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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) —After nearly two decades of searching government officials say they have identified the final resting place of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Bear.
The storied shipwreck was located 260 miles east of Boston about two years ago. However, it wasn't until Thursday that government officials said with "reasonable certainty" the wreck was the Bear.
The ship was built in 1874 and sank in 1963. Michael Healy was its captain in the late 1800's and was the first black man to command a U.S. government vessel.
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In addition, the famous ship served in two World Wars. According to NOAA Ocean Exploration, during World War II, the ship notably participated in the capture of a German spy vessel, the trawler Buskoe.
In the 1960's the ship was set to become a restaurant and museum on the waterfront in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, the ship was lost while being towed to its destination in 1963.
The shipwreck location is about 90 miles south of Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. Sports teams at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut are named the Bears.
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