Ep. 118 Shipwrecks Part 2: How Time Capsules of the Sea Have Provided Important Discoveries and Posed Difficult Questions

I'm back this week with four more shipwreck stories. We'll start with the horrific explosion of the Mississippi river steamboat, the Sultana in 1865. Next, we'll tackle the Titanic which famously sank in 1912, killing around 1,500 passengers. On to another famous ship, the Endeavor. The Endeavor was the British naval ship used by explorer Captain James Cook during his first voyage of discovery which landed him in Australia, New Zealand, and Tahiti in the mid 1700s. Later the ship changed hands and was eventually used and intentionally sunk during the American Revolutionary War. Finally, I'll end with what is, quite possibly, one of the most controversial shipwrecks ever found, the San Jose. This Spanish galleon has been called the "holy grail" of shipwrecks because it was supposedly carrying treasure worth up to 17 billion dollars today when it went down in 1708. As five plus countries argue over the San Jose's treasure, the ethical question remains - what should be done with these shipwrecks?

Support the show! 

• Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)
• Buy some merch
• Buy Me a Coffee
• Venmo @Shea-LaFountaine

Sources: 

• American Battlefield Trust "The Sultana Disaster"
• Wikipedia "Sultana"
• New York Times "Civil War Hull Is Reported Found"
• Live Science "Digital "resurrection" of the Titanic sheds light on fateful night the ship tore apart"
• National Geographic Press Release "National Geographic reveals groundbreaking underwater scan..."
• The Times "At last, the Titanic wreck is left to rust in peace"
• Wikipedia "James Cook"
• Australian National Maritime Museum "Evidence Identifying Endeavor"
• The Guardian "Discovery provides further evidence shipwreck is Captain Cook's Endeavor, maritime scientists say"
• The Guardian "Worm-eaten shipwreck of Captain Cook's Endeavor under threat from more marine animals"
• BBC "The fierce battle over over th