Remains of 144-year-old whaling shipwreck discovered near Alaska

ZACHARY GREEN:

NOAA archaeologists last week found the remains of two whaling ships that sank in 1871. This underwater footage provides an up close look at the anchors, chains, planking, and framing in the construction of the old ships.

The archaeologists were able to pinpoint the wrecks near the shores of wainwright on Alaska's north slope. Their search was enabled by sonar technology and diminished sea ice due to climate change.

The two wrecks were part of a whaling fleet that encountered ice floes that tore into their hulls — trapping them and tearing them apart. In all, 33 ships sank. More than 12-hundred men, women, and children had been aboard the fleet. Nearby whaling ships rescued them….dumping their cargo to make room. The disaster cost 33 million dollars in today's inflation-adjusted dollars, contributing to the whaling industry's decline.

Their discovery is part of a larger effort by NOAA to understand America's whaling trade in the 1800's. Once a lucrative source of oil, by the mid-19th century, whale populations shrank due to over-hunting, and whaling crews began searching further north into the arctic.

The co-director of NOAA's project says this discovery will help close an important chapter in American maritime history.