Sensational Discovery Beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, Once Thought Lost Forever
Since 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge has spanned the strait before San Francisco Bay. While the bridge has been a tourist magnet for almost 100 years, it conceals long-lost secrets beneath its majestic structure.
With the aid of a groundbreaking underwater robot, researchers have now managed to uncover some of these eerie mysteries. Secrets once hidden and presumed forgotten beneath the Golden Gate Bridge have been brought to light in the most extraordinary manner.
One of America's Most Famous Landmarks
The rust-colored structure of the Golden Gate Bridge, stretching nearly two miles across San Francisco Bay, is undoubtedly one of America's most famous landmarks. People from all around the world travel to the San Francisco area to marvel at its engineering marvel.
Yet, as people gaze upon the bridge, they often forget that the waters it towers over hold secrets of their own. Now, with the help of underwater robots, the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has taken on the task of uncovering stories from the past.
The bridge may be a renowned landmark, but the bay wasn't discovered immediately. Find out when explorers first found it!
The Bridge Attracts Around 27,000 Visitors per Day
According to Bold Italic, approximately 27,000 visitors venture onto the Golden Gate Bridge each day. That's a lot of people admiring what the American Society of Civil Engineers calls one of the wonders of the modern world.
However, amidst the admiration for this technical masterpiece comparable to the Panama Canal, people tend to forget that there lies a completely different story in its watery shadows.
377 Feet Deep and Full of Secrets
The water beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, reaching a depth of about 377 feet at its lowest point, undoubtedly holds more than a few ghostly tales from the past. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has set out to bring these eerie stories to the surface using their remote-controlled underwater robots.
They now only need to search the bottom of the Golden Gate Strait to uncover what time and water currents have concealed.
One of the World's Natural Harbors
The NOAA's excavation plan is not as straightforward as it may seem. The Golden Gate Strait is nothing more than a tiny, kilometer-wide passage connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It's notorious for keeping treasures hidden beneath its waves.
As one of the world's natural harbors, historians find it astonishing that the Spanish conquistadors were unaware of its existence and sailed right past it when they first set foot on Californian soil.
The Bay Remained Hidden Until the 18th Century
The NOAA has long been notorious for being shrouded in fog most of the time, surrounded by rocky terrain, rough waters, and more than a few sea pirates.
There's a reason why the bay remained concealed until the Spanish finally stumbled upon it in the 18th century; traversing the strait was anything but smooth sailing. Many ships were shattered upon the rocks. Nevertheless, the NOAA remained undeterred from its mission.
Many Were at the Mercy of the Waters
With the wild currents of the Pacific Ocean, disasters often befell those attempting to make it to the safety of the bay. Without navigation charts and instruments, early settlers in Northern California had nothing but their own sight.
Which, frankly, wasn't much help when sailing through an area known for its fog storms. Still, enough of them managed to navigate the strait and settle along the shores surrounding the harbor.
Captain John Montgomery: The Game-Changer for San Francisco
First settled by the Spanish on June 27, 1776, it took more than a few years before Yerba Buena was ceded to the rest of the United States. Then, in 1846, Captain John Montgomery sailed into the bay, claimed the land for the United States without encountering any resistance, and hoisted the first American flag on its shores.
A year later, Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco. And in 1850, California became the 31st state of the United States, just in time for the Gold Rush.
The Population Continued to Grow
Even after the hype around the California Gold Rush subsided in 1855, San Francisco Bay remained one of the area's most important ports for people and goods.
With so many people arriving on the coast of San Francisco by ship, it was time to figure out how to overcome the rough strait. However, it would be a long time before the Golden Gate Bridge became an iconic landmark of the Bay Area.
San Francisco Lagged Behind Other Cities
Before the rust-colored Golden Gate Bridge spanned the waters of the Golden Gate Strait, people relied on boats to reach the coast of San Francisco, the simplest way to cross the strait.
The issue was that the secluded area hindered the city's growth. Bringing goods into the city was challenging due to its isolation. San Francisco didn't grow nearly as fast as the rest of the American metropolises.
It Was Time to Find a Solution
So, the brainstorming began. People started to consider a different way to transport people across the bay without relying on ferry services. Ironically, the idea of building a bridge was initially deemed impossible.
The unpredictable foggy weather along the Northern California coast, not to mention the strong currents and tides of the Golden Gate Strait, were not ideal conditions for construction work. However, that didn't mean people completely ignored the idea.
The 1915 World's Fair Was Just the Beginning
While many believed that such a structure could never be built, they knew it would be something incredible if it turned out to be possible.
A bridge large enough to span the strait and tall enough to allow larger ships to pass underneath into the bay. It wasn't until 1915, after the Panama-Pacific International Exposition World's Fair in San Francisco, that the idea of a grand bridge started taking shape.
The Proposal: A Combination of Suspension and Cantilever Bridge
Engineer Joseph B. Strauss was the first to propose a combination of suspension and cantilever bridge that would span the strait, connecting San Francisco with what is now known as Marin County.
Of course, it took a few years from Strauss's original idea in 1921. But after several years, numerous revisions, and a lot of construction work, the Golden Gate Bridge was built. It was then the longest and highest of its kind.
The Opening Day Took Place in 1937
The Golden Gate Bridge was officially opened on May 27, 1937. Completed during a time of economic crisis in the United States, it became a symbol of hope and progress in the Bay Area.
Today, it is one of San Francisco's most sought-after tourist attractions, drawing around ten million visitors annually and carrying over 100,000 vehicles daily from the coast of San Francisco to Marin County.
What's Left to Discover Amidst the Daily Traffic?
With so much pedestrian and vehicular traffic, it may seem unlikely that there is anything left to discover about San Francisco's landmark. But that's just scratching the surface.
Looking beneath the watery shadows of the Golden Gate Bridge, there are still many mysteries to solve and relics to find. Now, it's up to the NOAA to bring to the surface what they can. It's just a matter of what they will uncover.
NOAA is Well-Equipped for Underwater Discoveries
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency focused on monitoring the conditions of major waterways around the world. In this particular case, they have set their sights on the Golden Gate Strait and what lies beneath its watery depths.
Thankfully, the organization is equipped with top-notch marine archaeologists and researchers, making them well-prepared for their mission. But nothing could have prepared them for what they would discover in the water.
Their Main Goal: Monitoring the World's Waterways
One of the missions of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is to monitor the oceans and major waterways worldwide, including the 330,000 square miles of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
Scanning the seabed in search of something extraordinary is just one of their many objectives. However, it is this particular talent that led them to focus on the Golden Gate Bridge and the waters it spans.
NOAA Has Its Work Cut Out
With swimmers, kayakers, tourists taking photos, and numerous cars crossing the bridge daily, it's hard to imagine that anything about the Golden Gate Bridge remains a mystery. Well, people couldn't be more wrong.
Over the years, swells, currents, and tides have caused more than one shipwreck. Now, the NOAA has made it their mission to uncover some of the stories these ships left behind.
They Found Eight Potential Discoveries via Sonar
A team of NOAA researchers began the scanning process west of the Golden Gate Bridge in September 2014. After reviewing their sonar scans of the seabed, they found eight possible locations worth further investigation.
As it turned out, four out of the eight locations were exactly what the research team was looking for. Four of the sites they scanned were shipwrecks! Now, it was time to introduce the robots.
Time to Bring in the ROV
Using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the NOAA team headed to each location and combed the seabed to see if there was anything interesting to find.
For a bridge believed to hold no new secrets, there were many untold stories beneath its depths. Now, it was about identifying the names of the ships, where they came from, and how they ended up in the waters beneath the Golden Gate Bridge.
Their First Discovery
After some digging, the NOAA discovered that one of the sunken ships was the Noonday, a clipper built for Boston merchant Henry Hastings. Unfortunately, for Hastings, the ship went down on its fourth voyage to San Francisco on January 1, 1863.
Fortunately, the port was in sight when the ship ran aground on a treacherous rock, taking on water. This allowed all the men to make it to safety. But the same couldn't be said for the ship's cargo.
Noonday Could See the Shore but Hit a Rock
Seeing the port of San Francisco after a 139-day journey from Boston must have been a relief for the men aboard the Noonday. However, as fate would have it, the ship would never make it into the harbor.
Eight miles away from the port, the Noonday struck a rock and quickly began taking on water. In their desperate rush to abandon the sinking ship, Captain Hastings and his crew managed to salvage a few of their personal belongings but left the rest of the valuable cargo on board.
The Rock Became Known as Noonday Rock
While all the men escaped with their lives, the ship sank to about 40 fathoms. However, the valuable cargo still on board was a target for salvage, and more than one person attempted to retrieve it from its watery grave. Unfortunately, everyone who went into the water came back empty-handed.
Ironically, the rock the ship hit is now known as Noonday Rock, part of the Farallon Islands chain off San Francisco. And although this landmark is known, the exact location of its namesake in history had been lost.
Time for Further Investigations
With the rediscovery of the long-lost Noonday by a team of NOAA researchers in 2014, there was still much to be done. After reviewing their sonar scans, a volunteer noticed a structure that appeared to be about the same size as the sunken ship.
Not only that, it was also not far from Noonday Rock, after which the ship was named. So, they set out with an ROV to further investigate the point detected by their sonar equipment.
The Ship Was Not Visible
While the sonar may have detected a structure, unfortunately, the ROV did not capture anything tangible. But one thing was clear: NOAA had undoubtedly found the final resting place of the 1863 sunken clipper, Noonday.
During an interview with AP, James Delgado of NOAA said, "It's Noonday. The signal is very clear. But they didn't give up; there were three more sites to search. The next ship was visible to the NOAA team, but the depth it sank to is quite remarkable. How deep? The answer is coming soon.
Next: The S.S. Selja
One of the other locations the NOAA came across during their investigation revealed the long-lost ghost ship of the S.S. Selja, a workhorse freighter that sank in 1910.
This particular tanker, chartered by the Portland & Asiatic Steamship Company, was responsible for trading between Asia and the Pacific Northwest, namely flour and lumber. On January 22, 1910, the S.S. Selja made its final trading route off the coast of Portland, Oregon.
A Fateful Collision
On that fateful day, the S.S. Selja collided with another freighter, the S.S. Beaver. When the captain heard the ship's whistle rounding Point Reyes, it was too late. Approximately 700 miles off the coast of Portland, Oregon, west of San Francisco, the S.S. Selja sank in 180 feet of water.
In a formal statement, the captain of the SS Beaver, William Kidston, stated, "The SS Selja sank upside down in ten minutes after being hit. It sank in 30 fathoms of water..."
They Could Explore the S.S. Selja
While the collision caused more than one "whose fault it was" argument, it was decided that both captains were responsible for the wreck. After the ruling, the S.S. Selja was eventually forgotten.
Until NOAA researchers found something resembling the ghost ship on their radar west of the Golden Gate Bridge. Unlike the Noonday, buried under who knows how much sand, the S.S. Selja was exposed and ready for exploration.
NOAA Didn't Stop at the Two Ships
Although the NOAA team was able to uncover the truth behind two of its sonar discoveries, there were two more locations they wanted to explore.
As it turned out, one was poorly preserved and covered in fishing nets, which couldn't be given a definite name. The other was actually intact, but it was nothing more than an unnamed tugboat lying on the seabed after an accident.
The Area Is Full of Shipwrecks
Although they couldn't name the last two boats, a significant question remains: Why are the waters beneath the Golden Gate Bridge so full of shipwrecks? Well, one reason definitely has to do with the amount of boat traffic coming to and from the port.
During an interview with Live Science, NOAA researcher James Delgado said, "We are looking at an area that was a funnel to the busiest and most important American port on the Pacific Coast."
Approximately 300 Shipwrecks in the Area
According to Live Science, there are about 300 shipwrecks scattered throughout the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The oldest documented wreck is the Spanish galleon named San Agustin, which sank in the 16th century.
Fortunately, the most recent shipwreck occurred in 1980 with the explosion of the S.S. Puerto Rican, which happened just hours after the tanker left the port of San Francisco en route to New Orleans. While all these discoveries are remarkable, none is quite as noteworthy as the one the NOAA made of one of the most famous ships to go down. Hint: It sank in 1901.
Months Prior
While the NOAA may have discovered a few long-lost ships, four are nothing compared to the ghost ships haunting the depths beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Many of them are yet to be discovered, let alone explored.
But even before their 2014 investigation, the NOAA was in search of the secrets beneath the bridge's waters. And a few months prior to their other four discoveries, they found something that was once believed to be forever lost.
The S.S. Chester Took 16 Souls
Lost for well over a century, the NOAA researchers stumbled upon the ghost ship of the S.S. Chester. During its final journey from the port of San Francisco to Eureka, California, the steamship met its end.
Hardly out of the harbor, the S.S. Chester collided with another ship, the R.M.S. Oceanic. The accident left a hole right through the former ship's port side. It sank within minutes, taking 16 souls into the abyss.
NOAA Found the Steamship in 2014
Although the S.S. Chester sank quite close to the Golden Gate Bridge, it remained lost for almost 120 years. But in 2014, the NOAA research team announced with delight that they had successfully found the steamship.
Not only did they locate the ship, but they were also able to explore it via ROVs. To their surprise, the ship was in quite good condition despite resting on the seabed for all those years.
California's Most Famous Shipwreck
But that wasn't the last lost ship the team discovered in 2014. That year, NOAA released one of the first photos of arguably one of the most famous shipwrecks ever to occur on the California coast.
In 1901, the S.S. Rio de Janeiro met its end as it attempted to navigate through the narrow strait on a very foggy morning. The ship struck some rocks, sank within minutes, and plunged into the cold waters of the Pacific.
Dubbed the "Titanic of the Golden Gate"
Unfortunately, there were around 210 people on board the S.S. Rio de Janeiro, most of whom were immigrants seeking to build a new life in the United States. About half of these approximately 210 people perished with the ship.
After the ship sank to the bottom of the cold ocean, history remembered the proud ship's final journey and dubbed it the "Titanic of the Golden Gate."
NOAA Created a 3D Model of the Ship
The final resting place of the S.S. Rio Janeiro lies under nearly 290 feet of water, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge. Considering how long it has been underwater, there was no safe way for the NOAA team to bring it to the surface. The thing is, they didn't need to.
Using 3D modeling techniques and sonar, the team was able to carefully construct a model of what the steamship would look like today if it were still functional.
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