S.S. Republic, sunk in 1865 in deep water off Savannah, Georgia

Originally christened the Tennessee (which is how she was identified in our time), the sidewheel steamer Republic was carrying some $400,000 in specie from New York to New Orleans when she sank in a hurricane about 100 miles offshore on October 25, 1865. One of many deep targets located by the salvage company Odyssey, the site of the Republic was salvaged by submersible craft beginning in 2003. In addition to gold and silver coins of the Civil War-era United States, Odyssey found the ship’s bell with part of the name Tennessee, confirming the ship’s identity and launching a massive, ongoing promotional campaign for coins and artifacts from the wreck.