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How did the Clotilda sink? Story of infamous slave ship comes to light on Netflix documentary ‘Descendant’

As Netflix releases 'Descendant' which follows the lives of the descendants of those enslaved aboard Clotilda, here are details about the ship's

A century and a half ago, 110 captive men, women, and children were brought to Alabama on the slave ship Clotilda. The ship is considered the last known slave ship to arrive in the US. A pivotal part of African-American history and the subject of Margaret Brown’s documentary ‘Descendant’, the Clotilda has roused plenty of archaeological interest while also becoming the topic of widespread discussion after news of the documentary’s release on the streaming platform Netflix.

The true crime documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s media company, Higher Ground. Netflix is set to release the documentary on October 21. It follows the lives of the living descendants of the people enslaved on the ship, looking for validation for the atrocities committed against their ancestors. In the year 1807, The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was established. However, Timothy Maeher, the owner of the Clotilda, continued with the business of slave trading even in 1860. Around four years ago, in 2018, the schooner’s remains were found. So how did the Cotilda sink? 

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How did the Clotilda sink?

Fearing criminal charges, Maeher, with the help of the ship’s captain William Foster brought the Clotilda into the Port of Mobile at night and had it towed up the Spanish River to the Alabama River. He transferred the African captives to a river steamboat, then burned the schooner. They then sunk the Clotilda in the Mobile River to conceal the identity of their illegal activity. Earlier, the schooner brought 110 Africans to Alabama, the last of an estimated 389,000 Africans delivered into bondage in mainland America from the early 1600s to 1860. 

Has the wreckage of the Clotilda been found?

In 2019, reporter Ben Raines discovered the ruins of the old slave ship in the lower Mobile-Tensaw Delta, a few miles north of the city of Mobile. The ship had reportedly remained in the same spot for 162 years after sinking. After a blizzard hit the area in 2018, parts of the wrecked ship were left visible in the mud, leading to its discovery. An archelogical excavation by Alabama Historical Commission soon followed to understand Clotilda’s condition. Though the wood of the schooner has significantly deteriorated over the last century, amazingly, researchers were still able to smell pine when they cut into it. On further inspection, it was revealed that the ship was in good condition despite decades of being underwater.

The ship displays the legacy of slavery and unjust crimes against the African-American community. The descendants of the ship’s enslaved people hope to preserve the remains and display the Clotilda as a reminder of the horrors of slavery.

Watch the trailer of the true-crime documentary here

'Descendant' releases on Netflix on Friday, October 21.