It appears that the gold rush is not over.
The Daily Mail said that a couple of nautical sleuths had discovered a fabled treasure ship that was lost in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th century and carries an estimated present worth of about $5 million.
In 1875, the SS Pacific, commanded by Jefferson Davis Howell, the brother-in-law of Confederate president Jefferson Davis, sank off the coast of Cape Flattery in the state of Washington. On a trip from British Columbia to San Francisco, she collided with the Orpheus, whose second mate confused the Pacific’s lights for those of an adjacent lighthouse.
The disaster on the sea, the bloodiest at the time for the western states, resulted in the loss of 325 lives and the loss of $180,000 in gold. The crew of the Orpheus was able to safely leave before the ship sank later that evening.
A renowned sunken treasure ship in the Pacific Ocean has been discovered.
Seattle’s Historical Society, MOHAI
The location of the Pacific remained unknown for more than a century until Matthew McCauley and Jeff Hummel of the Northwest Shipwreck Alliance identified the buried prize steamship.
Two circular depressions, believed to represent the paddles of the steamship’s wheel, were spotted on the seafloor near the wreckage. According to Alliance spokesperson Philip Drew, this was expected throughout the exhaustive search.
“The location required multiple side scan sonar and remotely operated underwater vehicle dives to collect sufficient data and proof,” he explained. “As expected, we were able to photograph both paddle wheels with sonar and examine their exposed portions with the ROV in a nearby debris field,”
The actual site of the Pacific has not yet been made public, but according to the Alliance, it is around 23 miles offshore and between 1,000 and 2,000 feet deep. A judge recently awarded the group exclusive salvage rights, as reported by the Mail.
A remote-controlled submarine was utilized to locate the SS Pacific.
Rockfish Company
Drew stated that the revelation was more of a gradual realization than a sudden epiphany. “There are still years of laborious effort ahead to dig the wreck, recovering and preserving items with the utmost care.”
Instead of stealing the ship’s money, the Alliance intends to construct a museum where relics will be displayed. However, descendants of persons involved with the Pacific will have a legal opportunity to claim ownership of retrieved items.
In 1875, the SS Pacific had been sunk.
Citation: Pen News
Drew stated, “We believe the wreck is in a remarkable condition of preservation, therefore we anticipate and hope that the things we discover will have significant historical value.” “Our connection to the story of all those who perished on that awful day in 1875 tempers our excitement at this finding.”
According to the Mail, only two individuals escaped the disaster. The ship was transporting members of the region’s aristocracy, miners coming home for the winter, and 41 individuals identified as “chinese.”
According to the Alliance, no human remains have been discovered at the location of The Pacific and it is doubtful that any will be discovered because to the tremendous currents of the northwest Pacific.
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