SS Republic

In 1865, just after the end of the Civil War, the SS Republic set sail from New York for New Orleans. Loaded with much-needed supplies and a fortune in gold and silver coins, the side-wheel steamer was caught in a fierce hurricane and sank nearly 1700 feet to the bottom of the Atlantic.

The ship's fascinating history includes service in both the Confederate and Union navies during the Civil War, including a stint as Admiral Farragut's flagship.

The shipwreck was discovered in 2003 by Odyssey Marine Exploration. As part of the extensive pre-disturbance survey, the Odyssey team created a detailed photomosaic. Small areas of the shipwreck site were photographed and then the individual images were 'stitched' together to create the photomosaic. This can be used in later study and documentation of the SS Republic. (High resolution digital prints of this photomosaic are available for sale)

During the archaeological excavation of the site, artifacts were delicately recovered by Odyssey's remotely operated vehicle (ROV), nicknamed ZEUS. ZEUS spent more than 3500 hours over the course of 262 dives to explore and excavate the SS Republic shipwreck site.

For more information about the SS Republic, click here.

To view authentic artifacts and products from the SS Republic, click here.

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Tortugas

In 1990, Odyssey's founders conducted the first-ever deep ocean archaeological excavation of a Spanish colonial shipwreck, at a depth of 1500 feet near the Dry Tortugas. Research indicates this ship was part of the 1622 "Tierra Firma" fleet bound from Havana to Spain. The "Tierra Firma" fleet also contained the Nuesra Senora de Atocha.

Almost 17,000 artifacts, some as small as seeds and pearls, were recovered from the site with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Astrolabes (navigation tools) gold bars, silver coins or "cobs", olive jars, and personal artifacts were among the items recovered from the shipwreck site.

To view authentic artifacts and products from the Tortugas shipwreck, click here.