Site 15377 is a shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico that was likely a fully-rigged ship, bark, or barkentine that was probably constructed between 1830 and the middle of the 19th century. It has copper sheathing on the hull, an assemblage of ceramics, stoneware, and blown glass containers, among other artifacts. In the center of the site is a sheet anchor, stove, and what appears to be the remains of a windlass or possible bilge pump. Judging from the layout of the hull and how boxy it is, it is likely that it was a merchant vessel designed for long ocean voyages.
Discovered in 2005 during an oil and gas survey and identified as Site 15377 by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), this wreck site was explored for the first time on December 9, 2017, during an expedition led by NOAA Ocean Exploration aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer — equipped with an Insite Pacific Zeus Plus camera capable of collecting high-definition footage — was used to document the site, which is at a depth of approximately 700 meters and is 32 meters long and 10 meters wide.
A photogrammetric model of this site made by BOEM already exists. This model from NOAA Ocean Exploration is based on the same data using footage from timestamps 21:45 to 23:10. The footage was processed into still images using Photoshop and was color corrected.
The full annotated video of this dive can be viewed on SeaTube.
Site Name: Site 15377
Type: UCH
UCH Vessel Date Built: Post 1830
UCH Vessel Date Sank: N/A
Hull Material: Wood
Official Number: N/A
Expedition Number: EX1711
Expedition Name: Gulf of Mexico 2017
ROV Dive Number: 07
ROV Dive Date: December 9, 2017
Location: Gulf of Mexico
Depth: 700 meters
Length: 32 meters
Width: 10 meters
ROV Used: Deep Discoverer
Camera Information: Insite Pacific Zeus Plus HD, 3-CCD color camera with 2/3-inch 2,200,000 pixel 1080i IT CCDs
Video or Stills: Video
Number of Images Used/Format: 4,905/JPG
Image Alignment Percentage: 98%
Number of Tie Points: 1,185,218
Link to Raw Video Footage: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/ocean-exploration/video/?cruiseId=EX1711&oerkey=DIVE07
Time to Complete: 8 hours
Orthomosaic Views Available: No
Images Available: Yes
Animations Available: Yes
Available File Exports/Location/POC: archaeology.oceanexploration@noaa.gov
Link to NOAA Ocean Exploration Project Page: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1711/logs/dec10/welcome.html
Software: Agisoft Metashape Standard Version 2.0.1.
Developer: Raymond Phipps, NOAA Ocean Exploration explorer-in-training, June 26, 2023.
Credit: Model courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Gulf of Mexico 2017.
