The Carlisle

The Carlisle was a 3 masted iron Barque ship built in 1864. She sank in Bass Strait on the 6th of August 1890 , while traveling from Melbourne to Newcastle. The ship hit an uncharted rock near Crocodile Rock off Wilsons Promontory . The 23 crew abandoned ship in Lifeboats and survived. The wreck was accidentally rediscovered in 2017 by the CSIRO’s research vessel Investigator.

Scientists scanning the bottom of Bass Strait in a “lawn-mowing” operation have stumbled on an 1890 shipwreck and uncovered more than they expected.

The CSIRO has released footage of the wreck, which was first detected last year as a “blip” in waters between Tasmania and Victoria.

The footage comes from scientists on board the research ship Investigator as it makes its way down Australia’s east coast, surveying more wrecks along the way. After last year’s discovery, IANTD volunteers from the Maritime Archaeological Association of Victoria visited the site and identified it as the barque Carlisle in 2018.

Heritage Victoria senior maritime archaeologist Peter Harvey said the Carlisle was a 26-year-old collier which was bound for Newcastle from Melbourne in 1890 when it sank.

IANTD Instructor and owner of PDS Victoria Malcolm Venturoni and his team were the first to dive the wreck and confirm its identity in 2018 after a request from Heritage Victoria.