Texas Man Discovers World War I Shipwreck While Jet Skiing

The remains of five ships from the World War I era were discovered at the bottom of the Neches River in southeast Texas on August 16.

Bill Milner, a 70-year-old retiree, was jet skiing on the river when he spotted the remains of a wooden boat. He proceeded to capture approximately 250 images and videos of the captivating scene, which he then forwarded to the Ice House Museum in Silsbee.

The museum posted a statement to their Facebook page including details about the surprising reveal.

Each boat is measured to be an estimated 80 to 100 feet.

Milner, who was previously aware of the area's former reputation as a shipbuilding hub, was actively searching for shipwrecks hiding in the water, but he still considers what he has uncovered as an accident because he believed the attempt would be like "a needle-in-a-haystack search."

According to Milner, "50/50, I really thought in my mind that if I was ever going to find anything, this would be the best time to do it. I was that enthusiastic and optimistic about it."

Officials have stated that the unexpected finding is attributed to the continuous drought plaguing The Lone Star State. As temperatures rise and rainfall is rare, water levels have reached new lows, allowing for the vessels to become more visible.