S.S. Central America, sunk in 1857 in deep water off North Carolina

Sunk in a hurricane on September 12, 1857, the mail steamer Central America took with her more than 400 lives and over three tons of gold. The wreck lay undisturbed until 1986, when Tommy Thompson and his Columbus-America Discovery Group located the ship in 8500 feet of water. After 10 years of legal struggles, the salvagers were awarded about 92% of the treasure, with most of the rest going to insurance companies who had paid the claim when the ship sank. Widely touted as the greatest treasure ever found, the gold from the Central America has been very heavily promoted and cleverly marketed.