1888 steamer wreck found

In 1888, the City of Chester passenger steamer left the San Francisco bay on a very foggy day, never to return again.

Near the Golden Gate Bridge, the steamer collided with another steamer arriving from Hong Kong with over 1,000 Chinese passengers on board.

The accident resulted in the death of 16 people and is one of the cities worst maritime disasters.

Now, the wreck of the City of Chester was found at a 216 ft depth by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers who used a sonar system to scan and record the floor of the bay.

The wreck was found standing in an upright position and, due to high risks of damaging it and its advanced age, the former steamer will not be lifted to surface.

The accident happened during a period of high Chinese racism and, although it was initially thought that the Asian crew members from the larger steamer did nothing to help save the lives of the American steamer, it was later proved that they actually acted heroically, diving into the water to rescue everyone they could.

‘What this shipwreck reminds us of is that you don't need to make assumptions based on color, language, religion, or nationality,’ the NOAA director says.