Modern day sea explorers found 1,000 ounces of gold at the site of a 1857 shipwreck off the coast of South Carolina.
According to Forbes, deep-water researchers from Odyssey Marine Exploration found the $1.3 million worth of gold on April 15 while diving for two hours during the company's first-ever excursion around the drowned SS Central America.
The company's president and chief operating officer told AP that the find, which included five gold bars and two rare coins from the 1800s, came as a surprise.
"While we weren't planning to recover gold so quickly, it did confirm that the site has not been disturbed since it was last visited in 1991 and there is gold remaining," said Mark Gordon.
One of the coins discovered was minted in San Francisco over 150 years ago. The second, a coin created in Philadelphia, was marked with "1850".
The chief scientist and historian for Recovery Limited Partnership told Forbes no one has touched the site for over 10 years.
"This dive confirms for me that the site has not been disturbed since 1991, when I was last there," Bob Evans said.
Exploration staff first found the SS Central America in 1988, immersed in 7,200 feet of water. The vessel was then recovered three years later.
Legal disputes have stopped rescue efforts, after 39 insurance companies submitted claims for the gold.
The SS Central America plunged into the Atlantic Ocean 160 miles from South Carolina after coming in the path of a hurricane in 1857 with 425 passengers on board.
Rescuers recovered many gold pieces that covered five percent of the ship, Forbes reported.
Odyssey was granted the opportunity to rescue the ship March 6. Employees also found a bottle, pottery and a section of the ship's frame.
Odyssey discovered more than 51,000 coins,and 14,000 artifacts from another shipwreck, the SS Republic, in 2003, according to information on the company's website.
