Remains of a 19th-century ship were found in Louisiana’s capital as widespread drought creates record-low water levels in the Mississippi River.
Baton Rouge resident Patrick Ford discovered the trading ship during one of his daily searches of the Mississippi riverfront for artefacts, the local news station WBRZ reported.
“This past Sunday I was out here looking and realized the rest of the shore had washed away, and there was an entire ship there,” Ford said to WBRZ. “I immediately texted friends and was like, ‘Holy moly, I think I found a ship, a sunken ship!’”
After finding the ship’s remains, Ford then contacted the local news and experts inquiring about the wreck. Ford got into contact with Louisiana state archaeologist Chip McGimsey.
McGimsey confirmed that Ford’s findings were from the Brookhill shipwreck, an event archaeologists have known about.
The Brookhill ship was first built in 1896 in Indiana for trade, McGimsey said. The ship along with another vessel, the Istrouma, sank in 1915 after a large storm.
The Brookhill’s remains were somewhat exposed in 1990, when an archaeology firm did some surveying on the ship’s wreckage. But lower water levels have revealed more of the ship’s remains, helping researchers build on limited research.
“For the most part, there are not good documents on boat building, especially when you get back into the area of wooden boats,” McGimsey said.
McGimsey added: “They have a lot of individuality in these boats, and there are so few of them remaining. This is a rare example of one from around 1900.”
After his discovery, Ford had a message of encouragement for other explorers who are as curious as him.
“Explore your surroundings – get to know where you live, what’s around beyond just what’s in front of you,” he said. “Take a walk, see what’s out there.”
