After 113 years, SS City of Rio de Janeiro found 0.5 mile from San Francisco

descent · Dec 11, 2014

Carl Nolte of SFGate.com:
The location of the wreck has been one of the region’s biggest maritime mysteries. The ship has not been seen since it crashed into the rocks on the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate in early 1901.

The Rio was discovered with a remote submersible last month, broken and covered with sediment, only half a mile from San Francisco in 287 feet of water. The scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration took 3-D and sonar images of the sunken ship.

“It is a great discovery,” said Robert Schwemmer, maritime heritage coordinator for the Office of National Maritime Sanctuaries. The wreck of the City of Rio de Janeiro was the biggest maritime disaster in this region. “It is often called the Bay Area’s Titanic,” he said. ... (read more)

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There is a nice Wikipedia article about the life and times of the City of Rio. She carried troops during the Spanish American War.

This vessel is one of those unusual wrecks that lie in water shallower than its length, like the Kursk and the Edmund Fitzgerald. Rio was 370 feet long.

Here's the original press release from NOAA describing how the scientists and sonar experts found this wreck. It has more 3D sonar views of the vessel.

Jared0425 · Dec 14, 2014

Many wrecks lie shallower than their length, Empress of Ireland, Britannic, Lusitania, and Andrea Doria.

She looks busted up pretty good, with her boilers still there with what looks like a compound steam engine with a tall tiller. Is there any underwater footage?

descent · Dec 14, 2014

Wreck hunter Gary Fabian made this map (615K) of areas under and near the bridge for NOAA and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

A much larger version (14MB) on the NOAA NMS web server is here.

descent · Dec 14, 2014

Jared0425:
... Is there any underwater footage?

I asked around, including Gary himself. Seems there is only EchoScope 3D.

After 113 years, SS City of Rio de Janeiro found 0.5 mile from San Francisco

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