Report to the Australian Bicentennial Authority on the December 1983 Preliminary Expedition to the Wreck of the HMS Sirius 1790 at Norfolk Island

Author/s G.J. Henderson

Year of publication 1984

Report Number: 22

Introduction
The Australian Bicentenary is in part a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet. The Sirius, as the principal ship of war, played a major role in that voyage, so the investigation of her remains lies at the very heart of the Bicentennial spirit.

In December 1983 I directed a brief archaeological examination of the wreck of H.M.S. Sirius (1790) at Norfolk Island as part of an Australian icentennial project. This report assembles some background information about the ship, describes the archaeological activiti es carried out in the field, and presents recommendations as to future work on the wreck site. It should be emphasised that the work was very much a preliminary survey. The expedition only lasted one week, and weather conditions restricted work on site to three brief exploratory dives.