SS Central America, sometimes called the Ship of Gold, was a 280-foot (85 m) sidewheel steamer that steamed between Central America and the eastern US Coast in the 1850s. Paddle steamers - Lucerne-Switzerland Left: original paddlewheel from a paddle steamer on the lake of Lucerne. ... Central America is the region of North America located between the southern border of Mexico and the northwest border of Colombia, in South America. ... // Events and Trends Technology Production of steel revolutionised by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Science Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species, putting forward the theory of evolution...

On September 3, 1857, 477 passengers and 101 crew left port from Panama sailing for New York City under the command of William Herndon. The ship was heavily laden with gold recovered in the California gold rush. After a stop in Havana, the ship continued north. September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years). ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ... William Lewis Herndon (15 October 1813 – 7 September 1857) was one of the United States Navys outstanding explorers and seamen. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ... A California Gold Rush handbill The California Gold Rush was a period in American history marked by mass hysteria concerning a gold discovery in Northern California. ... Havana (Spanish: San Cristóbal de La Habana; UN/LOCODE: Habana (CU HAV)) is the capital of Cuba and, with a population of 2. ...

A gale started blowing on September 9 and continued increasing in strength. By September 11, her sails were shredded, she was taking on water, and her boiler was threatening to go out. A leak in one of the seals to the paddle wheels sealed her fate, and at noon that day her boiler could no longer maintain fire and steam pressure dropped, shutting down both the pumps keeping the water at bay and the paddle wheels that kept her pointed into the wind. September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ...

A bucket brigade was formed and her passengers and crew spent the night fighting a losing battle against the rising water. The next morning, two ships were spotted, including the brig Marine. Some people, primarily the women and children, managed to make their way over. But the winds pulled the ship away and roughly 425 people died when the ship sank around 8pm that night.

Her loss, and that of her gold, contributed to the financial Panic of 1857. The Panic of 1857 abruptly ended the boom times that followed the Mexican War. ...

Several books have been written about this historic ship. The most famous book is America's Lost Treasure, a complete pictorial chronicle of the sinking and recovery.

The ship was located by a ROV operated by the Columbus-America Discovery Group on September 11, 1987. Significant amounts of the gold were recovered and brought to the surface by another ROV built specifically for the recovery. Thomas G. Thompson led the group. Remotely operated vehicles (ROV) are mobile tools used in environments too dangerous for humans. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Remotely operated vehicles (ROV) are mobile tools used in environments too dangerous for humans. ...

The gold on this treasure ship are priceless pieces of American history. Many items are of inestimable future value, worth far more than ordinary collections of precious metals or rare coins. Many artifacts from luggage, clothing, bottles, and china dishes were recovered from the ocean floor after 130 years and moved to museums for safekeeping.

For rare coin collectors these are some of the most highly prized gold coins from the pre-Civil War, frontier days including mint condition $20 Liberty gold pieces struck in 1857 at the United States Mint in San Francisco. 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Mrs. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

See also

• SS Republic
• Atlantic hurricane seasons

SS Republic was a sidewheel steamship lost in a hurricane off the coast of Georgia in October 1865, en route to New Orleans. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Further reading

• Gary Kinder - Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1998) ISBN 0871137178
• Tommy Thompson - America's Lost Treasure (Avalon, 2000) ISBN 0871137321

External links

• Web site about the ship