The 120-year-old mystery of the disappearance of a coal ship off the coast of Australia has finally been solved – thanks to explorers who accidentally discovered it.

The SS Nemesis was transporting coal to Melbourne, Australia in July 1904 when it encountered a strong storm off the coast of New South Wales and disappeared with 32 crew members.

A few weeks after the storm, the bodies of crew members and debris from the ship washed up on the coast of Cronulla, about 28 miles south of Sydney. Despite intense public interest at the time, the wreckage of the more than 73-meter-long ship has not been found and its final resting place remains a mystery.

The SS Nemesis was found by chance after it disappeared off the coast of Australia in 1904.

Subsea Professional Marine Services , a remote sensing company searching for lost cargo on the ocean floor off the coast of Sydney in 2022, accidentally discovered the missing shipwreck. The wreck was found completely intact, about 16 miles from shore, at a depth of nearly 160 meters.

Officials suspected the sunken ship was the SS Nemesis, but they had to use specialized underwater photography to confirm the wreck’s distinctive features matched historical photos and sketches of the carrier. charcoal.

The image shows the iron ship wreck lying flat on a sandbank. The ship’s bow and stern were significantly damaged. The discovery showed that the ship sank due to the engine being overloaded due to the storm . Experts believe that the SS Nemesis began sinking so quickly after being hit by huge waves that the crew did not have time to deploy lifeboats.

Officials believe the ship sank because its engines were overloaded due to the storm.

NSW Minister for Environment and Heritage Penny Sharpe said: “Around 40 children lost their parents in this shipwreck and I hope this discovery will bring comfort to the families and friends involved.” regarding the ship, whose fate was never known.”

Officials said members of the missing crew were from Australia, Britain and Canada.