Experts Examining A Shipwreck Spot Details That Blow The History Books Wide Open

Some 200 years ago, a ship sailed out from Massachusetts and made its way nearly to the mouth of the Mississippi River. But, sadly, the wind and the waters dragged it to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. For years that's where it lay, more or less forgotten about. That’s until modern-day marine archaeologists decided to take a closer look. While the wreck itself is fascinating, it was the identity and fate of the men on board that really captured everyone's attention.

Setting sail

We start in Westport, Massachusetts, a town with a reputation as a hub of the whaling trade. It’s 1815 and the ship, known as Industry, is setting sail for the first time. For 20 years it will cross the Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and back in search of its prey. All that came to an end on May 26, 1836, which was the day it disappeared. And for a long time, it looked like no one would ever see it again.

Modern explorations

Then fate intervened in the shape of a company scanning the seabed on behalf of a second firm with an oil lease covering that section of the gulf. It got a glimpse of the wreck in 2011 as it traversed the seabed. But it would be another decade before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) finally took a look for itself while putting some new equipment through its paces. But all that waiting would be more than worthwhile.

Legendary shipwrecks

Now, some shipwrecks are more famous than others. We’ve probably all heard of the Titanic, even if just from the movie. If you’ve studied the Tudors then you may have encountered references to the Mary Rose. That ship sank in 1545 and wasn’t found until 1971, but now it’s a major archaeological treasure. Wartime tends to breed shipwrecks, with the sad fate of the civilian liner Lusitania having a particularly profound impact during WWI.

The Gulf of Mexico

America has its fair share of shipwrecks. The site of the U.S.S. Arizona has become a National Historic Landmark. But not every ship has a name that echoes around the world. The Industry sank off the Gulf Coast, but how well do you know the stories of the El Nuevo Constante in 1766, the El Cazador in 1784, the S.S. New York in 1846 or the S.S. Robert E. Lee and U-166 in 1942?