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Modern Mysteries

Mystery shipwreck found in the Gulf of Mexico

By T.K. Randall
May 31, 2019 · Comment icon 4 comments

The origins of the shipwrecked vessel remain unclear. Image Credit: NOAA
Researchers discovered the unidentified 200-year-old wreck during an equipment test earlier this month.
Found 1,460ft down along an underwater cliff known as the Florida Escarpment, the wreck was discovered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Okeanos Explorer vessel during testing of a remote-operated vehicle approximately 160 miles offshore.

The shipwreck measures 124ft long however little else is known about it so far.
"The remotely operated vehicle dive... provided basic information about the shipwreck and its current condition, but left archaeologists with many questions, including what type of sailing vessel the wreck is, why it is there, where it is from, how old it is, who was on it and where they were from," Frank Cantelas of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research told Newsweek.

The only real clue about the vessel's origins is the number "2109" nailed to the edge of its rudder.

"The deep waters of the ocean hold many shipwrecks and are an underwater museum we have only started to explore," said Cantelas. "This chance discovery is a window into the past and allows us to learn more about the maritime archaeology of the Gulf of Mexico."

Source: Newsweek | Comments (4)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Myles 6 years ago
This is pretty cool.    124ft long isn't tiny. Odd that the article would be written as "unidentified 200-year-old wreck" and then they would state: but left archaeologists with many questions, including what type of sailing vessel the wreck is, why it is there, where it is from, how old it is, who was on it and where they were from
Comment icon #2 Posted by Saru 6 years ago
It's believed to be 19th century but they don't have a more specific date, so it's roughly 200 years old.
Comment icon #3 Posted by Myles 6 years ago
That makes sense of it a bit.   Just seems odd is all.     Being almost 1500 ft down is going to make gathering info a challenge I would think.   My guess is that no one will explore it anymore for a long time.  
Comment icon #4 Posted by Eldorado 6 years ago
Some historic Gulf of Mexico shipwrecks can be read about here.... "Part of the mission of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is to ensure that significant archaeological sites are not adversely affected by oil and gas exploration and development. This responsibility often includes the protection of historic shipwrecks. Historical research indicates that over 2,000 ships have sunk on the Federal OCS between 1625 to 1951; thousands more have sunk closer to shore in state waters during the same period. Only a handful of these have been scientifically excavated by archaeologists for th... [More]


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