Circular corroded metal components set on clear plastic frame.

Chronometer from Elizabeth

EL425, recovered 1970.

After Elizabeth was lost in September 1839, accessible parts, such as the hull, anchor, and a long boat, were salvaged and sold. The wreck site was then left largely undisturbed until the 1923, when a cannon was raised by a group of men led by Colonel Goadby. Over the years, other artefacts were recovered, including more cannon and pottery, which fed speculation that this was a Dutch, Portuguese, or Spanish shipwreck.

This chronometer, found in 1970, was an essential clue in identifying the wreck as Elizabeth. Dated to post-1812, it eliminated the possibility of the wreck site being identified as any of the older ships lost in the area. Additionally, as a valuable item, it is very unlikely it would have been discarded in the nearby rubbish dump, and from there washed out to the vicinity of the site.

Elizabeth is one of Western Australia’s oldest colonial wrecks.

Dating from about the 1880s, this chronometer provides an example of what Elizabeth’s chronometer may have looked like, in its housing, prior to the shipwreck.

Clock face with a polished brass rim, in a black wooden box.

Chronometer from Meda.
WA Museum, H1986.3

Chronometer from Meda.
EL425, WA Museum.