Maritime · Evidence-led place record
Mercury Star
Three miles NW of Kiana
Mercury Star was a cutter built in 1947 and lost on 04/06/1977. The shark fishing vessel Mercury Star was heading to Cap Island on Friday evening 3 June 1977 and was about 15 miles northwest of Halls Bay when the engine began to stall. The master, Robert ‘Butch’ Bartsch, investigated and found the engine room flo
The oddity, explained
Why is Mercury Star unusual?
Mercury Star appears here because the approved source classifies it as maritime. The source describes it as Mercury Star was a cutter built in 1947 and lost on 04/06/1977. The shark fishing vessel Mercury Star was heading to Cap Island on Friday evening 3 June 1977 and was about 15 miles northwest of Halls Bay when the engine began to stall. The master, Robert ‘Butch’ Bartsch, investigated and found the engine room flo. Heritage Atlas treats that specific classification-and-description combination as the oddity; the score is a comparative discovery signal, not proof of mystery or the supernatural. Compare nearby records and the linked country or category collection to understand how this entry relates to places supported by the same governed evidence.
Evidence and further exploration
The coordinate, category and description remain tied to the cited source. Comparative oddness helps discovery; it does not add facts that the source does not provide.
Data last collected: 3 September 2026 for this retained atlas release. Page and source last rechecked: 3 September 2026. Treat the record as a research starting point: open the original source, confirm current access conditions and compare the mapped location with local guidance before travelling. A missing field means the approved source did not support it; it is not evidence that the feature or restriction does not exist.
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