Archaeologists close to finding historical wreck on Great Barrier Reef

Archaeologists from the Australian National Maritime Museum believe they located a well-known schooner that was lost on the Great Barrier Reef in 1829.

According to Powerboat-World.com, the team found an anchor and metal fittings they believe mark the site of the HM Schooner Mermaid, a government vessel that ran aground and broke up on a voyage from Sydney to Port Raffles, in what is now the Northern Territory.

They plan to survey the surrounding area, which is off the North Queensland coast, for the rest of the wreck.

The search team is made up of National Maritime Museum archaeologists and divers, along with scientists from James Cook University and the Museum of Tropical Queensland.

The Mermaid was well known in Australian waters in the late 1820s, according the press reports. However, it was lost on June 13, 1829, when it ran aground on a reef. A merchant vessel rescued the captain and crew 11 days later.