Deep interest in curious Stockton shipwrecks

Not that anything is likely to be found now after decades, although you always hope for a major new discovery.

Over the past 200 years, 50 or more vessels have been reported stranded in Stockton Bight.

Particularly dangerous to 19th century shipping was the former huge sandbank offshore once known as the Oyster Bank.

The port's northern breakwater is now built over this serious navigational hazard. Completed in 1912, the breakwater, built mainly of dumped stone, finally reached 3400 feet (1036 metres).

But sometimes ensuring ship safety entering harbour can be a double-edged sword with unintended consequences.

It's now generally conceded that Newcastle's twin breakwaters, and later deepening of the harbour shipping channel itself, have actually worsened Stockton's beach erosion.

By gradually altering the longshore drift of ocean sand by having breakwaters as barriers, coastal currents have instead swirled in a circular scouring motion, eroding inshore, rather than depositing masses of sand beyond the breakers at Stockton.

To combat this severe erosion, the NSW government pumped an initial 130,000 cubic metres of sand on Stockton beach last year. The sand was sprayed by a dredger.

Newcastle City Council though has estimated that 2.4 million cubic metres of sand will be needed for long-term replenishment of the beach.

Then, only last week, came news that the Mitchell Street seawall was now complete with work progressing on a 50 metre rock bag structure to reduce future damage at The Pines (the war memorial area).

An early colonial sketch seems to show the widespread sandbar of the misnamed "Oyster Bank" (of accumulated sand deposits) always providing an effective "wall" to winter storm surges on exposed Stockton beach until recent times.

In colonial days, this sand mound was close to the surface, but the water there now is up to 15 metres deep.

On the plus side of building port breakwaters, we have to remind ourselves it's only because of the southern breakwater (from 1846) that Nobbys beach exists today.

The interrupted drifting ocean sand seemed to visibly build up from about 1890 to form a beach.

Meanwhile, Stockton's beach erosion crisis may have had some unintentional benefits for shipwreck watchers at Stockton.

Wrecks are usually smothered in a sandy tomb, only revealed when sand is scoured away unexpectedly, such as in big storms, as in 2009.

Remember that, of the hundreds of known shipwrecks in NSW, possibly only 10 per cent are said to have been found.

At Stockton, the most famous shipwreck is the Adolphe, dating from 1904 and incorporated into the suburb's breakwater.

A little along the beach there, however, lie two other famous shipwrecks and, although their general location is reasonably known, they now seem to have become far more visible (at least by drone from above) in the past few years in perfect weather when the sea is calm.

Often largely freed from its sandy grave today is the 989-ton sailing ship Durisdeer, a three-masted iron barque that ran aground on Stockton beach in December 1885.

She lies on her port side in about five metres of water between Pembroke and Cardigan streets with her masts pointing out to sea.

Her position seems to indicate that her final resting place is the original shoreline, highlighting how much beach erosion has taken place in the last 139 years.

Her remains were reported visible "at the water's edge" until the 1930s.

The ship is also far from forgotten elsewhere.

Years ago, I heard of a Waratah model maker being asked to build a scale model of the same vessel, probably involving about 2500 Paddle Pop sticks.

Meanwhile, about 500 metres south of the sunken Durisdeer is another wreck.

She is the 717-ton British cargo ship Berbice that came to grief in June 1888.

Resting in about five metres of water she's diagonally opposite the present Stockton Surf Club.

From above, the huge dark shape of the ship, pointing towards land, looks ominous.

Probably about 40 years ago, there was an odd sequel to the Berbice. It was driven broadside, became embedded in sand and finally rolled over to become a total loss.

That's when, after a severe storm, a large and intact mystery ship rudder suddenly washed up on the shore.

Prominent Stockton maritime historian, the late Terry Callen, heard about the odd find and raced to the site to sit on the wooden object, which was sheathed in a strange protective Muntz metal.

Callen stood guard on it for ages until arrangements could be made for a rescue, to haul it ashore and preserve the prize Newcastle maritime artefact.

His fear was other beach visitors might salvage the object, dry it out, and then use it as firewood for a beach barbecue.

The rudder was believed torn from the shipwrecked Berbice.

It was later conserved by the Newcastle Regional Museum.

Author Callen also later revealed that some of the Stockton Bight shipwrecks, once briefly uncovered from moving sand, had been tampered with underwater.

Before Australian historic shipwreck legislation was introduced, one controversial scuba diver from another state had used explosives to scavenge all the brass he could, including propellers off 'newer' ships, in order to sell them, Callen said.

But still hidden in the depths and occasionally emerging are some tantalising puzzles, according to recreational divers.

The finds include lone anchors, engines and in the strangest reported case, three pre-1850 lost cannons buried in sand.

But no one is talking about that, so far.

It is a fascinating undersea world, and co-incidentally will feature in the next Stories of Our Town documentary that is being filmed and due for release later this year.

Filmmakers Glenn Dormand and Tony Whittaker are the faces behind the ambitious project, entitled Shipwrecks of the Hunter.