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A Whaleship Lost in the Gulf

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The whaling brig Industry, which was caught in a fierce storm on the evening of May 26, 1836, is the only whaling vessel known to have sunk in the Gulf of Mexico. Just over a decade ago, researchers using sonar located a wreck 6,000 feet underwater and 70 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. The wreck was later photographed by an automated underwater vehicle, and in February 2022 it was thoroughly investigated by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration remotely operated vehicle. Maritime archaeologists believe the wreck is likely to be Industry. (Credits are included with each image. Thank you to the New Bedford Whaling Museum for permission to use several images.).

  • A 2011 sonar survey of a stretch of the Gulf of Mexico slated for petroleum exploration detected what appeared to be a shipwreck around 70 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management/C&C Technologies)
  • An automated underwater vehicle photographed the wreck in 2017, revealing anchors of a style dating to the late eighteenth to early twentieth century, as well as possible evidence of a tryworks, or hearth used to render whale blubber into oil. (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management/C&C Technologies)
  • One of the wreck’s anchors, along with liquor bottles that appear to date to the early nineteenth century, were photographed by the automated underwater vehicle in 2017. (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management/C&C Technologies)
  • This section of Industry’s logbook includes stamps indicating that whales were either seen or captured by the crew. (Courtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum)
  • An 1822 settlement document indicates how much each member of Industry’s crew would be paid for their share of the catch. Among the crew members listed is Second Mate Pardon Cook, who was a son-in-law of Paul Cuffe, a renowned shipping magnate of African American and Native American heritage. (Courtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum)
  • A page from Industry’s 1828 logbook lists her crew members, including William Cuffe, the youngest son of Paul Cuffe. (Courtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum)
  • This list of Industry's crew members, dated April 17, 1835, is believed to be from the beginning of the brig’s final voyage. It includes descriptions of each member’s hair and skin, indicating that at least one crew member, Charles Hall, was African American. (Courtesy National Archives)

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