In March 1790, less than two years after the arrival of the First Fleet on the east coast of Australia, the very existence of the colony was put in jeopardy by the wreck of HMS Sirius at Norfolk Island. I am part of a team investigating whether the wreck was due to incompetence of the Master, or a performance deficiency of the vessel.

Project overview

Wind tunnel tests on the rig

Sirius wind tunnel model
HMS Sirius wind tunnel model