The ship of gold is one of the most famous treasure wrecks ever found, it sank off the coast of South Carolina in 1856 with one of the largest hauls of gold ever lost at sea. The miners who had struck it rich in the California gold rush were among those who lost their lives when the ship they were on was struck by a storm.
The world was amazed when ingots and coins were recovered from the sea. With reported values of tens of millions of pounds, it sparked a complex legal case that landed its original treasure-hunter in jail.
An astonishing collection of 19th-century portraits that somehow survived at the bottom of the Atlantic is being focused on by a British maritime archaeologist.
He told the Observer that glass plate photos preserved the faces of miners, merchants and their families.
The portraits are beautiful. The loved ones of the people who were on the ship that sank 150 miles from the Carolina coast were here. A judge and a comedian are on the ride.
There are two ships named after famous people. The ship of dreams is known as Titanic. The ship of gold is known. The gold distracts me. There are glass plates from this wreck. I hope one day there will be more saved.
The people on board were unable to save their possessions as well as their lives when the storm hit. The bags floated down as the steamer sank. There were gold coins and clusters of daguerreotypes and ambrotypes scattered across the sea.
Bob Evans was the chief scientist and historian in the original field operation of the SS Central America. He talked about the excitement of recovering the photographs. The humanity of the event is brought forth by them. We don't know who these people are. These were the last things these men had with them on the deck before the ship sank. The things that were most important to them were their money and images. They represented friends or relatives.
He said that when you look at the faces of people, it takes you right there. You are looking at people who lived it, and they are just like us, although the clothing and fashions have changed.
He pointed to a photograph of a young woman whose beauty caught the attention of the men who recovered it. A young woman with her shoulders bare is wearing jewellery and lace. It brings it across in a way that a coin can't. Coins have messages as well. They are harder to interpret, more intellectual and less emotional.
Wreckwatch is a magazine edited by Kingsley.
This is the largest cache of early photographs found at sea. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see faces from the deep.
The legal complexity surrounding the vessel has delayed the publication of the material. The wreck was discovered in 1988 by the Columbus-America Discovery Group, which conducted a scientific study of the marine life there, as well as recovering gold.
Thompson spent six years in prison for not knowing the location of part of the haul, angering his former investors who helped raise millions for the expedition. They never saw any of the money.
He was found in contempt by the judge after he refused to cooperate with the authorities trying to find the treasure.
The original investors contracted Odyssey Marine Exploration to return to the ship and recover more gold and photographs.
The voyage home to New York should have been the crowning glory of the miners, as they risked everything to head to California's gold fields in search of a better life, according to the Wreckwatch study.
153 people are thought to have survived the tragedy. Some of the men were rescued by other vessels after being evacuated on the lifeboats.
A great many of the passengers were miners who had a lot of gold about them, according to one survivor. Many men unbuckled their gold-stuffed belt and flung their hard-earned treasure onto the deck, hoping to lighten their weight and thus keep themselves afloat, while others threw it away because of the fear and anxiety of the moment.
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