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Language: en

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2016. Researchers glimpse the first images of what could be

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a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter

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lying on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

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A joint team from NOAA and the United States Coast Guard

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on a shipwreck ROV survey training mission

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are hoping to identify what could solve a century-old mystery.

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The target: US Coast Guard Cutter McCulloch.

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McCulloch, named in honor of the

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27th Secretary of Treasury,

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under the command of Captain John Cantwell,

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had a crew of 90 Coast Guard and Navy
personnel.

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Some of the crew were veterans

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of the Spanish-American War.

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The cutter was en route to Mare Island,

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to be outfitted with larger guns to support
its World War One patrol duties.

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But war would not spell the end for McCulloch.

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On a foggy morning on June 13, 1917,

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while the ship was en route from
San Pedro to Mare Island, California,

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McCulloch collided with the Pacific Steamship Company passenger steamer

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USS Governor. Commanded by Captain Howard Thomas,

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Governor and its passengers and crew of 429

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would mortally wound McCulloch.

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Fortunately, all of the crew were safely taken aboard

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Governor, but McCulloch would be sent to the

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bottom 30 minutes after the devastating collision.

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Until now, the wreck of McCulloch

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has remained dormant on the bottom of the sea.

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Using remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs,

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NOAA and Coast Guard researchers

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scan the bottom of the Pacific near Point Conception, California

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in search of McCulloch.

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The images sent back from the ROV reveal

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a power plant: a single triple-expansion steam engine

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resting quietly in the hole of the ship,

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and is now habitat to a variety of fish species.

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At the flying bridge, a non-ferrous metal helm,

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its wooden handles succumbed to
wood-boring organisms.

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And on the bow of the ship,

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after a century at the bottom of the Pacific,

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the 6-pounder guns of McCulloch

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are revealed to investigators.

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After the wreck was confirmed to be that of McCulloch,

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the United States Coast Guard Cutter Halibut

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and search and rescue helicopter Dolphin 6570

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pay tribute over the shipwreck's remains.

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As a result of this collaborative effort

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between the Coast Guard and NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries,

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the discovery of McCulloch helps close

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an important chapter in Coast Guard and Navy history

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while honoring the ship's service and
crew.