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Loch Ard Bell is the main bell recovered from the Loch Ard shipwreck, one of the most well-known and tragic shipwrecks in Victoria. It was recovered from the shipwreck by a scuba driver in 1976 and was kept privately for 26 years, before it was handed to Heritage Council of Victoria in November 2003 (bell).

After the bell was removed from the shipwreck with the use explosives, breaking it into pieces, it was repaired using mixture of resin and bronze filings (bell). It “weighs 33kgs (72 pounds) and is missing its clapper” (bell). This copper alloy bell is mainly made of copper and tin. It is also composed of at least six different metals. Its unique “ratio of three parts copper to one part tin is used to create a type of bronze known as bell metal. (bell)” The precise composition of the bell and its repair are still being investigated by Heritage Victoria's conservators, in order to permanently stabilise and conserve this important artefact (bell).

This artefact is one of the most significant fittings on the ship as it sounded the time and substitute watches (bell). It was used as a tool in regulating the daily routine of life on the the ship. A smaller bell, which would initially sounded the time, was most likely kept at the back part of the ship, close by the ships whell and chronometer (bell). The Loch Ard Bell, which was probably placed in a belfry or hanged on a frame close by the lookout, would echo the smaller bell's ring loudly so that it could be heard by everyone on the ship (bell).

The Loch Ard, was an iron-hulled clipper ship of the well-known Loch Line which owned many ships operating between England and Australia. In 1867, Loch Line vessels could frequently be seen at the waterfront in the Port of Melbourne(h...

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...ver. After her six week stay at the station, Eva Carmichael returned to Ireland by steamship. Tom Pearce was hailed as a hero and the Royal Humane Society of Victoria awarded him with a gold medal. He also received £1000 cheque from the Victorian Government. The public were intrigued with the story of Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael and the two received huge media attention at the time.
The shipwreck of the Loch Ard still remained at the base of Mutton Bird Island and much of its cargo's contents has been salvaged (heritage).
The cargo that were carried by the ship included 2375 tons general cargo which revealed much about the affluence of Melbourne during that period of time. Items such as “straw hats, umbrellas, perfumery, clay pipes, pianos, clocks confectionary, linen, candles, railway iron, cement, iron, lead and copper” could be found in the cargo (statement).

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