Mardi Gras Shipwreck

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The "Mardi Gras Shipwreck" sank some 200 years ago about 35 miles off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico in 4,000 feet (1220 meters) of water. The shipwreck, whose real identity remains a mystery, lay forgotten at the bottom of the sea until it was discovered in 2002 by an oilfield inspection crew working for the Okeanos Gas Gathering Company (OGGC). The crew was surveying with video cameras mounted on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) the proposed route of the Mardi Gras Gas Transmission System, the highest capacity deepwater pipeline system ever built. Until further research and study hopefully can identify the name and history of the vessel, it remains known simply as "the Mardi Gras Wreck" after the pipeline where it was found.

In May 2007, an expedition, led by Texas A&M University and funded by OGGC under an agreement with the Minerals Management Service, will be launched to undertake the deepest scientific archaeological excavation ever attempted in order to study the site on the seafloor and recover artifacts for eventual display in the Louisiana State Museum for the benefit of all. You are invited to follow the archaeologists, oceanographers, engineers, students, ROV pilots, and ship's crew as they explore this 200-year old time capsule 4,000 feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.