SS REPUBLIC® FAQ SHEET
What is the SS Republic®?
The SS Republic® was a Civil War-era sidewheel steamship that sank in 1865 after battling a
hurricane for two days. At the time, she was en route from New York to New Orleans,
carrying a large cargo of silver and gold coins and a stunning variety of everyday objects to
help rebuild the war-ravaged South.
Built in 1853 in Baltimore, during the height of the steam age, the Republic® measured 210
feet in length and was equipped with a vertical walking-beam steam engine and was powered
by steam from a pair of double return flue boilers and other machinery. The most notable
feature was her two 28-foot iron side paddlewheels driven by a massive single piston.
Who discovered the SS Republic®?
In 2003, the greatest shipwreck of the Civil War-era was discovered off the coast of Georgia,
1,700 feet below the surface of the Atlantic, by Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. The
company has pioneered deep-ocean shipwreck exploration and recovery and is the world
leader in this emerging field.
What is the history of the SS Republic®?
The legacy of the SS Republic® includes service in the American Civil War for both
Confederate and Union navies as well as her role as a commercial cargo and passenger
transport vessel. Originally named the SS Tennessee, in 1855 she became the first Baltimore
steamer to complete a transatlantic voyage. With the outbreak of the American Civil War in
April 1861, the Tennessee was trapped in harbor at New Orleans, and later purchased for
service in the Confederate navy. After the Union’s capture of the city, the Tennessee was
seized and converted into a powerful gunboat, and was also employed as a troop transport,
supply and dispatch vessel. Her notable Civil War naval service includes participation in the
Mississippi River campaign, the Gulf Coast Blockade, the Battle of Mobile Bay, and service
off and on as the flagship of Admiral David Farragut.
Her name changed to USS Mobile after the Battle of Mobile Bay, the steamship was
purchased at auction in 1865. Following repair and refit, she was renamed SS Republic® and
continued commercial passenger and cargo service. Throughout her travels, the Republic®
encountered several severe hurricanes and storms. In 1865, she sailed into her fourth
hurricane ultimately causing her demise.
What happened during the SS Republic®’s final voyage?
On October 18, 1865 the SS Republic® left New York en route to New Orleans with
passengers and commercial cargo on board. After battling turbulent weather for two days,
the SS Republic® was lost in a violent hurricane on October 25, 1865.
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One passenger is believed to have drowned while trying to swim through the ship’s floating
debris. The other passengers were able to safely exit the ship and board either one of the
four lifeboats or the one life raft. All of the passengers on board the life boats were rescued
by other passing ships and made it to shore safely. Unfortunately only two people survived
on the life raft when it was rescued over a week later.
What other discoveries has Odyssey Marine Exploration made?
Recently, Odyssey announced the discovery of Balchin’s HMS Victory, one of the most
famous ships in naval history which wrecked in 1744. In 2007, Odyssey discovered a
Colonial period site code-named the “Black Swan” which is believed to constitute the largest
collection of coins ever excavated from a deep-ocean site. Odyssey also has other shipwreck
projects in various stages of development around the world, including off the coast of North
Carolina. To learn more about Odyssey’s shipwreck projects, please visit
http://shipwreck.net/shipwrecks.php.
What was on board the SS Republic®?
On her last voyage, Captain Edward Young commanded the SS Republic® carrying 80
passengers and an enormous cargo of goods, including barrels of money bound to help fuel
New Orleans' expanding post-Civil War economy. Among the cargo was a fortune in silver
and gold coins, thousand of bottles whose original contents included everyday goods
essential to life in mid-19th century America: patent medicines, inks, perfumes and hair tonics
as well as preserved fruits, sauces, beer, wine and champagne, religious items intended to
help restore the spiritual life in staunchly Catholic New Orleans, a diversity of household
wares, and even some luxury goods, along with a few passenger belongings, some of whom
were on their way to New Orleans to settle there.
How did Odyssey find the shipwreck?
It took a team of archaeologists and researchers over 12 years to actually locate the Republic.
Using historical data to narrow the search area, the Odyssey team began an extensive search,
which utilized advanced robotics and cutting edge technologies, covering over 1,000 square
miles. In 2003, a promising target was located nearly 1,700 feet below the surface of the
Atlantic Ocean approximately 100 miles off the Georgia coast. A side-sonar image revealed
two paddle-wheels flanking the sides of a vessel, a walking beam engine, two boilers and a
wooden hull. These features and their dimensions closely matched those of the historical
records of the SS Republic®. During the pre-disturbance survey, Odyssey found and recovered
the ship's bronze bell, which revealed the letters "SSEE”. Since the SS Republic® was
originally known as the SS Tennessee, this confirmed the identity of the shipwreck as that of
the SS Republic®. Odyssey has been awarded title and ownership to the SS Republic® shipwreck
and cargo, including the hull, artifacts and the specie that was on board when she sank.
What was recovered from the SS Republic®?
In the most extensive archaeologically sensitive deep-ocean excavation to date, Odyssey
recovered from the SS Republic® site over 51,000 gold and silver coins and more than 14,000
artifacts including an impressive assortment of 19thcentury goods used during the Civil Warera.
In addition to the material goods recovered, a wealth of knowledge has been gained from the
SS Republic® shipwreck project and the subsequent historical research that has followed. The
success of the archaeological excavation has set a precedent for achieving the highest
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archaeological standards essential to the emerging field of deep-water shipwreck exploration
and recovery.
What happened to the coins and artifacts recovered from the SS Republic®?
After conservation, recording and photographic documentation, the SS Republic® artifacts
deemed historically significant, including one-of-a-kind items, and a representative sample of
multiple artifacts are maintained in Odyssey’s permanent collection. Upon request, this
private collection is made available for further study by researchers, archaeologists,
academics, curators and scientists.
Following conservation and thorough documentation, select trade goods (i.e. items that had
been produced and shipped in multiple quantities) are made available to private collectors
with an interest in these culturally and historically significant pieces. Odyssey’s collection
policy ensures that representative examples of each trade good is reserved in perpetuity in its
permanent collection so that they can made accessible for study in the future.
It is one of Odyssey’s key objectives to share the treasure we recover with a broader
audience. Some of the ways we are able to do this is by displaying artifacts at museums and
interactive exhibits, producing books, DVDs and television features. The adventure and
excitement that is inherent to our work in the deep ocean also motivates young students to
get interested in the marine sciences, world history, geography and robotic technology and
we support this interest by developing educational curricula.
* ® SS Republic is a registered trademark of Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc.
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For more media information or visuals please contact:
Natividad Lewis, Marketing and Public Relations Manager
Tel: 704-348-1972 / Email: [email protected]