Accidentally Discovered Shipwreck is Centuries-Old

First Posted: Jul 20, 2015 04:44 PM EDT

Scientists have uncovered a centuries-old shipwreck off of the coast of North Carolina. The ship was actually discovered accidentally after researchers used sonar scanning technology.

The researchers spotted the wreck while using WHOI's robotic autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry and the manned submersible Alvin. The team had been searching for a mooring that was deployed on a previous research trip.

So what did the ship contain? The scientists found an iron chain, a pile of wooden ship timbers, red bricks that were possibly from the ship cook's hearth, glass bottles, a pottery jug, a metal compass, and another navigational instrument that may have been either an octant or a sextant.

The wreck dates back to either the late 18^th or early 19^th century, which is a time when a young United States was expanding its trade with the rest of the world by sea.

'This is an exciting find and a vivid reminder that even with major advances in our ability to access and explore the ocean, the deep sea holds its secrets close," said Cindy Van Dover, expedition leader, in a news release. "I have led four previous expeditions to this site, each aided by submersible research technology to explore the sea floor-including a 2012 expedition where we used Sentry to saturate adjacent areas with sonar and photo images. It's ironic to think we were exploring within 100 meters of the wreck site without an inkling it was there."

Currently, the researchers hope to identify the date of the ship and the country of origin. They're planning on looking at the ceramics, bottles and other facts to pin it idown.