14 DAY TRIAL // Last weekend, a shipwreck was discovered in the waters off the coast of North Carolina by a team of marine scientists exploring the area with the help of a robotic autonomous underwater vehicle and a manned submersible.
The research team first laid eyes on the wreck Sunday, July 12. At the time, they were simply searching for a mooring deployed in the region back in 2012. Hence, the sight of the sunken vessel resting on the ocean floor took them quite by surprise.
The shipwreck is centuries old, underwater archaeologists say
Underwater archaeologists at Duke University and their colleagues at North Carolina State University and the University of Oregon say the lost ship is positioned at a distance of some 150 miles (240 kilometers) from shore, at a depth of about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers).
Having recovered and examined several artifacts, among which a compass, pottery, glass bottles and even an iron chain, researchers determined that the shipwreck must have sunk sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century.
What's interesting is that, although underwater explorers have many times poked around the site where it is resting over the years, the ship somehow managed to elude discovery. Well, at least until the Duke University marine scientists and fellow researchers came along.
“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,” expedition leader Cindy Van Dover of Duke University said in a statement.
“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,” added researcher David Eggleston of North Carolina State University.
So, what's this centuries-old ship doing at the bottom of the ocean?
Judging by the artifacts thus far recovered from the site of the shipwreck, researchers believe the vessel sunk around the time of the American Revolution, when the US was just starting to trade with countries all across the world by sea. The ship was likely lost in a storm.
Efforts are now underway to identify the ship and determine the exact year that it was lost. Scientists expect a thorough analysis of the artifacts aboard the vessel and scattered in its proximity will help them solve the puzzle that is this wreck that lay hidden for decades off the coast of North Carolina.
