03/06
Team - WAMM JNG/CS/MM
Prospero: Ed Punchard/Rhian, Peter du Cane, Ian Pugsley and Glen -
cameraman Departed 11.00 p, delayed by need to get an engineer
for Port Hedland and spares - saw a great opportunity to check out the
SS Koombanah/MMA story and sent my card up to the flight deck.
Met pilots Scott and Michael and told them of the team’s plans and the
MMA/Koombana story (sighted on an MMA flight Port Hedland to Broome)
and invited forward.
Joined after levelling out and sat in the jump seat for a while then vacated
for an unexpected troop of kids with cancer - not too much of a loss and
for a good cause. Visit inconclusive however.

Arrived at Broome 2’ish met by John Lashmar and Peter Bibby then to
Notre Dame - newly built student accommodation - very flash, own ensuite
rooms. Got the boat, unpacked and prepared boat and gear for am [morning].
Pretty tired.
Worked late on my review of the [book] ‘White Experiment ‘for the Great
Circle and Silvano Jung’s thesis on the aircraft wrecks of Broome -
most topical indeed.

04/06 .
0900 Launched the boat at the boat ramp near the jetty - very easy
at high tide - quite steep, and after some filming got away remote
sensing with the side scan. High Tide.
Jeremy had plotted in a search zone commencing not far west of the
drying sites [&] to the Parker/Kimpton sites. Very successful. Many strikes.
Joined by Jeff Parker pm and rechecked his sites. Finished circa 1600 and
paddled ashore using my wave ski. Lots achieved.

Discussed also diving regime to come and [proposed side scan sonar
survey of ] Karrakatta [wreck at Cape Leveque]
Jeff advised the flying boat dry at c. 4m tide and the best thing is to be
ready to dive 2 hrs before high tide on the neaps.
He is preparing air plane models of the wrecks, but is having no luck buying
Dornier/Sunderland kits - these being very rare.
Moored on one of Jeff’s friend’s moorings for the night.

05/06
Away late after discussing the number of planes issue and then to the
harbour filming the preliminaries, ‘mock-ups’ of activity account from John
Lashmar’s boat. All quite time consuming but useful. Then to finish the
side scanning at 3. Ran into Lee Kimpton and had chat; then ashore for
JNG to plot up.

06/06
Strong easterlies 20-30 knots. Rough seas undivable, unboatable. Boats
tossing alarmingly at the moorings. Worked on [marking] Sylvano’s [Masters]
thesis [on the Darwin seaplanes]. Then to John and Christine Lashmar for
checking their IBM and the Dampier/deFreycinet slide show. Picked up and
dropped off by John. A good tea.

07/06
AM wind low strong. Research and writing up. Off to Lashmar’s to get his
boat - kindly loaned. Change in weather predicted by Geoff Parker for 2.30
pm then off high resolution side scanning till dark. A great day and some
excellent results. At the eastern end of the bay.

08/06
Ditto. With JL and film crew in attendance.

09/06
Ditto. a/d [All day] good conditions. All gone well.
Plane wings and engines seen and other anomalies worth examining.

10/06
To the boat by wave ski after seeing the mob off for Carnot Bay.
Then with Jeff Parker by seaplane to Carnot Bay passing Willie Creek with
its abandoned refugee boats. To land in crystal clear water in the bay at
high tide picked up by John Lashmar and ferried ashore arriving c. 1.30 pm.
Set up camp and then off by boat (in groups) to Carnot Bay. Peter Bibby
having ‘sussed out’ the area for Prospero the week or so previous.
To the northern end of the bay to the memorial - a 2 bladed propeller
embedded in cement once with a cross attached (now lying down adjacent
due to corrosion among midden sites). No sign of the plane or materials in
the dunes ashore - though none were expected due to the many visitors to
the area then and since.
Left at around 4 but soon grounded being forced to carry the boat over a
sandbar - quite exhausting then pushing the boat until it was stranded and had
to be left. Walked wearily into camp.

A good tea and some singing of Bran Nue Dae songs by Peter then off over
the flats to get the boat with John and Jeff. Got it after some searching not
having good lights or reflectors, then awaited the tide and sailed home
arriving around midnight.

11/06
Up and away to the [Carnot Bay DC3] site crammed into the Budget Rental
car finding the wing exposed and no other wreckage near by - a really great
disappointment.

0700. Did the inspection and discussed the histories with Corioli, Geoff &
Peter providing the history.
The wing is the port wing measuring 9 metres from the foot to the top.
It lies on an angle to north of roughly east/west (measured at around
250°/80° [recorded by] by Peter.
The highest part of the wing is 25 cm high at the engine mount within
which is a tyre that is quite twisted and battered and not as written in
some accounts still inflated.
40° away from the leading easterly edge of the wing at a distance of
5.4 metres is an unidentified vertical object 40 cm high with a cylindrical
base just off the western top of the wing is another jumble resembling
elements of the engine bearers visible at the other extremity of the site.
The area was probed producing no evidence of the other wing or the
fuselage.
Advice is that the aircraft was torched in WWII and vandalised after a
bomb located by Stan Gadja was exploded in the 70s.

After the digital record manual drawing and probing, the team departed
ahead of the incoming tide for camp at 0830. Remainder of the day at
camp when Peter Bibby came in with two pieces of the aircraft found
embedded just below the low mark in rocks at 500m from our camp
towards the aircraft.
DC3 (1) - 1 560 mm x 180 mm, 4 milled holes pop rivetted fuselage
section?
DC3 (2) - 1 250 x 370 A/ trag? With some iron and A/ rivets unid.
These are perhaps some clue to the sparseness of the remains at the
site it also possibly having broken up in cyclones. Equally these could
have been souvenirs abandoned on the walk in. The presence of a
holiday camp in the point not far from our camp attests to visitations here.
Flew out with the film crew for an exciting trip home along the coast
and over Broome noting the extraordinary clarity until Gantheume Point
was reached then viz in the water dropped to zero. John/Corioli and co
arrived after dark. Jon C and Geoff K had arrived
.
12/06
Carpo [Jon Carpenter] and GK [Geoff Kimpton] , Silvano [Jung] in over night.
Elected to be on the water 2 hrs before the high water on the neaps and
therefore take advantage of the making tide and expected better clarity.
Working on reports etc am then to a site surveying it and recording with
Geoff Kimpton.
Site#
Viz c. 1 metre maximum and very silty on the bottom with diver movement
making it much worse. Saw 2 wings at c.45° to each other both inverted some
fuselage and 2 engines one in place the other on its end propeller in the mud.
Passed over some fuelage - lots of fish and many Lion fish, which posed a
danger in the poor viz. GK on video MM on photography which will almost certainly
prove useless on account of the poor light despite the 400 ASA film. Not a good
site to excavate from a diver safety view point. Depth c. 13/4 metres.
Filming at night catching up on the scenes missed though we also missed on the
opportunity to check out video record against the side scan sonar images. V.
late evening.
|

Click the image to view the QuickTime 360º panoramic movie (272k download)

13/06
Jon Davison arrived overnight as did Jack a photographer from Exmouth
[replacing Pat Baker] . Aiming for the 2.30 tide away at 12’ish in JL boat.
Gear failure caused a rethink with GK/GP/JL with JC standby checking the
Geoff Parker sites:
# Short Empire
# Catalina similar to the 12/06 site
# Another Catalina
Very poor visibility. After placing buoys JNG & JC dived a deep site at 20 m
locating a tail some stern section and other wreckage in 20 m of water. JNG
advising of a 2 m hole in which the wreckage lay.
Viz c. 1 m., better the day before.
For me a very bad day, drove the boat badly, dropped and lost more buoys
than at an U/18 footy match, got hopelessly confused and also got a $150
fine for driving without a seat-belt after going to the bottle ship to get grog
for the visiting Dutchmen. Not at all impressed, also to find our lounge about
to be occupied for filming of the aviators 30m after our arrival back in off the
boat.
At end of day, dived and video’d
1. K/Parker #1 - short-wing
2. K/Parker #2 - Catalina (with gun)
3. Parker #3 - Catalina??

4. McCarthy/Kimpton - Catalina crossed wings. Is it 2.
5. Green/Carpenter #9 tail section. Unid. Possibly buried hull.
(A) Need view video and check against the side scan sonar image.
(B) Need ensure Catalina 2 & 4 are not the same. Aims of dive meeting
(a) 12/06 Examine footage have Geoff Parker draw to the board Silvano to
deconstruct
(b) 13/06 Examine footage and digital images to examine the sites seen
these two days.
(c) Have JNG advise which are which if possible.
AM - get tanks down for refill. Get Geoff Parker to give dive/tide analysis.
Geoff Parker suggest be on the water ready to dive

Jon Davison plotted the plane wreck opposite Disaster Rock believed to be the
American bomber at map position BA 1048, plus the position of the Beaufighter
wreck lost off the airstrip in 1944 During the day’s dive advised by Geoff Parker
that a Cessna that had been grounded to the south was airlifted by helicopter
to Broome and was lost in the vicinity of the Davison Plot.

Thurs 14/6/01
Site 6 - Dornier. Depth 6-6.5 m
Water temp 22°C, Vis 1-1.5 m
Divers - J. Carpenter/G. Parker
Site consists of fuselage with nose, mid and tail turrets. Possibly tail plane and
tail fins with rudder on one side possibly two. Only one engine seen with only
2 part buried prop blades. Able to swim through mid turret into fuselage. 2 doorways
visible. Nose of aircraft appears to be intact (see drawings G. Parker) Jon C video
operator. Site 8 - Catalina Depth
Water Temp 22°C Vis. <1 m
Divers J. Carpenter/G. Parker
Nose with turret ring present, cockpit area with rudder ? in situ, extensive wing area,
two engines with complete props. Engines horizontal position. Aircraft fittings/
artefacts scattered on seabed, possibly grenade, handles, steel canister, SS
wire etc. (see drawing G. Parker).
Site #7
Three dives were made on site 7 to locate 1 tree.
Dive Time (Depth 6 m)
JNG, Mack, Jon Davison and Sylvano side scanning and buoying sites. Replotted
#7 to finally allow the boys (Davison and Sylvano) to dive.
‘
26 - 009/10 Corioli’s Cat #26 fixed at 10(.WPT)
Wrecks targetted for test excavation (A)
WPT 8 Buoy 6 Dornier
GP advises this is the site in the large B/Ws
Evening - artefact presentation
Fork Y-59
Fritz’s van Hulssen Flight engineer the 17
He advised cutlery had no marks - then we found Y59 on it.
Wrecks targeted for excavation B
WPT4 Buoy 8
Catalina.

The wreck @ WPT 9 which they did - GK & I dressed for filming. Finally
abandoned all attempts to dive.
CS/GP .30 - CS/GP .30
Called the new site a Catalina ‘Corioli’s CAT.’ No. 26
#26 Fairly complete Catalina w/propeller - both wings. Navigator and
tail gunners compartments show evidence of personal belongings e.g.
shoes, cutlery. Also located possible ‘toilet’ consisting of stainless steel
container and separate funnel. Diving conditions fairly average - low
visibility. GP + CS diving 20 minutes.
Back not 100% after receiving leaving tub ex JNG from the boat while
in the yard.

17/06
CALMS A/D
Excavation day to Corioli’s Cat/#8 CAT. Joined by Bibby and no film crew
allowing us to concentrate ? and just the deposit.
JL first recorded a guage and some loose materials from site 18/8 to the
camera with minimal recording at per the plan below Then to Corioli’s
Cat site #26 Set the excavation method - two range pole system
set aft of the pilot’s/Co
. pilots fixing
X - across
Y - along
Z - with depth guage.
Recording sheet as p.57 u/w tub and artefact tag.JNG/JC/GK/GP for video
of site in with cameras for predisturbance after S/J - Corioli in with HNG for
surface recovery (p63) followed by excavation of the metre square by
CS/JNG p.61/62
MM coordinating above, dived at conclusion. Surface recovery
Silvano’s diver 17/6/01
Dive No. 1 - 30 minutes
Initial wreck inspection and orientation. Swan around the bow, starboard
wing and engine. Propeller spinner indicated that this was a PBY-5 or
Model 28-5 MNE (the export-version of the PBY-5). Exposed propeller
blade bent about 1/2 wah along its length. Could not see the other blades.
Anchor cable was seen coming out of anchor locker - anchor at other end
buried? Dive No. 2 - 30 minutes
Jeremy placed the 2m ranging poles in what appeared to be the galley area.
We saw many shoe soles in the area as well as utensils (forks). Artefacts on
the surface were collected, including kitchen forks and petrol funnel etc.
Sediment filled most of this compartment. Little structural integrity left.
Steering yoke in cockpit was seen, but no wheels. Instrument panel is
missing. Mooring bollard found on port-side by the turret.

Excavation depth 30 cm, within metre square.

- left leather shoe.heel in situ - too complex to remove, conservation issues
- visibility improved with water dredge in use.

Notes:
A. Both CAT 8/18 & 26 had mooring anchors below
B. On 17/06 dived - 13.39h low @ 3.17 m, with 3.9 - 4.3 m over the
excavation area
C. Advised by GP - best time - neaps after smallest spring and this time
of year June-July-August when the ‘blue current’ comes in - best for August
also on a.c of calms of SE winds which cause us the occasional problem
and first day this trip.
Evening show and tell - see notes

Top - Main Broome menu