Explorers find shipwreck off North Carolina coast

Explorers may have finally found the wreckage of an 1838 steamboat that was ferrying notables of the day and exploded off the coast of North Carolina.

The Pulaski was ferrying politicians such as William B Rochester, a politician and the son of the New York city's namesake, and members of the Lamar family, a wealthy Southern dynasty, from Savannah, Georgia to Baltimore, Maryland in the spring of 1838. The former and at least five of the latter died. The ship made a stop - its last landfall - in Charleston, South Carolina.

An account of the ship's tragic end by a Mrs Hugh McLeod reads: 'The passengers were from the elite of [Savannah].

'Sojourners returning to their distant homes, and others from farther South and West, assembled on the deck, presenting a picture of unusual brightness; so many happy faces animated by hope and expectation.

'[The Pulaski] inspired confidence. She appeared so strong, and looked so comfortable.'

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