The TSS Coramba was a 531 ton twin screw steamer owned by the Belfast and Koriot Steamship Company. The Coramba was used primarily for shipping freight between Port Fairy and Melbourne. On the 29th November 1934 at 1:00pm the Coramba left Warrnambool for Melbourne. She was due to arrive at 7:00am the following day but was never seen again. At the time it was believed that the Coramba sank in a fierce gale off Phillip Island on the approach to Western Port on 30th November 1934 at approximately 10:30pm.
The wreck was originally reported as being located in December 1934 by the famous diver Johnno Johnstone on request of the Coramba's insurance company. However the wreck was never dived and its actual location was not confirmed. It was thought to be near Seal Rocks Phillip Island. In 1984 Des Williams authored the Book "The Ship the Sea Swallowed". This document contains details of the ships history and its sinking. Other resources used include The Board of Marine Inquiry into the sinking. Additional information was also gathered from the National Archives, personal interviews and Newspapers. After 7 years of searching the TSS Coramba was discovered by SOE on the 29th May 2011 approximately 10 nautical miles south of Seal Rocks, a long way from all other indicated positions. Whilst finding the ship answers the immediate mystery as to the location of the wreck, there are still many unanswered questions as to the ships final moments. Over the coming months SOE will continue to explore and document this shipwreck site in an effort to resolve the final questions of this tragic story. |
