An expedition to bring back the remaining gold from a steamship that sank in 1857 off South Carolina in one of USA’s worst maritime disasters has recovered almost 1,000 ounces of gold, the first such recovery from the wreck in almost 25 years.
The S.S. Central America was bringing gold back from California when it sank in a hurricane claiming 425 lives. In addition, thousands of pounds of gold went to the bottom aboard the 280-foot, side-wheel steamship.
About $50 million was recovered during expeditions to the wreck in the late 1980s and early 1990s before legal disputes shut down the operation.
Odyssey Marine Exploration of Tampa, Florida, announced yesterday that almost 1,000 ounces of the gold was recovered during a dive last month.
