As high school pals Jeff Hummel and Matt McCauley shared a passion for treasure hunting around their Mercer Island, Washington, home. Finding the elusive S.S. Pacific topped their list of pursuits. Some 40 years later, they may have realized their dream.

The duo launched Rockfish Inc. in 2016, intent on finding the Pacific. They knew it sank off Cape Flattery on November 4, 1875, but technology of the day left few other leads. Over years they narrowed the likely location by talking with commercial fishermen, who’d occasionally haul up unusual items in their nets. Some coal they had analyzed proved to be from Coos Bay, Oregon, and could have been used to fuel the Pacific.

During the summer of 2022, they logged promising images of wreckage using remotely operated side-scan sonar, and obtained salvage rights to the vessel. While the wreck has yet to be positively identified, images show two side wheels on the bottom. Mapping the debris field will continue this summer, with hopes of finding artifacts that could positively identify the wreck and be of educational interest to a local museum. However, Rockfish’s 45 investors, who have ponied up $2.1 million, may be more interested in finding the cargo of 200 pounds gold, which would be worth about $1 billion in today’s market.

Hampering the search and recovery of items from the wreck site is its depth. Hummel and McCauley are cagey about the exact location, but say the Pacific rests between 1,000 and 2,000 feet.
– Bob Sterner

Read More: A Pacific Passenger’s Apprehension

Author: Bob Sterner

Bob Sterner has covered sport diving and marine conservation with stories and photos as a staffer and freelancer for leading magazines and news organizations. The founding co-publisher and editor of Immersed, the international scuba diving magazine, he has represented the publication and been a presenter at scuba diving trade shows across the US, Canada and Asia.