Updated March Immerse Yourself
Dr. Brian Magrane
Author, Physician, and Shipwreck Expert
Wednesday
March 19th
7 PM
Presentation will be in-person as well as virtual. Join us!
The SS Central America: The "Ship of Gold" ?
Gold fever was erupting across the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. The California Gold Rush had enticed hordes of miners hoping to strike it rich. During this boom, America’s economy quickly became reliant on the continuous flow of this new capital and the popular mode of transportation for the precious cargo was the steamship. The side-wheel steamer SS George Law, later renamed the SS Central America, was built to move gold in continuous service on the Atlantic leg of the Panama Route. In 1856, yellow fever was raging in Havana and the ship was diverted to Key West for coal refueling. Not long after her Key West stop, the ship sank in a hurricane off the South Carolina coast, carrying over $2 million in California gold.
Dr. Brian Magrane is an Islamorada-based physician and author of Tortugas Deep-Sea: The Story of a Merchant Ship, and an avid shipwreck coin collector. He became fascinated with Florida’s sunken treasures and has been involved in maritime heritage projects and shipwreck treasure research. Join Dr. Magrane as he takes us through the fascinating history and tragic demise of the “Ship of Gold.”
?Thank you to this months sponsor: the Newton Family.