Alabama’s state historical commission appears poised to retain control of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to bring enslaved people to the United States.
Friday was the deadline for any potential owners to claim the wreckage of the wooden schooner, which was burned near Mobile after illegally carrying about 110 captives from Africa to Alabama in 1860. Because no one came forward, the state can move forward in federal court to take permanent possession.
Researchers identified the wreckage earlier this year north of Mobile. Officials say they are unsure how much of the Clotilda remains, but believe at least part of the hull could be intact in the muddy bottom of the Mobile River near an island. It is unclear what might be done with the wreckage or whether it can be raised.