AH-WR-0064

Mardi Gras Shipwreck

Sailing Vessel · Lost Early 19th century, dated by artifacts to around 1800-1820 · The Gulf of Mexico

An unidentified early 19th-century sailing vessel found in 4,000 feet of water off Louisiana, excavated by ROV in the deepest Gulf shipwreck dig of its time.

Captain of Record

Joseph D. Long

AHR-1867

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

In 2002, an oilfield inspection crew surveying for the Okeanos Gas Gathering Company discovered a shipwreck roughly 35 miles off the Louisiana coast in about 4,000 feet of water. Nicknamed the Mardi Gras Shipwreck, the vessel's identity has never been established, but recovered ceramics, glassware, and other artifacts date the loss to around 1800-1820. In 2007 the Minerals Management Service and Texas A&M University's Nautical Archaeology Program conducted a remotely operated vehicle excavation, the deepest scientific shipwreck recovery attempted in the Gulf of Mexico at the time.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: Early 19th century, dated by artifacts to around 1800-1820
Cause: Not established
Location: Deep Gulf of Mexico, about 35 miles off the coast of Louisiana
Water: Gulf of Mexico
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Ceramics, glass bottles, weapons, and other trade goods recovered during excavation
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 4000 ft
Condition: Wooden hull largely deteriorated; artifact scatter documented and partially recovered by ROV excavation.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2002
Protection: Protected as an archaeological site under federal jurisdiction of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position withheld to protect the site
Nearest: About 35 miles off the coast of Louisiana
Region: The Gulf of Mexico

MMS/BOEM and Texas A&M reports describe the site only as ~35 miles off Louisiana in about 4,000 feet of water near the Okeanos Gas Gathering pipeline; exact coordinates were not published to protect the deepwater archaeological site.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (70/100)

The vessel's name, nationality, and precise cause of loss have never been established.

Texas A&M University Nautical Archaeology Program
Discovery, excavation methodology, dating of artifacts.
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (successor to Minerals Management Service)
Excavation announcement and depth record.
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology
Peer-reviewed excavation results.