Preserving 100-year-old Shipwreck

The wreck of the Steamship Portland, shown here in an underwater image, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Registry is the official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation.

When the Portland sunk off the coast of Massachusetts in November 1898 - taking with it 192 souls - its loss represented New England's greatest steamship disaster prior to 1900.

Built in Maine and launched in 1889, the Portland was a luxurious wooden-hulled vessel, measuring more than 280 feet long.  With its side paddle, it ferried passengers and freight between Boston and Portland, Maine.

In 2002, researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the Portland's location within the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, which is an 842-square mile stretch of federal waters between Cape Ann and Cape Cod. 

The sanctuary is renowned as a major feeding area for marine mammals, particularly humpback whales, and supports an ecosystem of diverse wildlife.

-- LiveScience Staff

Credit: NOAA