A 200-year-old shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico is divulging secrets about a bygone era but it still holds mysteries, researchers say.
Scientists, archaeologists and students from Texas A&M University at Galveston have joined National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration experts investigating the wreck, which lies 4,300 deep about 150 miles from Galveston.
The site was discovered by a Shell oil and gas survey crew in 2011.
The most recent exploration of the wreck ended Wednesday, when a research team on the agency vessel Nautilus finished recovering artifacts.
Below the surface: See the shipwreck off the coast of Galveston
Items found on the ship included anchors, navigational instruments, muskets, pistols, swords, cannons, glass bottles, ceramic plates and clothing, according to the agency and the universities.
The Nautilus is scheduled to return to Galveston on Thursday, and the artifacts will be taken to A&M's Cultural Resources Laboratory at the Riverside Campus in College Station, a university spokeswoman said.
To help with the 24-hour recovery expedition, Texas A&M built an exploration command center on campus so agency and university scientists could monitor and help guide the expedition in real time, the university said in a news release Wednesday.
The shore-based station worked with the technicians onboard the Nautilus to advise and help direct the recovery of artifacts, the release said. Communications included live audio and high-definition video.
Researchers still haven't identified what type of ship it was or where it came from, but they date the artifacts to between 1800 and 1830. Evidence retrieved so far suggests the vessel was a warship transporting arms and soldiers, possibly to support either Spain or Mexico in their war with each other.
Besides Spanish and Mexican artifacts, cannons believed to be British were found.