The Discovery of the Monterrey Shipwrecks: A Find by Design

Summary

Roughly 200 years ago, three sailing ships met apparently violent ends in the northern Gulf of Mexico nearly 320 kilometers southeast of Galveston, crashing to the bottom over 1300 meters below.  The three ships were very different: one likely a topsail schooner, fast and armed; one a small merchantman, its hold packed with bales of hides; and the third, the largest, empty of cargo, but sheathed in copper and possibly outfitted for a transatlantic voyage.  These three vessels were among the latest in a long series of discoveries made as the result of exploration for mineral resources in the deep waters of the Gulf.  The dramatic and often violent history of the Gulf region and its global significance is revealed as a result of an effective cooperation between industry, federal and state agencies, and academia.

Cite this Record

The Discovery of the Monterrey Shipwrecks: A Find by Design. Jack Irion, Frank Cantelas, Amy Borgens, James Delgado, Frederick H Hanselmann, Christopher Horrell, Michael L Brennan. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Seattle, Washington. 2015 ( tDAR id: 434209)

Keywords

Temporal Keywords
Early 19th Century

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 288