180-year-old shipwreck to be protected
- On 15/01/2009
- In Parks & Protected Sites
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By Vincent Morello
A 180-year-old shipwreck found two weeks ago on the Great Barrier Reef has been declared a protected zone by the federal government.
The wreck of His Majesty's Colonial Schooner Mermaid was discovered by underwater archaeologists from the Australian National Maritime Museum on January 2, a day after the search for the wooden-hull vessel began.
It lay hidden off Flora Reef, about 20km from Cairns in far north Queensland.
The ship's crew were unable to free the vessel when it ran aground on June 13, 1829, but escaped in boats and were rescued 11 days later by a passing merchant ship.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett on Thursday declared the wreck's resting place a protected zone under the Historic Shipwrecks Act of 1976.
Meli ya miaka 180 iliyozama kwenye ufuo wa Great Barrier Reef imepatikana katika eneo la ulinzi na serikali ya Marekani. Meli hiyo ya His Majesty's Colonial Schooner Mermaid iligunduliwa na wataalamu wa vitu vya kale vya chini ya maji kutoka Makumbusho ya Taifa ya Bahari ya Australia mnamo Januari 2, siku moja baada ya kuanza kutafuta meli hiyo ya mbao. Meli hiyo iko karibu na mwamba wa Flora Reef, karibu kilomita 20 kutoka Cairns, kaskazini mwa jimbo la Queensland. Meli hiyo ilishindwa kuokolewa na meli hiyo ilipogonga ardhi mnamo Juni 13, 1829, lakini waliokoka kwa kutumia mashua na kuokolewa siku 11 baadaye na meli ya kibiashara iliyokuwa ikipita. Waziri wa mazingira wa Marekani Peter Garrett amesema eneo la meli hiyo imeharibiwa ni eneo linalolindwa chini ya sheria ya Historic Shipwrecks Act ya 1976.