A Sinking Feeling

Many sunken treasures are still out there at sea waiting to be found, many of them from the days of Columbus when everybody was trying to strike it rich by discovering something, and the ship technology wasn't too reliable. More recent ships have also been sunk as well. The USS Shark was built in the 1820s to combat slavery and its perpetrators, but was sadly sunk after what may have been an attack by the British, or unruly slavers not wanting to give in. This altercation probably arose due to the competing claims for the Pacific Northwest of North America, which both the U.S. and England wanted a part of. This dispute was called the Oregon question, due to its location. Currently however, a piece of this ship, the cannon to be precise, was uncovered by beachcombers after years of being mistaken for a piece of moldy driftwood. This find helped lead archeologists to the dig site, where they uncovered many priceless artifacts and weaponry that lead to explanation of some of the naval culture at the time.

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/609_shipwreckcannons.html

Ricky Mackie

Period 5