(HorizonPost.com) – A treasure trove was claimed to be found by a group of historical preservationists of a Gold-Rush era ship that had supposedly departed off the coast of Washington carrying millions of dollars worth of gold, according to The Daily Wire.
The explorers believe that the wrecked ship is the SS Pacific, which sunk in November 1875 after it collided with another ship in the Pacific Northwest. The collision led to the death of over 300 passengers and the loss of over $5 million in today’s gold.
The ship could be a “world-class find,” according to Jeff Hummel, one of the leaders of the non-profit Northwest Shipwreck Alliance and Rockfish Inc.
Gold-rush steamer SS Pacific is found with $5 million treasure trove https://t.co/r3abKm2Hfr pic.twitter.com/0P3WSwZs7p
— New York Post (@nypost) December 7, 2022
“It looks so different than anyone ever expected,” Hummel told Fox 13 Seattle. “Initially, it looks like the wrong size, shape, and everything. You slowly work through using the robots, imaging things and looking at it that eventually, we realized: ‘Oh wait, that is the ship.’ It took a while.”
The ship’s paddle wheels, which had become disconnected from it during the wreck, reportedly corroborates the team’s claim that they found the SS Pacific.
Philip Drew of the Northwest Shipwreck Alliance explained that historical accounts describe the ship breaking up at the surface, adding that the team expected to find the paddle wheels apart from the ship.
U.S. District Judge James Robart gave the team the exclusive right to salvage the ship, a project that is expected to take place sometime in 2023. The project may also bring up legal challenges relating to the amount of money found on the ship.
Hummel says that there might be a “treasure trove of artifacts” on the ship that he wants to bring to a museum that recognizes the wreck as the worst maritime disaster in United States history.
The ship was reportedly captained by Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ brother-in-law Jefferson Davis Howell.
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