The wreckage of the MV Noongah, dubbed “one of the nation’s worst post-war maritime disasters” has been discovered off the coast of Australia’s New South Wales 55 years after it sank in heavy weather with the loss of 21 of its crew. There were only 5 survivors. Of the 21 who died, only one body was recovered.

The 71m (233ft) freighter was carrying a cargo of steel off Smoky Cape, New South Wales when it sank on August 25, 1969, sparking one of the biggest maritime searches in Australian history.

Royal Australian Navy destroyers, minesweepers, planes, helicopters, and a number of other vessels launched a massive search, as rescue crews also combed the shore for any sign of survivors.

Over the next 12 hours, they found two men at sea in two separate life rafts, and three more clinging to a plank of wood, according to local media. The fate of the rest of the crew and the ship itself have been a mystery ever since.

The location of the wreck has now been confirmed by Australia’s science agency, using high resolution seafloor mapping and video footage.

The BBC reports that locals first spotted a wreck years ago – in deep water off the coast of South West Rocks, about 460km (286 miles) north of Sydney – and reported its coordinates to authorities.

There have long been suspicions that it may be the Noongah, but the technology or diving knowledge needed to identify the ship was not available.

But last month, a high-tech ship owned by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) was sent to investigate further.

They found the wreck, largely intact and sitting upright on the sea floor, 170m below the surface. All its key dimensions matched the Noongah, the CSIRO said.

The Sydney Project – which finds and documents the wrecks of lost ships – is now planning a dive to collect additional vision from the site, in the hope of shedding light on why the ship sank.

MV Noongah wreck found 55 years after Australian maritime disaster

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.