PERKINSTON, Mississippi --- Grant Lowery Hickman, 19, of Perkinson died in a car wreck early today on Wire Road, and the Stone County coroner said his blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit, WLOX is reporting.

Hickman reportedly attended the Gulfport Music Festival with friends on Friday night.

A passenger was also injured and was transferred to University Medical Center in Jackson.

See the WLOX report here.

BILOXI, Mississippi -- A wooden boat show taking place this weekend is a tribute to the Mississippi Gulf Coast's maritime heritage.

Forty-seven wooden vessels have docked at the Schooner Pier in East Biloxi for the 19th Annual Billy Creel Memorial Gulf Coast Wooden Boat Show

WLOX TV reports that the boats were the workhorses of their day, including wooden schooners that were used to harvest seafood and haul lumber. They were built by hand and many have been restored and kept in pristine condition.

The event was set to open today and continues Sunday.

"We have a lot of luggers coming, various ages, various sizes, 40-foot, 50-foot. The Pan American Clipper will be here celebrating her 75th birthday this year, which is very special," said Robin Krohn-David, Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum Executive Director.

Participants include Elaine Farrington. She continues to make the trip from Niceville, Fla., to show off the 1978 custom built trawler she bought with her late husband.

The vessel is made of Cyprus and Mahogany wood trim. It came with the name "True Love."

"This boat has a soul to it and it just spoke to us," said Farrington.

"Wooden boats, you know, are the thing of our past and they're such a craftsmen and beauty. You just don't have that anymore and people that really love wood boats put a lot of time and effort into it," said Farrington.

OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Kellie Lamb asked the Board of Aldermen last week to consider making Ocean Springs a smoke-free city.

She is the health promotions coordinator for Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition for Jackson County. Being smoke-free means smoking would not be allowed in public places, Lamb said.

Fifty-two cities in Mississippi already have adopted ordinances to go smoke-free.

"I have worked with the board in the past and the mayor's youth council to pass an ordinance for smoke-free parks here in Ocean Springs," Lamb said.

She said Ocean Springs is the first municipality she has approached in Jackson County with this request because, "I feel you can set the standard for the entire coast."

Earlier this week, Moss Point aldermen passed an ordinance to ban smoking in enclosed public spaces.

Outdoor smoking is also to be prohibited within 20 feet of outside entrances and windows and in all outdoor arenas, stadiums and amphitheaters, except in designated smoking areas.

The ban applies to all city buildings, bars, restaurants, common areas of apartment buildings, retail stores, day care facilities and hotels/motels, including at least 80 percent of rooms that are rented to guests.

South Mississippi as a whole has been slow to embrace the concept, Lamb said. Gulfport's smoke-free ordinance only pertains to restaurants, she said.

The Mississippi State Health Department is offering grants to cities that want to go 100 percent smoke-free. Ocean Springs would be eligible for a $5,000 grant for passing and implementing such an ordinance, Lamb said.

One of the handouts Lamb gave to the board showed that about 80 percent of the restaurants in Ocean Springs already do not allow smoking indoors.

"I'm sure there are some businesses who do want people to be able to smoke inside," Alderman Matt McDonnell said. "That's why they still allow it."

He suggested Lamb visit the businesses that still permit smoking and talk to the owners. Lamb pointed out that not only is second-hand smoke a danger to patrons, but also to employees.

"Employees are looking at health risks they may face down the road from working in that environment," she said. "Yes, I can continue to educate."

"Maybe you won't win over all of the businesses. I would much rather see the city go with that approach first before using the heavy hand," McDonnell said.

The Board of Aldermen took no action to Lamb's request.

"I'm not going anywhere. I would love to continue working with the city to make it a better place to live and work," Lamb said.

The Mississippi Tobacco-Free Coalitions are grassroots groups covering all 82 Mississippi counties. The coalition members work to reduce tobacco-related disease and death by educating youths about the dangers of tobacco, encouraging communities to implement smoke-free ordinances and promoting tobacco cessation services.

(Staff reporter April Havens contributed to this report.)

In this May 8, 2012 file photo, openly gay Sen. Pat Steadman, right, D-Denver, embraces gay Sen. Lucia Guzman, D-Denver, at a rally in support of Civil Unions at the Capitol in Denver, as Senate President Brandon Shaffer is pictured in the background. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — President Barack Obama's support for gay marriage has emboldened activists and politicians on both sides of the issue, setting off a flurry of political activity in a number of states and serving as a rallying point in others where gay marriage votes are being held this fall.

With the nation divided on gay marriage, Obama's declaration this month — a day after North Carolina voters approved an amendment to the state constitution affirming that marriage may only be a union of a man and a woman — has added a wrinkle in the political debate on a touchy subject.

Obama's stand has put wind in the sails of gay marriage supporters, while providing political fuel to opponents, said Kamy Akhavan, president of ProCon.org, a nonpartisan California-based nonprofit that researches pros and cons on controversial issues.

"It has altered the national discussion to some degree," he said.

Same-sex marriage is now legal in six states and the District of Columbia. Thirty-one states have passed amendments aimed at banning it. The issue is expected to come up in at least four ballot measures this fall:

— Maine's ballot question asks whether gay marriage should be legalized.

— Minnesota is asking whether a ban on gay marriage should be part of the state constitution.

— Maryland and Washington are expected to have ballot measures seeking to overturn same-sex marriage laws that were recently passed by the legislatures.

In Maine, the announcement has invigorated activists who favor and oppose November's statewide referendum seeking to legalize same-sex marriage. The Maine Legislature passed a gay marriage bill in 2009, but it was overturned by 53 percent of the voters in a referendum that fall.

David Farmer, spokesman for Mainers United for Marriage, said Obama's description of his personal evolution on gay marriage illuminates the conversations that supporters are having in door-to-door and phone discussions with residents — talking about their "personal journeys" and people they know who are gay.

"A lot of people who agree with the president got a burst of energy, that feeling of momentum, about the first sitting president of the United States endorsing a cause that they support and are working very hard on," Farmer said.

Obama's words also made referendum opponents realize they have their work cut out for them, said Bob Emrich, chairman of Protect Marriage Maine and pastor of Emmanuel Bible Baptist Church.

"It's deepened people's awareness that this is a major issue that isn't going away and we need to have more people involved in it," Emrich said.

It's not just Maine where Obama's words have energized gay marriage supporters.

In Illinois, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn said he "stands with the president" while announcing his stepped-up support for gay marriage, vowing to work with state legislators to legalize same-sex marriage there without waiting for the courts to act. Illinois currently allows civil unions, which afford couples many of the rights of marriage.

In Rhode Island, which allows civil unions but not gay marriage, Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed an order proclaiming the state will recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere; Chafee, an independent, said Obama's announcement is positive momentum. Maryland's highest court ruled Friday that same-sex couples can divorce in the state even though Maryland does not yet permit gay couples to wed.

Former Nebraska Gov. and Sen. Bob Kerrey, a Democrat who is again running for the Senate, voiced his support for gay marriage this week. And in Minnesota, gay marriage supporters say Obama's position is galvanizing opponents of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban it and should help fundraising efforts.

Obama's announcement has also drawn response from gay marriage opponents.

In Oklahoma, the state Senate recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution reaffirming opposition to gay marriage, even though there's a ban already enshrined in state law and the state constitution. Republican Sen. Clark Jolley said he introduced the resolution in direct response to Obama's position.

A Democratic state senator accused Jolley of introducing the resolution because he has "a difficult re-election campaign coming up and needs promotional material for the God and gays section" of a campaign leaflet.

In Colorado, the Republican House speaker accused Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper of "reading straight from President Obama's campaign playbook" in calling for a special legislative session to vote on civil unions a day after Republicans had killed a bill. The resurrected legislation was again killed during a special session this week.

In Minnesota, Minnesotans for Marriage spokesman said Obama's announcement "demonstrates why marriage needs to be protected and put in the state Constitution where politicians can't get at it."

In New Hampshire, the sponsor of a failed bill to repeal gay marriage sent out an email calling Obama "arrogant and out of touch" with his announcement.

Frank Schubert, political director for the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes gay marriage, said Obama's opinion will continue to have ramifications as November's elections close in, particularly for Democrats who don't share his view.

"I think he's scrambled the omelet quite a bit here and made it complicated for Democrats, in swing states in particular, because it puts them in position of having to, sometimes publicly, distance themselves from the president," he said.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc in Boston, Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City, Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Ivan Moreno in Denver, Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Wash., and Brian Witte in Annapolis, Md.

ATLANTA (AP) — Faced with the prospect of losing both hands and her one remaining foot, a young Georgia woman battling to survive a case of flesh-eating bacteria that has already claimed one leg mouthed the words "Let's do this."

Aimee Copeland, 24, "shed no tears, she never batted an eyelash," her father, Andy Copeland, wrote on Facebook on Friday about the conversation he and his wife had with their daughter the day before.

"I was crying because I am a proud father of an incredibly courageous young lady," Copeland wrote.

It was not immediately clear whether the surgeries had already been performed and a post to a blog about the woman's progress Friday evening simply said "Aimee is doing well today. Her vital signs are as positive as her spirit."

A hospital spokeswoman referred questions to the father's online post.

The story of Copeland's battle to survive has inspired an outpouring of support from around the world. The University of West Georgia student developed a rare condition called necrotizing fasciitis after suffering a deep cut in her leg in a May 1 fall from a homemade zip line over the Little Tallapoosa River.

Aimee Copeland, file (AP Photo/Copeland Family)

She has been hospitalized in critical condition at an Augusta hospital, battling kidney failure and other organ damage. She had been on a breathing tube until recently, when doctors performed a tracheotomy, her father said.

Until Thursday, Aimee Copeland did not know the full extent of her condition, only that her hands were badly infected.

Andy Copeland said he told his daughter about what had happened since the accident, how her one leg had been amputated. Doctors had once characterized her survival as "slim to none."

"We told her of the outpouring of love from across the world," her father said. "We told her that the world loved and admired her. We explained that she had become a symbol of hope, love and faith. Aimee's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She was amazed."

In Copeland's case, the necrotizing fasciitis was caused by bacteria known as Aeromonas hydrophila, which is found in warm rivers and streams. Many people exposed to the bacteria don't get sick. Only a handful of necrotizing fasciitis infections caused by the bacteria have been reported in medical journals in recent decades.

Under the condition, the bacteria emit toxins that destroy muscle, fat and skin tissue.

Andy Copeland said he learned Thursday that doctors wanted to amputate his daughter's hands and remaining foot. Doctors were concerned she could develop respiratory problems and if her hands released an infection in her body there was a risk she could become septic again, her father said.

"We had a window of opportunity to perform the amputations and have a successful outcome," he said. "As they usually do, the doctors were presenting us with a medical no-brainer. We had to do what is necessary to save Aimee's life."

At that point, the family decided to share the situation with their daughter.

Copeland said he showed his daughter her hands, told her they were not healthy and were hampering her progress.

This undated photo provided by the family shows Aimee Copeland, the 24-year-old Georgia graduate student fighting to survive a flesh-eating bacterial infection. Copeland has learned she will lose her hands and remaining foot, and responded by saying "Let's do this." Her father recounted the conversation in an update on his Facebook page Friday, May 18, 2012. Andy Copeland wrote about the difficult talk he had a day earlier with his daughter Aimee. The 24-year-old woman contracted the bacteria after an accident. (AP Photo/Copeland Family)

"Aimee, I do not want anything to happen to you," Copeland said he told his daughter. "Your mind is beautiful, your heart is good and your spirit is strong. These hands can prevent your recovery from moving forward. The doctors want to amputate them and your foot today to assure your best possible chance of survival."

Aimee Copeland nodded her understanding.

Her father explained that she would eventually be fitted with prosthetics to help her get around and she nodded again.

Then she smiled, raised her hands up and looked at the damage. She then turned to her family, gathered by her bedside and mouthed the words: "Let's do this."

Her father said he left the room with tears in his eyes.

"I wasn't crying because Aimee was going to lose her hands and foot, I was crying because, in all my 53 years of existence, I have never seen such a strong display of courage," Copeland said.

This composite of undated photos provided Friday by the Tunica County Sheriff's Department shows James D. Willie, 28, of Tunica, Miss., who authorities have charged with one count of capital murder and is expected to be charged with a second count in relation to the two fatal highway shootings in north Mississippi. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

TUNICA, Mississippi -- To hear his neighbors tell it, James Willie was just a regular guy who sometimes played with the neighborhood kids. Police describe him as a cold-blooded killer who stalked his victims on dark stretches of Mississippi's highways and shot two of them dead.

Authorities said Friday that the 28-year-old unemployed ex-convict is responsible for two fatal shootings that prompted fears that a police impersonator was preying on motorists late at night. The shootings terrorized parts of north Mississippi and made some people afraid to go out after dark.

The first roadside killing happened May 8, when Thomas Schlender of Nebraska was found dead at about 1:30 a.m. in his car on Interstate 55 in Panola County. He had been traveling to Florida to pick up his grandson. Three days later, local casino employee Lori Anne Carswell was found dead in her car on Mississippi Highway 713 after working a late shift.

"People were terrified," said Johnny Island, who was working Friday on the front door of his apartment at the Tunica Courts complex.

Island's fear became shock when he found out the suspected shooter lived across the way in a complex of a single-story white apartments with red tin roofs.

"As far as I know, he didn't bother anyone here. I have talked to him a couple of times and he was very polite, courteous. It was a shock," Island said, peering across the street to apartment D2.

Authorities say the hunt for the highway shooter ended in that apartment when a woman climbed out a window Tuesday and went running for help, later telling authorities that Willie abducted and raped her. A 9mm gun and shell casing found during that investigation linked Willie to the highway shootings, Tunica County Sheriff K.C. Hamp said Friday.

"It's just shocking to me. It just don't add up," said Carolyn Gross, who lived next door to Willie and his girlfriend. "It just didn't seem like he would do something like that. He was out here playing with our kids."

The arrest brought a sense of relief and not just to people who live around here.

Anita Shaffer was in town with her mother, Cheryl Ross, from Ann Arbor, Mich., to try their luck at the flashy Mississippi River casinos.

She said they arrived on Thursday and one of the first things they did was to locate the police station so they could drive there if someone tried to pull them over. They breathed easier Friday morning after learning a suspect had been arrested.

"It was scary," Shaffer said. "I was freaking out."

Police had warned drivers that a fake officer might be pulling over victims. But Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said it appears that Willie had not been posing as an officer. Authorities are still investigating why the victims ended up pulled over the side of the highways.

Willie was being held on charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault and rape and was charged with capital murder in Tunica County. He's expected to be charged with capital murder in Panola County, too.

A capital murder charge in Mississippi carries the possibility of a death sentence or life without possibility of parole, but Kamp said it would be up to prosecutors to decide on whether to seek the death penalty.

At a news conference on Friday, Hamp said he believes robbery -- possibly connected to drugs -- was Willie's motive, but the reason for the killings remains under investigation. Hamp said Willie has been "cooperative to a certain extent" but did not confess to the crimes.

Willie's arrest unfolded after a woman who was involved in a domestic dispute in Tunica County asked him for a ride to the Sheriff's Office on Tuesday morning. Instead of taking her there, authorities say he drove her to a field in these flat Delta farmlands and raped her.

Hamp said the woman tried to run but Willie fired a shot then drove her back to his girlfriend's apartment, where the victim slipped out a window.

Deputies went to the apartment later that morning and arrested Willie without incident on the sex charge, Hamp said.

A shell casing in the field and Ruger pistol found in a car belonging to Willie's girlfriend were linked to the highway shootings, Hamp said. He said the unidentified girlfriend has not been charged, though neighbors said she was taken for questioning Thursday and hasn't come home since.

Willie is a convicted felon who has served time for residential burglary. Hamp also said he's a known drug abuser.

Strain, the Public Safety spokesman, said the motive for the shootings remain under investigation. He also said authorities are trying to figure out why the victims pulled over because they had no apparent reason to stop on those dark, desolate stretches of highway.

Fears that a fake officer may have been behind the shootings prompted authorities to urge drivers to use caution when approached by any vehicle with flashing blue lights, even telling people they should call 911 if they were being pulled over.

Strain said it doesn't appear that Willie was posing as an officer, but authorities don't regret telling motorists to be wary of impersonators because that was one of several theories developed during the investigation and people needed to know that.

"If we're going to err, we're going to err on the side of public safety," Strain said. "The fact is that we got him off the street and people can go back to a level of comfort."

Pascagoula Police Department reported the following incidents from

May 14

3801 Melton Ave., Bonaparte Square Apartments, Torrance Cox, 34, 4301 Second St., Moss Point, was arrested on allegations of simple assault domestic violence, 2 counts of failure to appear, failure to pay old fines and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

3819 Victor St., Leslie Richardson, 37, 3819 Victor St., Pascagoula, was arrested on allegations of public intoxication and simple assault domestic violence.

4253 Denny Ave., Walmart, Belita Ellis reported shoplifting and trespassing.

3414 Shortcut Road, Cambridge Park Apartments, James Massingill reported an auto burglary. Tools were taken.

1708 Ingalls Ave., Rainey's TV Repair, Kenneth Rainey reported petit larceny. A picnic table was taken.

2302 Dogwood St., William Fuller reported a burglary. A stove, dishwasher, water heater, furnace, A/C unit, window, and kitchen cabinets were taken.

4253 Denny Ave., Walmart, Carlos Lawson, 40, 3706 Rollins, Moss Point, was arrested on an allegation of third offense shoplifting.

4253 Denny Ave., Walmart, Lauren Allen reported a bad check.

2816 Eden St., The Lodge Apartments, Dallis Martin reported a motor vehicle theft. Silver 2000 Honda Passport was taken.

Glacier Street, A juvenile was arrested on an allegation of disorderly conduct by failure to comply with an officer.

2321 Canty St., Thad Brumfield reported malicious mischief. A vehicle was damaged.

4913 Trailwood Drive, a vicious dog was reported.

1804 Ingalls Ave., Jerry Lee's Grocery, Aaron Grayson reported shoplifting.

May 15

4100 Chicot St., Jayce Walker reported credit card theft.

3112 Eden St., Colmer Middle School, Jawun Keys reported a stolen bicycle. It was recovered.

5712 Telephone Road, Dollar General, Robin Vaughan reported shoplifting.

4900 Old Mobile Ave., Greywood Glen Apartments, Delia Herrera reported simple assault.

3210 Old Mobile Ave., a 2009 Chevrolet Impala was recovered.

3829 Daniels St., Dayanna Catala reported simple assault by menace to create fear.

4315 Orchard Ave., Meadow Wood Townhomes, Antonio Duckworth, 26, 4315 Orchard Road, Pascagoula, was arrested on allegations of simple possession of marijuana, false ID information, public intoxication, and simple assault by menace to create fear.

1311 22nd St., Juan Martinez-Cano reported simple assault on a minor.

4253 Denny Ave., Walmart, Cheryl Demouey, 32, 9111 Club House Road, Moss Point, was arrested on an allegation of first offense shoplifting.

2217 8th St., Michelle Davis reported simple assault.

May 16

3445 Denny Ave., Aaron's, Samuel Southerland Jr., reported a motor vehicle theft. A 2006 Chevrolet 1500 was taken. It was later recovered.

4253 Denny Ave., Walmart, Linda Haefeker reported a petit larceny. Wiring was taken.

3500 Chicot St., Korilyn Barrett reported credit card fraud.

City of Pascagoula, Deborah Kirkwood reported credit card fraud.

4253 Denny Ave., Walmart, Angelyn Parnell reported grand larceny. An iPhone was taken but later recovered.

2403 Woodmont St., Jayme Careno, 33, 1903 Forrest Drive, Pascagoula, was arrested on allegations of malicious mischief simple assault domestic violence by menace to create fear.

3508 Old Mobile Ave., Citgo, a juvenile with a firearm was reported.

May 17

Chicot St and U.S. 90, Travis Riley, 28, 4315 Orchard Ave., Pascagoula, was arrested on allegations of switched tag, no driver's license, no insurance, seat belt violation, and possession of paraphernalia.

4253 Denny Ave., Walmart, Dawarren Williams, 22, 3542 Hopewood Drive, Pascagoula, was arrested on an allegation of first offense shoplifting.

4903 Telephone Road, Jackson County Youth Court, Ralph Jackson reported threats to do bodily harm.

3002 Market St., Liquors Unlimited, Travis Roberson, 31, 5774 Eastwood Dr, Moss Point, was arrested on allegations of third offense shoplifting and evading a police officer.

2925 Eden St., Willow Creek Apartments, David Guerrero reported a burglary and recovered property. Nothing was taken.

1400 Woodhaven St., Jayne Howell reported grand larceny. Jewelry and guitars were taken.

3414 Shortcut Road, Cambridge Park Apartments, Niya Quinn reported simple assault domestic violence.

4402 Grove St., Rebecca Scott reported voyeurism.

2115 Polk Ave., Jordan Dupre reported threats to do bodily harm.

4107 Pascagoula St., Alvin Davis III, reported simple assault domestic violence and a medical emergency.

1407 Roosevelt St., Heather Hollis reported stalking.

May 18

4253 Denny Ave., Walmart, Gerald Acosta, 20, 3102 Eden St., Pascagoula, was arrested on allegations first offense shoplifting and contributing to the delinquency of a child. A juvenile was also arrested on an allegation of first offense shoplifting.

Gautier Police Department reported the following incidents from

May 18

3329 U.S. 90, Eddie Will Green Jr., 42, 2713 Camino Grande St.,, arrested on outstanding warrants for grand larceny, speeding, no liability insurance, and no driver's license.

3329 U.S. 90, Clifford Olin McLain, 37, 12013 Chatsworth Road, Moss Point, arrested on an outstanding warrant for contempt of court.

Kenneth Avenue, Pascagoula, Calvin Lee Hinkle, 27, 3410 Randal Ave., Pascagoula, arrested on outstanding warrants for contempt of court, trespassing and simple assault.

1417 Timberlane Road, Shannon Grace Holloway, 38, 1417 Timberlane Road, arrested on outstanding warrants for false reporting of a crime and obscene phone calls.

I-10, rest area, James Michael Marks, 39, 3313 Scovel Road, Pascagoula, arrested on an outstanding warrant for contempt of court.

Fraternity Drive, James Odale Richards, 18, 2020 Ladnier Road, Apt. 6-C, arrested on an outstanding warrant for tinted windows.

2001 Ridgelawn Drive, Jeffery Lowell Smith reported the theft of his utility trailer.

2180 Alice Drive, Biloxi, Esther B. Crandall reported credit card fraud.

7709 Petunia Drive, Rebecca C. Horne reported an animal bite.

2020 U.S. 90, accident reported.

5508 Gautier Vancleave Road, complaint reported.

Northridge Drive, juvenile arrested on allegations of trespassing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

U.S. 90, Thomas Eugene Thomas, 58, 2606 El Mundo, arrested for suspended driver's license.

Dolphin Road and Gautier Vancleave Road, Latyphanie Borden, 20, 4137 Washington, Moss Point, arrested on an allegation of simple assault by threat. Juvenile arrested for assault.

3909 Players Cove, Kathryn Marie Severs reported receiving harassing or threatening phone calls.

View full sizeIn this photo provided by NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, a well preserved shipwreck is seen about 200 miles off the coast of Louisiana, at a depth around 4,000 feet, in the Gulf of Mexico, Friday, April 26, 2012. While most of the ship's wood has long since disintegrated, copper that sheathed the hull beneath the waterline as a protection against marine-boring organisms remains, leaving a copper shell retaining the form of the ship. (AP Photo/NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- An oil company exploration crew's chance discovery of a 200-year-old shipwreck in a little-charted stretch of the Gulf of Mexico is yielding a trove of new information to scientists who say it's one of the most well-preserved old wrecks ever found in the Gulf.

"When we saw it we were all just astonished because it was beautifully preserved, and by that I mean for a 200-year-old shipwreck," said Jack Irion, maritime archaeologist with the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in New Orleans.

Video shows muskets and gin bottles littering the Gulf bottom, along with sea life mingling in the wreck.

Scientists say the ship is about 200 miles off the northern Gulf coast and about 4,000 feet deep. The depth has kept it largely undisturbed during two centuries of storms and hurricanes. And although most of the ship's wood dissolved long ago, the copper hull and its contents remain in place.

"The wood is deteriorated. It's largely been eaten away by marine organisms, but what is left is a copper shell which would have been the lower part of the hull which was sheathed in copper to protect it," Irion said.

Among the wreckage were "a rather astonishing number of bottles," particularly square gin bottles known as case bottles, as well as wine bottles, Irion said.

There were many ceramic cups, plates and bowls that didn't appear to be cargo. Some were green shell-edged pearl ware, a British import popular in the United States between 1800 and 1830.

The ship's kitchen stove was found intact.

"Very few shipwrecks have been found that still have the stove intact," Irion said. "You can very clearly see the features of the stove. It's in rather good shape."

Also discovered were an anchor, cannons and muskets. Irion said researchers have not yet determined whether it was a merchant, military or pirate ship.

View full sizeIn this photo provided by NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, a well preserved shipwreck is seen about 200 miles off the coast of Louisiana, at a depth around 4,000 feet, in the Gulf of Mexico, Friday, April 26, 2012. The interior of the wreck is seen showing the ship'€™s stove, imaged from Serios, the companion vehicle from which the ROV Little Hercules is deployed. (AP Photo/NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program)

There was plenty of pirate and military activity in the Gulf at the time, surrounding the War of 1812, the Texas revolution and the Mexican-American War. The buccaneer Jean Lafitte and other pirates sailed the Gulf to smuggle goods into New Orleans; Galveston, Texas; and elsewhere.

"It was actually a fairly hazardous place to be if you were a merchant ship, so it was not unlikely that you would be carrying a cannon on board to protect yourself," Irion said

Researchers believe the ship likely sank during a storm.

"We haven't seen any evidence of burning, or explosions or cannon shot. That's obvious, so we strongly suspect that it was likely a hurricane or another strong storm and it simply foundered at sea and vanished without a trace and was never reported missing," Irion said.

The shipwreck site was noticed as an "unknown sonar contact" during an oil and gas survey last year by Shell Oil Co. Shell reported it to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which teamed with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to survey the site.

The federal agencies used robots and high-definition cameras during a 56-day expedition by the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer that ended April 29.

The underwater video was transmitted live via satellite to maritime archaeologists, scientists and resource managers from Texas to Rhode Island.

BOEM is protecting and preserving the site until it's determined what country the vessel is from.

So far, none of the wreckage or cargo has been brought up -- and it might never be. The authorities want to explore as much as they can before making that decision.

Frank Cantelas, a maritime archaeologist for NOAA, said the site was one of four explored in the Gulf last month. He said the agency also intends to study the sea life at the site, because deep sea shipwrecks often serve as habitats for marine life.

Researchers wouldn't disclose the precise location of the wreck, citing concerns over possible plundering or disturbing the site.

"One thing that we want to stress is ships have a monetary value, but they also have to us a historical value that goes way beyond that," Irion said. "What this can tell us is a very interesting story about our past, about the history of the Gulf of Mexico, about how important the Gulf of Mexico was to the beginnings of the United States."

The wreckage can also give insight to the lives of the crew, where they had been, where they were going and their role in the economy and world history.

"It's as if we get a glimpse into what their lives were like, like a time capsule," Irion said.

_____

Stacey Plaisance wrote this report.

View full sizeOmar Hammami

Hammami grew up in Daphne and attended Daphne High School and the University of South Alabama. Although he attended his mother's Baptist church as a young child, he gravitated toward the Muslim religion of his Syrian-born father in high school.

Later, Hammami developed radical beliefs, cut ties with his family and moved to Canada, and then the Middle East. Eventually, he ended up in the middle of the civil war in Somalia as a military commander. He has been especially valued for his ability to woo English-speaking recruits with rap-style videos posted on the Internet.

He still faces indictment in Mobile on federal terrorism charges.