May 28, 2021: Shipwreck
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. Download larger version (jpg, 1.3 MB).
In April 2012, the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research conducted the first reconnaissance of shipwreck site 15577 in the Gulf of Mexico. First identified as a side scan sonar target in 2011, the brief remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dive in 2012 made a truly exciting discovery that will contribute significantly to our understanding of a turbulent period of American history. In 2013, Exploration Vessel Nautilus returned to the wreck site and scientists used ROV Hercules to carefully document, map, video, and photograph the site.
This image shows the copper sheathing that covers the vessel's stern post and aft part of the lower hull. The rudder attached to the stern post has been twisted around to the left, or port, side, making it difficult to see in this image. This type of damage suggests the vessel impacted the seafloor stern-first, displacing the rudder. Two draft marks made of lead are visible on the stern post.