Golden Gate Ghost Ships Revealed

A team of researchers from the NOAA recently confirmed the presence of several mysterious shipwrecks along San Francisco's Golden Gate strait, detailing the region's rich maritime history.

The two most notable discoveries were that of the 1910 shipwreck SS Selja and an unidentified early steam tugboat wreck dubbed the "mystery wreck." The researchers also located the 1863 wreck of the clipper ship Noonday, currently obscured by mud and silt on the ocean floor.

This is all part of the start of a two-year project to find locate and even map out the structure of a whopping 300-or-so wrecks in Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and the adjacent Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

James Delgado, director of Maritime Heritage for the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries calls there wrecks a little known "undersea museum."

"These wrecks tell the powerful story of the people who helped build California and opened America to the Pacific for nearly two centuries," he said in statement. "Finding the remains of these ships links the past to the present."

According to the NOAA, their team of experts began researching these wrecks as early as the 1980s, preparing for the day that they would begin to investigate the ocean floor.

The team is using cutting-edge sonar mapping technology and old-fashioned diving to find and identify these wrecks for the sake of important historical records.

The sinking of the SS Selja, for instance, represents a key moment in maritime history, where its fatal collision ultimately led to the formation of a key maritime law called the "rule of the road."

"The shipwrecks off the Golden Gate are places to explore, discover and appreciate our country's maritime cultural heritage," added Brian Johnson, the Gulf of the Farallones sanctuary deputy superintendent. "Through the study, protection and promotion of this diverse legacy, Americans can learn more about our shared past."