popular diving spot with experienced divers.
Merimbula - 1928
The 1111-tonne Merimbula, was carrying a total of 13 passengers along with crew when the ship grinded onto Beecroft Peninsula during a heavy storm.
Rescue rockets were fired with no response and the lifeboats were freed but the ship's Captain O'Connor believed the ship was in no immediate danger and sent passengers back to the lounge.
The next morning the passengers were rowed across to the mouth of Currarong Creek where they would take shelter in a fisherman's hut.
The Merimbula soon began to sink, with later salvage attempts of the vessel cancelled.
The wreck of the vessel sits 13m below the surface, with the bow of the ship situated high on an exposed reef bed.
Wandra - 1915
The 164-tonne TSS Wandra was a wooden twin screw steamer built in 1907 which met its watery grave on a trip from Moruya Head through to Sydney.
The ship was carrying timber and had just made her way past Point Perpendicular Lighthouse when large waves would come crashing over the bow.
The repeated throttling the ship received from the violent waters caused the timber cargo to come loose and water flowed inside the Wandra.
Listing badly to it's port side, the ships engines were started but made no difference. The ship was lost but Captain Reuben Lucey managed to steer the vessel into the relative safety of The Drum and Drumsticks in Jervis Bay.
All of the 12 man crew piled into the lifeboat, with Captain Lucey just making it in time before the ship sank below the surface.
The Wandra is a cited as an "excellent" diving spot, with the condition of the wreck as well as the good visibility and calmness of the seas.
Corangamite - 1886
Coming in at 2200 tonnes and 90 metres long, the coastal steamer Corangamite was a luxurious crown jewel of the Geelong shipping company, Huddart Parker.
Despite it's large stature, the ship found itself at the mercy of the waters of the South Coast.
The ship was holed not 12 months into its service career while on a trip between Melbourne and Sydney, with passengers and mixed cargo on board.
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The Corangamite was smashed onto the rocks on the south-west side of Cape St George. Luckily all passengers were able to escape the vessel along with supplies to last them until they were rescued.
The Corangamite wasn't be as lucky however, as it broke apart in heavy seas on December 22, 1886. The scattered remains of the vessel are located in 15m of water on the south western side of St George Head in Jervis Bay.
Dandenong - 1876
The story of the SS Dandenong is one of the worst sea tragedies to ever happen in the waters off Jervis Bay.
The ship was a veteran of the ocean, having completed 206 trips in its lifespan up until its final voyage on September 11, 1876.
The 675-tonne iron steamer found itself in treacherous ocean conditions, where hurricane-force winds and high seas snapped the ship's propeller shaft, caving in the hull and flooding the engine room.
The crew and passengers did their best to save the ship by throwing all of the ship's cargo overboard and pumping out as much water as they could - but it was no use, the ship was doomed.
The Dandenong sent out a distress signal which was received by the cargo barque Albert William, who navigated the rough seas to help the sinking vessel.
The first lifeboat from the Dandenong was launched with 18 passengers on board, mostly women and children, along with four men and the Dandenong's chief officer.
The lifeboat got alongside the Albert William, but the high seas caused the ship to heavily roll and smash the lifeboat in two throwing all aboard into the unforgiving waters.
One child, two men and the chief officer were saved, while the rest who had been on board drowned.
A second boat was successfully launched from the Dandenong which carried many to safety, but another four drowned when the second and third lifeboats collided.
When darkness fell, more than 30 people still remained on board the rapidly sinking Dandenong.
The Albert William stayed alongside the ill-fated ship overnight, rescuing 28 passengers and 12 crew.
The Dandenong disappeared beneath the water at around 9pm on September 11, claiming 41 lives in all.
Walter Hood - 1870
At the time of its construction, the Walter Hood was the biggest ship ever built in Scotland.
In its inaugural London to Sydney voyage the vessel broke speed records, making the journey in just 80 days and establishing itself a sound reputation.
The Walter Hood embarked on its final voyage on January 22, leaving London carrying beer, iron bars, railway irons, cork, cement, wine, salt, and theatrical costumes and a large quantity of tiles.
The ship encountered a brutal storm while traversing the eastern coast of Australia. The first victim of the storm was a seaman named Wilkie who was thrown overboard when the ship was stripped of its sales.
Land was spotted by the sailors, but the treacherous ocean had other plans for the ship.
The Walter Hood struck a reef in Wreck Bay and immediately began to break up in the violent seas.
Captain Latto was struck by a large wave which smashed him into the side of the ship breaking several ribs.
Members of the crew threw themselves overboard in an attempt to swim to shore. While a few made it to land, the majority were swallowed by the ocean.
Captain Latto was washed out of his cabin below and drowned amidst the wreckage of the ship.
13 crew members remained clinging to life on the exposed stern of the ship. Without food or water for three days, things began to turn dire, and they killed a small dog out of desperation that had belonged to their now deceased captain.
The sailors ate the animal's flesh raw and drank its blood to avoid starvation.
The desperate sailors were eventually rescued after four days by a passing steamer named Illalong, the bodies of those who drowned were eventually washed ashore where they were buried in the bush.
There now lies a memorial site at Monument Beach, Bendalong, for the 12 sailors who lost their lives in the disaster.
These are only a few tales of the many ships and sailors lost to the waters of the South Coast, you can find out much more about the history of the local waters by visiting the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum.
I recently visited and was lucky enough to be given a guided tour by one of the museum's fantastic volunteers. The area's history is fascinating with the museum holding a rich collection of resources and artifacts.
A lot of this story has been built from information given to me during my tour.
Find out more information about the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum here.