MARITIME archaeologists may have discovered the wreck of a 19th century ship used to map the port city of Bunbury.

US whaling ship Samuel Wright was blown ashore by a gale while anchored in Koombana Bay on July 8, 1840, one of the first ships wrecked in Bunbury.

The mast remained standing for a number of years and was used as a trigonometry point for surveying the area during the town planning process.

“It’s the only town in Australia with its town planning scheme based on a shipwreck,” maritime archaeologist Ross Anderson said.

It was also one of the city’s first official buildings — after the wreck it was used as a storehouse. The ship’s captain, Francis Coffin, continued to live on deck for a few years.

Mr Anderson, who led the ship’s excavation over in an eight-day project between the Leschenault Inlet and Koombana Bay, is waiting for an analysis of the ship’s metal fastenings to indicate the date it was built.

Camera Icon An example of New England whaling in 1860. Credit: Supplied, Attacking a Right Whale, by Currier and Ives.

Camera Icon The WA Maritime Museum and Dept. of Parks and Wildlife are excavating a shipwreck in Koombana bay, Bunbury. Credit: Supplied, Stewart Allen.

Camera Icon The WA Maritime Museum and Dept. of Parks and Wildlife are excavating a shipwreck in Koombana bay, Bunbury. Credit: Supplied, Stewart Allen.

Camera Icon The WA Maritime Museum and Dept. of Parks and Wildlife are excavating a shipwreck in Koombana bay, Bunbury. Credit: Supplied, Stewart Allen..

Camera Icon Carefully washing away sand. Credit: Supplied, Stewart Allen.

Camera Icon Sheathing nails from the shipwreck. Credit: Supplied, Stewart Allen

Camera Icon The WA Maritime Museum and Dept. of Parks and Wildlife are excavating a shipwreck in Koombana bay, Bunbury. They believe it is the Samuel Wright. Credit: Supplied, Stewart Allen.

Camera Icon The stem at the bow of the ship. Credit: Supplied, Stewart Allen

“Earlier wrecks tend to use a lot of copper whereas later wrecks have more of a mixture of alloys,” he said.

Mr Anderson said the Samuel Wright was the biggest whaling ship in WA and the best in the Salem whaling fleet.

“As far as having that real connection with the early history and early development of Bunbury, this is the most significant wreck,” he said.

WA has about 1600 ship wrecks, with about 13 wrecks in the Koombana Bay area.

While some diagnostic artefacts have been extracted from the newly discovered wreck, Mr Anderson said the site had now been reburied and covered in geotextile for preservation.

He said measurements of the recovered wreck were very close to those of Samuel Wright, but that other ships still had to be ruled out.