Lost California Treasure

Wreck of the SS City of Chester

On August 22, 1888, the steamship SS City of Chester collided with the much larger vessel Oceanic in thick fog inside the Golden Gate strait. The ship split in two and sank in less than six minutes. The wreck was rediscovered in 2013 by NOAA hydrographers using multi-beam sonar. While not carrying commercial gold bullion, the wreck contains valuable historical artifacts and is an important archaeological preserve.

Record typeshipwreck
LocationGolden Gate Strait, San Francisco Bay
Probability indexMedium
Land statusFederal Marine Sanctuary (Restricted)
Research coordinates37.8178, -122.4788
SourceNOAA Office of Coast Survey - SS City of Chester

Field Research Notes

Located in 217 feet of water near the center of the Golden Gate shipping channel. Diving is extremely dangerous due to commercial ship traffic and severe currents.

Recommended Gear

Sidescan Sonar, ROV Camera, Underwater Lights

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