This Ship Sank Nearly Two Centuries Ago – Now It's A Window Into History

There are a myriad of interesting and ancient objects hiding under the surface of the ocean, from ancient Roman cities to downed war planes to a 2,000-year-old shipwreck with crates of unbroken dinnerware. In 2025, researchers announced a new discovery: a Dutch ship that went down 168 years ago off South Australia's south-east coast. The search for the Koning Willem de Tweede took several years, and it was a collaborative effort involving the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Heritage Agency; the Australian National Maritime Museum; the Silentworld Foundation, a non-profit organization; Flinders University in Australia; and the South Australian government.

The wreckage was actually discovered in 2022, but researchers were unable to verify their findings until recently due to the poor conditions underwater that severely limit visibility. They undertook several subsequent dives and have identified a windlass, or winch, sticking out of the seabed, along with other pieces they believe are from the ship. While they have not found any artifacts that definitively prove the wreck is the Koning Willem de Tweede — researchers would love to find the brass bell — its location, depth, and size match up to historic accounts of the sinking. Scientists are unsure if the wreck is still in one piece, as much of it remains covered by sand, but the ship brings to light the story of Chinese immigration to Australia during a fascinating time in the country's history: the Victorian gold rush.

The 140-foot Koning Willem de Tweede capsized during a fierce storm in June 1857. Of the 25 crew members aboard at the time of the accident, only nine survived. It was a merchant ship, a type of large vessel that was used to move goods for commercial purposes. It was sailing back to the Netherlands, having just transported 400 Chinese migrants to Australia in a common, but possibly illegal, move. The workers were headed to the gold mines in Victoria and were likely on board the Koning Willem de Tweede in a bid to avoid a tax.

Australia experienced its own gold rush in the 1850s and 1860s, which led to an influx of Chinese laborers. In response, the government levied a £10 tax on every migrant who passed through the port in Victoria. That tax may not sound like much, but it's the equivalent of about $1,300 today. So it's not surprising that China figured out a way around paying the tax, hiring European merchant ships to carry workers into other ports. The Koning Willem de Tweede was transporting goods between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies, but just before it sank, it picked up the Chinese migrant workers and brought them to Australia in a move that the ship's owners may not have even known about or approved. The Koning Willem de Tweede is one of countless shipwrecks currently under study. Researchers hope to salvage coins, pottery, tools, and even weapons, and also learn more about how it was built by studying the wreck.