19th century British ship found off Yucatan

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19th century British ship found off Yucatan

June 13, 2013 - 03:38
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Mexican archeologists has discovered the remains of a 19th century British ship. HMS Forth which sank on February 14th 1849 in the Arrecifes Alacranes, off the Yucatan peninsula.

The remains of the HMS Forth, a 19th century British ship, were discovered off the Yucatan Peninsula by a team of Mexican archeologists

The remains of the HMS Forth were found by a team from Mexico's National Anthropology and History Institute (INAH), led by marine archeologist Helena Barba Meinecke, INAH's head of underwater archaeology in the Yucatan Peninsula.

The former mail ship, part of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was on its way to Bermuda, when it struck the reef and sank. The ship's crew made it to a nearby island, was rescued by a steam ship and reached Havana.

Researchers also found remains of boilers, machinery, shafts, propellers, anchors and skegs from the ship.

The area where the ship was found is called Alacranes Reef, a notoriously treacherous region infamous for sinking ships. INAH and Meinecke believe that there may be several others -- including the HMS Tweed (sank in 1847) or the Belgian Charlote (sank in 1853) -- scattered in the area.

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