100 Years After It Sank, This Coast Guard Ship Will Remain in Its Watery Grave

On June 13, 1917, a United States Coast Guard ship named the McCulloch sank off the coast of Southern California. Now, 100 years after the vessel met its end, the Associated Press reports that the military ship has been discovered at the bottom of the Pacific.

The USCGC McCulloch was part of the Asiatic Squadron, a group of U.S. Navy warships that fought in the 1898 Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. At the time, it was the largest cutter ever built, and the first boat of its kind to sail through the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean [PDF].

In April 1917, during World War I, the USCGC McCulloch was transferred to the Navy for duty. Two months later, while patrolling the foggy coastline, the boat collided with a steamship named the SS Governor. The USCGC McCulloch’s crew escaped, but the boat itself wasn't so lucky: In just 35 minutes, it sank to the ocean’s bottom. One crewman died; the rest were rescued.

The USCGC McCulloch sat undisturbed in its watery grave for nearly a century. But last fall, during a routine survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coast Guard located the wreck three miles off the coast of Point Conception, California. Officials announced the discovery on Tuesday, on the 100th anniversary of the ship’s sinking.

Officials said they don’t plan on moving the fragile boat, as the ocean's strong currents and thick clouds of sediment would make it difficult to do so without significantly damaging it. Instead, the USCGC McCulloch will sit on the sea floor for eternity as "a symbol of hard work and sacrifice of previous generations to serve and protect our nation,” Coast Guard commander Todd Sokalzuk reportedly said in his announcement.