Marine scientists have recently stumbled across what they think is a pre-Civil War shipwreck, located off the coast of North Carolina. Based upon the ship’s cargo, they estimate the ship to date back to the late 18th century or early 19th century.
Led by Duke University scientist Cindy Van Dover, the team was using underwater research vessels to explore the region’s waters when they encountered the unidentified wreck. The shipwreck boasts a number of intriguing artifacts, including iron chains, navigational apparatus and bits of pottery and brick.
“This is an exciting find, and a vivid reminder that even with major advances in our ability to access and explore the ocean, the deep sea holds its secrets close,” explained Van Dover.
As with so many rare finds, the team accidentally came across the shipwreck. The group were using sonar technology to scan a region called the Blake Plateau, in a bid to hunt down a mooring they had deployed during a 2012 research voyage.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry and manned submarine Alvin were deployed some 150 miles off the coast, in a part of the Gulf Stream that had once been associated with maritime trade.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Director of the Marine Heritage Program James Delgado said the new discovery could provide greater insight into the trading practices of a nascent United States.
According to the researchers, it’s not often a wooden shipwreck is found underneath the oceans. Wooden vessels frequently don’t show up on sonar images; even if they are highlighted by sonar, they have the appearance of a few diffuse areas of dark pixelation. Despite advances in modern technology, these finds remain incredibly unusual.
“This discovery underscores that new technologies we’re developing to explore the deep-sea floor yield not only vital information about the oceans, but also about our history,” stated the director of the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, David Eggleston.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will now try to estimate the wreck’s age and origin. It’s likely researchers will use the ship’s onboard relics to learn more about the ship’s past.
Top image credit: Luis Lamar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution