Man Finds 19th Century Trading Ship In Drought-Hit Mississippi River, Says 'Explore Your Surroundings': Report

According to the local news station WBRZ, Baton Rouge resident Patrick Ford found the trading ship while doing one of his routine daily searches for artefacts along the Mississippi riverbank.

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The capital of Louisiana discovered the wreckage of a 19th-century ship when the Mississippi River reached record-low water levels due to a prolonged drought, the Guardian reported.

According to the local news station WBRZ, Baton Rouge resident Patrick Ford found the trading ship while doing one of his routine daily searches for artefacts along the Mississippi riverbank.

Speaking to WBRZ, Ford said: “This past Sunday I was out here looking and realized the rest of the shore had washed away, and there was an entire ship there. I immediately texted friends and was like, ‘Holy moly, I think I found a ship, a sunken ship!’"

Ford first called the local press and specialists to ask about the catastrophe after discovering the ship's wreckage. Ford made touch with Chip McGimsey, an archaeologist for the state of Louisiana.

Ford's discoveries came from the Brookhill shipwreck, which archaeologists were already aware of, according to McGimsey.

According to McGimsey, the Brookhill ship was initially constructed in Indiana in 1896 for commerce. In 1915, the ship and another ship, the Istrouma, both sank as a result of a severe storm.

When an archaeological company conducted some surveying on the Brookhill's wreckage in 1990, some of the remnants of the ship were partially uncovered. Lower water levels, however, have made more of the ship's wreckage visible, allowing experts to expand on the little that is known.

“For the most part, there are not good documents on boat building, especially when you get back into the area of wooden boats,” McGimsey was quoted by the Guardian in its report.

“They have a lot of individuality in these boats, and there are so few of them remaining. This is a rare example of one from around 1900," he added. 

Following his finding, Ford offered some advice to other explorers who share his curiosity.

“Explore your surroundings – get to know where you live, what’s around beyond just what’s in front of you. Take a walk, see what’s out there,” he said.