Mystery shipwreck identified??
Posted by Sane Spirit on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Under: In the News
This is actually the fourth time parts of the wreckage have become visible over the years, after it first made an appearance following Hurricane Camille in 1969. It reappeared in 2004 after Hurricane Ivan and again in 2008 after Hurricane Ike.
"Based on what we know of ships lost in that area and what I've seen, the Monticello is by far the most likely candidate," Museum of Mobile marine archaeologist Shea McLean told the Birmingham News in 2008. "You can never be 100 percent certain unless you find the bell with `Monticello' on it, but this definitely fits."
Still, there's no consensus on just how old the 136-foot-long ship actually is, with some speculating that it may be a rum runner that sank during Prohibition.
Mysterious shipwreck washes onto Alabama shore, believed to be from Civil War
The schooner Rachel and her eight-man crew ran aground near historic Fort Morgan on Oct. 17, 1923, during a tropical storm. The men were headed to Mobile after a stop in Cuba. While the men aboard the Rachel survived, others on nearby schooners weren't so lucky.
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Because the Rachel was so far onshore, its owners could not salvage her, Bailey said. The owners tried selling the wreck with no luck. Later, the Rachel was burned. Bailey isn't sure who burned the ship or ship or why.
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"I saw 20th-century features and thought it could have been from early 1900s," he said. "I found a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shipwreck study that had a description of The Rachel and learned it was built in Mosspoint, Miss., at the De Angelo Shipyard," he said. Bailey found a relative of the ship's builder who gave him copies of the ship's plans and photographs of the ship.
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"History is a very fleeting thing and I think you should take advantage of it when you have the opportunity before it is gone forever," he said. "Who knows how long this will be here, maybe it will be covered again and we might not see it in this state for another 100 years."
Shifting sands from Isaac reveal 1923 shipwreck
"Based on what we know of ships lost in that area and what I've seen, the Monticello is by far the most likely candidate," Museum of Mobile marine archaeologist Shea McLean told the Birmingham News in 2008. "You can never be 100 percent certain unless you find the bell with `Monticello' on it, but this definitely fits."
Still, there's no consensus on just how old the 136-foot-long ship actually is, with some speculating that it may be a rum runner that sank during Prohibition.
Mysterious shipwreck washes onto Alabama shore, believed to be from Civil War
The schooner Rachel and her eight-man crew ran aground near historic Fort Morgan on Oct. 17, 1923, during a tropical storm. The men were headed to Mobile after a stop in Cuba. While the men aboard the Rachel survived, others on nearby schooners weren't so lucky.
[,,,]
Because the Rachel was so far onshore, its owners could not salvage her, Bailey said. The owners tried selling the wreck with no luck. Later, the Rachel was burned. Bailey isn't sure who burned the ship or ship or why.
[,,,]
"I saw 20th-century features and thought it could have been from early 1900s," he said. "I found a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shipwreck study that had a description of The Rachel and learned it was built in Mosspoint, Miss., at the De Angelo Shipyard," he said. Bailey found a relative of the ship's builder who gave him copies of the ship's plans and photographs of the ship.
[,,,]
"History is a very fleeting thing and I think you should take advantage of it when you have the opportunity before it is gone forever," he said. "Who knows how long this will be here, maybe it will be covered again and we might not see it in this state for another 100 years."
Shifting sands from Isaac reveal 1923 shipwreck
In : In the News