WEBVTT

00:00:06.774 --> 00:00:15.840
We've estimated that there are around 4,000 ships that have sunk since the 1500s in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

00:00:16.040 --> 00:00:19.210
Of course, we've only found a very small percentage of those.

00:00:21.197 --> 00:00:27.250
We don't know a great deal about what we're going to find, that's part of the experience of exploration.

00:00:31.910 --> 00:00:40.970
What we're hoping to see today is a ship that was identified first from an oil and gas industry survey back in 2002.

00:00:41.170 --> 00:00:49.520
We have made several attempts to try to identify what this might be and so far this is going to be our absolutely best chance.

00:00:52.744 --> 00:01:00.220
The interesting thing about shipwrecks is that they truly are a glimpse into a window of time.

00:01:03.076 --> 00:01:08.330
I think the switch from Roman numbers is before 1825, in terms of a construction date.

00:01:09.316 --> 00:01:14.980
What's interesting to note about this is that you can see that the number 12 is buried, indicating that there's a lot more hull underneath the sediment.

00:01:17.052 --> 00:01:19.100
We're looking at something maybe 1830ish?

00:01:19.860 --> 00:01:24.210
That would certainly, in the Gulf of Mexico, would place it at the height of the cotton trade.

00:01:26.188 --> 00:01:33.470
It's a period that we have not seen, I think, other wrecks in the Gulf, so this is unique.

00:01:38.029 --> 00:01:43.760
Unlike an archaeological site on land, which could span decades or even centuries,

00:01:43.960 --> 00:01:48.130
everything that was on board that ship when it went down was likely in use.

00:01:49.403 --> 00:01:52.330
As archaeologists, one thing we hate is the word "treasure."

00:01:53.063 --> 00:02:00.470
The treasure we're interested in is the treasure of knowledge and understanding, not something of intrinsic value.

00:02:08.912 --> 00:02:14.990
Vessels like the Okeanos Explorer, with their high-def cameras, their lighting system,

00:02:15.190 --> 00:02:21.720
really enables us to see what's on the seafloor that otherwise we would not be able to.

00:02:26.112 --> 00:02:27.810
Shore-side, how is this looking so far?

00:02:28.763 --> 00:02:30.240
This is literally a dream come true for me.

00:02:33.883 --> 00:02:38.040
The goal is to attempt to construct a three-dimensional model.

00:02:39.998 --> 00:02:45.190
So by taking the images in the way that we're going to acquire them,

00:02:45.390 --> 00:02:51.090
we should be able to run this through software that will render it as an actual 3-D viewable model.

00:02:59.098 --> 00:03:05.970
It's not something that's going to be sold or wind up on eBay or QVC or anything like that,

00:03:06.170 --> 00:03:11.560
but more just the treasure of what we can learn from it.

00:03:13.665 --> 00:03:19.810
It's a way to connect with the past, and to understand where we came from,

00:03:20.010 --> 00:03:25.080
and kind of also what led to our own present.

00:03:27.055 --> 00:03:28.610
Well, I got what I wanted for Christmas.