Working with the University of Southern Mississippi, AL.com has discovered the wreck of another vessel from the 1800s in the area where the Clotilda, the last U.S. slave Ship, is believed to have been burned and sunk in 1859.

Last week, the day after AL.com informed the Alabama Historical Commission of the find, the state agency announced that it had contracted with Search Inc., an internationally prominent marine archaeology company, to document wrecks in the Mobile River and look for the Clotilda.

"This project will ultimately result in a National Register Maritime Historic District and the possible discovery of the Clotilda," states the news release.

Search, along with the National Park Service, Diving with a Purpose, and the Slave Ships Project, came to Mobile in late February to examine another wreck found by AL.com that authorities believed might be the Clotilda.

The Clotilda is the last ship known to have brought slaves into the country. The hunt for the infamous ship has inspired numerous searchers over the years. Though it had been illegal to import slaves for 50 years, a local plantation owner and steamboat captain, Timothy Meaher, decided to bring a cargo of captured Africans in through the port of Mobile on a bet. Fearing discovery, Meaher and the boat's captain decided to burn the Clotilda after completion of its voyage. The captain, William Foster, later stated that he burned the ship near an island in the Mobile River.

After it was determined that first wreck was too large to be the Clotilda, AL.com commissioned a highly detailed survey of that stretch of the Mobile River by the University of Southern Mississippi in April. That survey revealed a number of potential wreck sites underwater.

"The University of Southern Mississippi was more than excited to provide our state-of-the-art equipment and expert surveyors toward this search," said Monty Graham, director of the University of Southern Mississippi's School of Ocean Science and Technology. "Not only was it a great exercise for our students and faculty, but it was also a way for them to connect their training to exploration around such a historically significant ship. We look forward to assisting in the future however we can be utilized."

On subsequent trips, Al.com and the University returned to the river and ruled out some of the items seen in the survey, after determining that the wrecks were metal, not wood, like the Clotilda. But one site was determined to be a ship from approximately the same era as the Clotilda. That vessel bears the hallmarks of ship construction from the 1800s, including being constructed with square, wrought iron nails and large iron drifts that hold the planking to the ribs.

There appeared to be a large anchor near the wreck, visible in the sonar imagery, that was typical of the style used in the 1800s.

Unlike the first ship AL.com documented, which was visible during extreme low tides associated with the "Bomb Cyclone" just after New Year's Day, this new wreck is located in deeper water and not visible from the surface. The dimensions of the ship have not been determined yet. It also remains unclear what type of vessel was found.

Answering those questions will take a more thorough and invasive examination, precisely the expertise of Search Inc.

AL.com provided the University's survey data to the Alabama Historical Commission.

"We appreciate the collegiate scientific sharing of data," said Lisa D. Jones, Executive Director of the Alabama Historical Commission. "The University of Southern Mississippi has provided a potential piece of evidence to solve a much larger investigation of the Mobile River's shipwrecks."

The news release lays out plans going forward in the search for the Clotilda.

"Currently, the Historical Commission has contracted Search to complete the Phase I remote-sensing survey to locate significant submerged cultural resources. Advanced maritime remote sensing equipment, including a marine magnetometer, side-scan sonar, and sub-bottom profiler will be employed," reads the news release.

The technologies mentioned in the release are the same technologies employed by the University of Southern Mississippi during its April survey. Officials from Search and the University will be discussing the results and the work to be done going forward.

"Upon completion of the Phase I, Search will conduct an archaeological analysis of the acquired data. In addition, a description of the area's prehistoric and historic context will be included in the final report as well as a shipwreck inventory. After all cultural resources in the project area are inventoried, any that have characteristics matching the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to bring captives from Africa to the United States, will be investigated further in subsequent phases of the investigation," reads the release.

The release also included a quote from Search's Jim Delgado, who led the effort that determined the first ship was not the Clotilda.

"We were powerfully struck by the story of the Mobile River," said James P. Delgado, PhD, Senior Vice President, Search, Inc. "The river, particularly the area to be surveyed, has a number of potential stories to tell. Clotilda is one of those important stories."

The news release concluded with this: "In conjunction with local and state partners, the archaeological process will occur in phases with Phase I beginning as early as June. During this intense and focused archaeological survey, we respectfully ask the general public and media not to visit the site. Any disruptions during this process could result in a significant loss of information and time."

Ben Raines specializes in investigations and natural wonders. You can follow him via Facebook, Twitter at BenHRaines, and on Instagram. You can reach him via email at braines@al.com.

You can watch Ben's most recent documentary, The Underwater Forest, here on Youtube.