- A surprising new discovery on the seafloor off North Carolina has added a harrowing detail to the legendary 1838 ship explosion referred to as “the Titanic of its time.”
- The elusive stern of the steamship Pulaski has finally been found, proving the burning ship drifted out of control — possibly dragging desperate passengers with it.
- Around half the 200 people aboard died, many of them among the wealthiest businessmen and landowners on the East Coast.
Project partners Blue Water Ventures, Inc. Endurance Exploration Group, Inc. and Marex International, Inc. have announced the start of the 2021 Recovery season on the SB Pulaski-1838, reports Globe News Wire.
Sections of SB Pulaski recovered
The M/V Blue Water Rose was deployed off the North Carolina coast in early June with specialized high resolution side-scan sonar equipment and tasked with conducting an intense, high resolution sonar imaging survey of the areas near the project’s most recently salvaged site of the SB Pulaski.
The mission, led by project managers Mark Martin and Rodney Grambo, has now located and inspected several dozen additional debris fields believed associated with the SB Pulaski sinking. The debris, which includes large sections of the ship’s machinery and contents, is scattered along a drift-line of several miles.
Elusive stern section
Most importantly, a new section of the wreck, believed to be the elusive stern section which has evaded us for several years, is now believed to have been located. This section includes what appears to be an approximately one-hundred-foot section of the ship’s wooden keel, and a very large concentration of shipwreck artifacts and material.
The SB Pulaski’s stern section sank approximately one hour after the ship’s boilers exploded causing the ship to break into two pieces, spilling her machinery and contents while the two ship’s sections continued to float until sinking.
Micah Eldred, CEO of EXPL, commented, “The stern section of this ship contained all of the first-class passenger cabins, the officers and purser areas and safes, and would have been the area where the largest concentration of the passenger valuables – gold and silver specie, jewelry and other valuables – would have been located. We are very excited about locating this new section of the vessel and look forward to a potentially exciting salvage and recovery season with this new find.”
Building the shipwreck mosaic
Post production of the side scan data and diver reconnaissance film will give us more precise measurements of all materials discovered in the survey.
Keith Webb, President and CEO of BWVI, commented, “For the first time we have found multiple sections of the Pulaski that will continue to build the overall mosaic of this shipwreck.”
Also onboard during the site survey was an internationally known film production crew, who were able to dive on and film sections of the Pulaski site. Plans are in motion for the film crew to return to the site to complete filming for a one-hour special to air nationally during the 2021-2022 television season.
For background information on the story of the SB Pulaski, visit https://www.bwvint.com/pages/pulaski
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Source: Globe News Wire
