Exploration At Its Finest: May 16, 2019

 

On May 12, 2019, NOAA Ocean Exploration set sail on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer for a 13-day shakedown and sea-trial expedition in the Gulf of Mexico. On May 16, while conducting an "engineering dive" to test new remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipment, the team made an unexpected — and exciting — discovery: the wreck of what is likely a mid-19th century wooden sailing vessel.

Much of the May 16 dive was spent conducting tests of new ROV equipment and control interfaces...until ROV Deep Discoverer’s sonar picked up what appeared to be something in the shape of a shipwreck, and the team moved in to investigate.

While archaeologists were not able to determine the identity of the shipwreck, from collected video, they believe that the wreck is that of a sailing vessel built sometime in the mid-19th century, perhaps a schooner or brig, measuring roughly 37.8 meters (124 feet) long.

 

Download SD version (mp4, 61.6 MB).

Download HD version (mp4, 65.0 MB).

Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.

 


 

For More Information

NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer: Shakedown and Sea Trials 2019: An Unexpected Shipwreck Discovery

Education Theme: Marine Archaeology