With new technology becoming readily available, marine scientists are making more frequent discoveries of historic shipwrecks laden with clues to civilizations long gone. Using underwater robots equipped with high definition cameras and bright lights, some new wrecks were recently discovered - though they are well beyond depths accessible by divers, they are fascinating discoveries, nevertheless.
The Gulf of Mexico Wreck
While exploring the Gulf of Mexico with the Okeanos Explorer recently, BOEM, NOAA, and partnering agencies discovered the remnants of a wooden-hulled vessel which has been under more than 4,000 feet of water for as long as 200 years. Navigational instruments and anchors, boxes of muskets, cannons, ceramic plates, and glass bottles are everywhere here - in heaps inside the debris field surrounding the copper sheathing that once covered the wooden hull, which has long since disintegrated.
Scientists and members of the public onshore watched a live video feed from the ocean floor, amazed at the history they could see right before their eyes. The intent of the 56 day expedition was to explore little-known regions of the Gulf of Mexico imaging and mapping new features and habitat as well as developing and testing a new method for measuring the rate that gas rises from feet on the seabed. Investigating potential historic shipwreck sites was also part of the mission. This shipwreck was first identified as an unknown sonar contact in 2011, during an oil and gas survey.
The many artifacts in and around the wreck as well as the hull's copper sheathing date the vessel to sometime during the early to mid-19th century, according to maritime archaeologists. For example a certain type of ceramic plate was popular between the years 1800 and 1830, as were many of the bottles found. Although no one can say for certain what the origin of this wreck was, significant historical events in the area during the time when the ship is believed to have been lost include the Mexican-American war, events that led to the Texas Revolution, and the War of 1812.
While this wreck is just one of four which were explored during the recent expedition, scientists say that it is by far the most interesting. It is located almost 200 miles off the Gulf of Mexico's coast in what is described as a relatively unexplored area. During this expedition scientists also discovered a forest of deep corals including some new species, as well as many other biological and geological features.
New Roman Wrecks
Recently, Greek explorers have been finding wrecks dating back to ancient Rome beneath more than a mile of water. These wrecks are not only exciting for the amount of pottery and other ancient artifacts that they hold, they are challenging commonly held beliefs that ancient merchants who traveled by ship took coastal routes rather than crossing open seas - until now, ancient warships were the only old wrecks commonly discovered in the region at such depths. Two of the wrecks which were recently found were located between Corfu and Italy and are among the deepest known ancient wrecks in the Mediterranean. Believed to date back to the third century, these historic trading ships, which are about 25 meters long, are of the type which are usually found beneath just 30 to 40 meters of water. Until recently, historians believed that vessels like these did not possess the ability to navigate far off the coast. New findings have caused archaeologists to believe that ancient mariners would head further out to sea on some occasions, such as during periods of high winds.
Greek oceanographers used side scan radar to locate the wrecks as well as robot submarines to take incredible footage of the cargo which filled these ships. Ballast stones, anchors, cooking utensils used by the crew, and many amphorae, or storage jars, along with potential wooden remains of the ship can be seen lying in the sand beneath a layer of pitch black water on this footage. Teams were able to raise a marble vase as well as some samples of pottery from one of the wrecks. One ship is believed to have sailed from North Africa to Italy, and is thought to have been on its way to Greece when it met its fate. This supposition has been made due to the type of amphorae found on board, which were produced only in North Africa.
While ancient shipwrecks like these are much too deep for us to explore while diving, they provide maritime archaeologists with important clues to the past which in turn can be used to help us learn more about ancient civilizations as well as the many shallow wrecks which we can explore, but which are rarely in pristine condition like deep wrecks are. With maritime exploration being easier than ever, and with new developments in technology on the horizon, it may someday be possible for people to visit deep shipwrecks like these just for the fun and education trips into the deep oceans may sometime afford us. Luckily, we are able to explore vicariously - and that in itself provides a fascinating glimpse into the past as well as into the world of amazing creatures living deep at the bottom of the sea.