GALVESTON – A team of archeologist unloaded more than 60 artifacts Thursday that were discovered in a shipwreck off the coast of Galveston.
The first image of the ship wreck was spotted by Shell Oil Company a year ago and reported to Jack Irion, a marine archeologist with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Texas Historical Commission. After a team investigated the image, two more shipwrecks were found.
"It was a great discovery," said Iron. "I was one of two chief scientists on board. The shipwreck was likely caused by a hurricane, but now we can hopefully figure out the origin, nationality and function of the ship."
According to experts, the ship is around 200 years old and lies approximately 4,300 feet. on the ocean's floor.
"It's deeper than any human being can go," said Frederick Hanselmann, an archeologist from Texas State University. "It has been a hectic and busy last week. We've had 24/7 operations working around the clock. We found a little bit of everything from muskets, to a case of bottles, liquor bottles, plates, to navigational equipment."
Researchers from NOAA and the Bureau of Safety and Environment Enforcement were also on board helping with the project.
"For us, the treasure is really the history," said Hanselmann. "We're looking at a shipwreck that connects us to our past. This discovery allows us to learn about the people that were here before us and it allows us to have a tangible relationship with our past."
The artifacts will be transported to Texas A&M University, and eventually displayed at a museum.