Reportedly built from bush-hewn timber and scrap by men associated with the convict camp on Canning River, the Dugong was used to deliver supplies from Perth and Fremantle to the dredge Black Swan.

The Dugong’s date of sinking is unknown, although its presumed location and general dimensions of its remains have previously been recorded and compared against the original drawings.

The Winwell Foundation hopes to assist the community-based Maritime Archaeological Association of Western Australia (MAAWA) with identification of the now-buried remains and confirmation of them as the Dugong.

A visual and probe survey was undertaken at this site (see related news item) to relocate the wreck material and to measure the depth of clearance above the mud line and protruding timbers. Gross dimensions of the wrecksite were measured (shown in the annotated site image taken at a very low tide) and rudimentary probing through the mud suggested a flat-bottomed hull constructed with three longitudinal stringers. These limited measurements are consistent with the known construction characteristics of the Dugong, but non-intrusive SBP surveys will be required to further examine this issue — unfortunately the very shallow depths along the mud bank and over the exposed ribs protruding from the mud surface prohibited an immediate vessel-based SBP survey — this will have to wait until Winwell Foundation can access an SBP mounted on an unmanned and autonomous controlled vessel which is more suited to ultra-shallow sites.

Acoustic Imaging Pty Ltd, https://www.acousticimaging.com/

Maritime Archaeological Association of Western Australia, www.maawa.net

WA Museum, https://visit.museum.wa.gov.au/