144-year-old Arctic shipwreck found off Alaskan coast

Archaeologists recently discovered the remains of two whaling ships that likely sank with 31 others in the late 1800s off the coast of Alaska.

The battered ship hulls and wreckage from other vessels are believed to be the remains of 33 ships that were trapped in ice near the Alaskan Arctic shore in 1871, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a statement.

NOAA researchers discovered a treasure trove of artifacts on the bottom of the ocean floor, including anchors, ballast and brick lined pots, which were used to make whale blubber into oil, according to the statement.

In September of 1871, over 1200 people were stranded after 33 whaling ships were crushed by ice. The whalers were eventually rescued by seven ships, and while no one died, the incident is believed to have influenced the end of commercial whaling in the U.S., according to NOAA.

Until recently, researchers could only speculate about what remained from the 33 ships. Barr said the exploration was successful in part because climate change has diminished ice in the Arctic.

“Earlier research by a number of scholars suggested that some of the ships that were crushed and sunk might still be on the seabed,”  Brad Barr, NOAA archaeologist and project co-director, said in a statement.  “Until now, no one had found definitive proof of any of the lost fleet beneath the water.”

Researchers used sonar and “sensing technology” to find the ships.

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