PORTLAND, Maine - A Maine-built clipper ship that sank while transporting cargo from Boston has been discovered off the coast of California.
Researchers found the Noonday with the help of a remote-controlled submarine equipped with sonar and video that allowed them to see underwater video footage in real time. The Portland Press Herald reported that the researchers were participating in a five-day underwater survey that ended Monday.
The Noonday, which was found on the ocean floor west of San Francisco, was built on Badger's Island in the Piscataqua River in 1855 to haul cargo to California during the Gold Rush.
Built for speed, the ship was under full sail carrying general cargo to San Francisco on New Year's Day 1863 when it struck a submerged rock as it approached San Francisco Bay.