|
|
SS Republic
|
East Coast Diving | Shipwreck Corner | Shipwreck Gallery
Highlights
After a 12 year search, the Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. received a report on November 07, 2003 from its recovery vessel called the RV Odyssey Explorer that they believed they have found the sunken remains of an 1860s steamer called the SS Republic, which could yield thousands of gold coins worth as much as $180 million. After careful archaeological excavation of the site using Odyssey's Sediment Removal and Filtration system a substantial number of gold coins were revealed. Once numismatic experts have had the opportunity to inspect the recovered coins, the company intends to release their reports detailing the number, condition and value of the recovered coins. Because the wreck is in international waters, Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. didn't need a salvage permit, but was granted federal "admiralty arrest" of the site to make it illegal for others to lay claim to it.
Historical
records indicate the Republic sank with 20,000 gold pieces -- worth
between $120 million and $180 million today. But based on early
excavation of the site, coin expert Donald Kagin thinks there could
be close to 30,000 pieces down there. Either way it will almost
certainly turn out to one of the richest shipwreck cargoes ever
recovered. The S.S. Republic also carried 59 passenger, thousands of
bottles of everything from pickled fruit to stomach bitters, and
various other cargo from New York to New Orleans when it sank in a
hurricane off Savannah, Georgia, on October. 25, 1865, according to
newspaper accounts and other historical records.
Lucky all 62 passengers aboard the four life boats and 2 out of the 18 passengers on a makeshift raft were rescued by passing ships, but the coins that was intended to help pay for reconstruction of the South after the Civil War went to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with the Republic. The ship was initially name the SS Tennessee, and was later changed to the SS Republic in 1865.
How do you know the shipwreck is the SS Republic?
According Odyssey's research, the wrecks profile seems to be the correct size compared to historical records, the engine structure and the sidewheels are what was expected, and the SS Republic is the only sidewheel steamer that was know to have sank in that area. They also recovered the ship's large bronze bell, which bears an inscribed ribbon with the letters "SSEE" still clearly visible on the side. Since ship bells typically carry the name of the foundry or the original name of the ship and since the SS Republic was originally known as the SS Tennessee, this pretty much confirmed the identity of the shipwreck as that of the SS Republic.
RV Odyssey Explorer
This
vessel has been used extensively for government, university and
oceanographic institution expeditions throughout the Atlantic, Gulf
of Mexico and Mediterranean for deep archaeological, biological and
oceanographic projects. The Odyssey is fully qualified to handle
deep exploration type missions. She is outfitted with a 3000 meter
Edgetech Chirp Deep Tow side scan sonar, three 1800 meter Edgetech
DF1000 side scan sonar's, integrated magnetometer and two Remotely
Operated Vehicles (ROVs).
Dimensions: LOA: 113' Beam: 23' Displacement: 186.66 tons Draft:
8'6"
Aft Deck: Without Portable Lab - 22' X 52' With Portable Lab -
22' X 35'
Engines: Twin Caterpillar3406-B Eng HP: 375 @1800 rpm Bow
thruster 90 hp
Range/Speed: 3,000 miles @ 9.5 Kts 5,000 miles @ 8 Kts
RV Odyssey - zoom
image
Zeus:
Zeus,
a sophisticated "Remotely Operated Vehicle - ROV" that acts as the
crews' eyes and hands. Driven by a 250-horsepower motor, this 7-ton
apparatus is equipped with fiber-optic video and still cameras, and
has robotic arms that can handle the most delicate finds. A vacuum
system lifts the coins and other artifacts into a container for
transport to the surface. The ROV has snapped about 7,000 pictures
of the wreck and debris field, allowing the assembly of a detailed
overhead photo map of the site. On a computer screen, they can zoom
in tight on specific artifacts in the wreck and send the ROV
directly to them for pickup.
Displacement: 7 tons
Motor:
205
horsepower
Rated Depth:
2,500
meters (8,200 ft)
Extras: two Schilling seven-function Conan Force-Feedback
manipulators
Additional information about Odyssey, the SS Republic and the Odyssey Explorer is available at www.shipwreck.net.
Links:
Historical Background (
pictures,
video clips )
Odyssey Marine
Exploration, Inc. |
Project Overview
|
Ship Specifications |
|
| Date Sunk: Date Launched: Length: Beam: Draft: Displacement: Type of vessel: Hull Construction: Depth of Water: Condition: Location: Skill Level: Loran C Position: Latitude/Longitude: Notes: |
October. 25, 1865 August 13, 1853, as the SS Tennessee 210 feet 33 feet and 11 inches 1,149 tons Sidewheel Steamer 1700 feet about 100 miles SE of Savannah, Georgia Renamed: SS Republic in 1865. She was fitted with a vertical beam engine whose massive single piston was steam powered by a pair of double return flue boilers. It drove a pair of 28-foot-diameter iron side-wheels and could transport 100 passengers and 5,000 barrels of cargo. |
East Coast Diving |
Shipwreck Corner |
Shipwreck Gallery
Any questions not addressed in the above pages or in this website, should be
forwarded by email to Technical Support.
- http://www.ecophotoexplorers.com/contacts.asp?subject=Technical Support#form
