The largest treasure cache in American history was found 200 miles off the South Carolina coast, in 8,000 feet of seawater. In 1857, while underway from Panama to New York with a cargo of gold from the California gold fields, the "SS Central America" with 578 souls on board, went down in a hurricane. Referred to as "The Ship of Gold", the SS Central America carried an estimated 3 tons of gold, much of which was in the form of gold bars (ingots) and thousands of rare coins, with some of the gold coins having estimated collector value of over $30,000 per coin.

Using an underwater robot equipped with a Kraft Grips force feedback manipulator arm, the Central America's cargo of gold bars, coins, and nuggets was carefully recovered from the sea floor, while respecting the archeological value of the wreck. The performance characteristics of the Kraft force feedback manipulator arm played an important role in the salvage operation, particularly with regard to preserving the pristine condition and collector value of the gold coins.

S.S. Central America