Crew Studying Remnants of Clotilda, the Last U.S. Slave Ship
Crew members leave Mobile, Ala., on their way to the wreck of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, on Monday, May 2, 2020. A team spent days on a coastal river assessing the remains of the ship, which was scuttled after arriving on the Gulf Coast more than 160 years ago. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Crew members leave Mobile, Ala., on their way to the wreck of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, on Monday, May 2, 2020. A team spent days on a coastal river assessing the remains of the ship, which was scuttled after arriving on the Gulf Coast more than 160 years ago. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Crew Studying Remnants of Clotilda, the Last U.S. Slave Ship
Members of the team assessing the sunken wreckage of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, are shown looking at timbers from the schooner near Mobile, Ala., on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. The ship was scuttled after arriving on the Gulf Coast more than 160 years ago. (AP Photo/Daniel Fiore, Alabama Historical Commission)
Members of the team assessing the sunken wreckage of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, are shown looking at timbers from the schooner near Mobile, Ala., on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. The ship was scuttled after arriving on the Gulf Coast more than 160 years ago. (AP Photo/Daniel Fiore, Alabama Historical Commission)
Crew Studying Remnants of Clotilda, the Last U.S. Slave Ship
Timbers from the wreckage of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, are shown on a barge near Mobile, Ala., on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. The ship was scuttled after arriving on the Gulf Coast more than 160 years ago. (AP Photo/Daniel Fiore, Alabama Historical Commission)
Timbers from the wreckage of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, are shown on a barge near Mobile, Ala., on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. The ship was scuttled after arriving on the Gulf Coast more than 160 years ago. (AP Photo/Daniel Fiore, Alabama Historical Commission)
Crew Studying Remnants of Clotilda, the Last U.S. Slave Ship
A diver removes a sunken tree from the wreck of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, near Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. A crew spent days assessing remains of the ship, which was scuttled after arriving on the Gulf Coast more than 160 years ago. (AP Photo/Daniel Fiore, Alabama Historical Commission)
A diver removes a sunken tree from the wreck of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, near Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. A crew spent days assessing remains of the ship, which was scuttled after arriving on the Gulf Coast more than 160 years ago. (AP Photo/Daniel Fiore, Alabama Historical Commission)
Crew Studying Remnants of Clotilda, the Last U.S. Slave Ship
Maritime archaeologist James Delgado and Lisa Jones, executive director of the Alabama Historical Commission, are shown on a barge working near the sunken remains of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, near Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Fiore, Alabama Historical Commission)
Maritime archaeologist James Delgado and Lisa Jones, executive director of the Alabama Historical Commission, are shown on a barge working near the sunken remains of the last U.S. slave ship, the Clotilda, near Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Fiore, Alabama Historical Commission)
A crew working on the Alabama coast is assessing the remains of the last slave ship known to have landed in the United States, more than 160 years ago.
Their work could help determine the future of descendants of the enslaved Africans who still live in the area today.
A team that includes archaeologists is working on a river bottom to see what’s left of the Clotilda, which is described as the most intact slave ship ever found.
Some are anxious for the ship to be raised and used as an attraction in a community near Mobile where descendants of the African captives still live. It’s unclear if that’s possible.
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