[trev jackson]

A few years ago we found the remains of a timber ship in 60 metres of water north of Noosa in Queensland Australia. Artifacts and subsequent investigations lead us to believe the ship was called the Dolphin, which sank on its first voyage after being requisitioned by the US Navy [or Army] in WW2. The Dolphin was originally built in the late 1800s as a sailing ship. Anyone heard of it?

[Steve Woodward]

I have data on a USS Dolphin built as a despatch vessel by John Roach at Chester, Pennsylvania in 1883
She was a steamship with four Scotch type boilers and had a single propeller driven by a vertical compound steam engine of 2,255 ihp giving her a speed of 16 knots.
She was originally fitted with a Barque rig ( three masts) but later cut down to two masts.
Armament wise she mounted a single 6" C30 gun wghich was fitted on a traversing mount meaning that it could be rolled across the upper-deck to ennable it to fitre on either side, this was later replaced by a pair of 4" guns one either side. she also mounted two six pounders and four Hotchkiss 47mm revolver guns, this was a rapid fire weapon with five barrels which rotated to fire in sequence and fired a three pound shell.
Commissioned in 1885 the only info I have is that she was sold on in 1922
I hope this is the ship you require
Steve

[Steve Woodward]

I have had a look round and think this may be your ship CLICK HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE
Her full history is HERE
So far nothing on her after her sale by the USN
I note you state she was a timber built ship but could she have had a timber clad iron / steel hull ? this was quite common in those days for ships trading in tropical waters , previous to this vessel the earlier Dolphin was lost off the Oregon coast in circa 1855 - so it cannot be her
Steve

[trev jackson]

Hi Steve
This is definately not the ship in question. The 'Dolphin' we have found has a diesel engine and would be no more than 30 or 40 metres long. The hull has completely deteriorated to nothing. there is a long prop shaft running across the sand, and countless USN artifacts about the place