Gulf of Mexico Shipwreck

A recent expedition in the Gulf of Mexico, conducted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has discovered a fascinating early to mid-nineteenth-century shipwreck. Video footage from the wreck makes for hypnotizing viewing, as we see ceramic plates, the ship's stove, a variety of glass bottles, and the remaining copper hull sheathing loom into view. As with many deep water wrecks, the site is largely undisturbed and the ship thus far unidentified.

Among other things, this new discovery calls to mind the "Mardi Gras" ship, an early nineteenth-century wreck also found during oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, in 2002. You can see some of the artifacts raised from that wreck here. 

The newly-discovered wreck site may remain undisturbed for some time to come, as archaeologists consider the best way to both preserve and study the ship. In the meantime, thousands of people tuned in for a live broadcast of the first exploratory dive, marking another exciting way archaeologists and historians are using new media to engage global audiences.

NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program Photograph