Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea

A true story of history, scientific discovery, and adventure.

The history and discovery of the world's richest shipwreck

Ship of Gold tells the story of the sinking of the SS Central America, a side-wheel steamer carrying nearly six hundred passengers returning from the California Gold Rush, two hundred miles off the Carolina coast in September 1857. Over four hundred lives and twenty-one tons of California gold were lost. It was the worst peacetime disaster at sea in American history, a tragedy that remained lost in legend for over a century. This is a painstakingly researched account of the salvaging of that steamer that sank in 1857,  highlighting the astonishing technological advances that established man's presence on the ocean floor. 150,000 first printing.