Photos: Wreckage of lost whaling ships found on NW coast of Alaska

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"Abandonment of the Whalers In The Arctic Ocean September 1871." Ships depicted: Monticello, Kohola, Eugenia, Julian, Awashonks Thom Dickason, Minerva, WM. Rotch, Victoria and Mary. Wainwright Inlet is in the background.

When pack ice shifted to trap 33 commercial whaling ships off Alaska's Arctic coast in the fall of 1871, more than 1,200 people aboard the vessels had to be rescued. The costly and much-publicized debacle was, according to many historians, the beginning of the end for the Alaska commercial whaling industry.

A century and a half later, archaeologists studying the floor of the Chukchi Sea near the Inupiat village of Wainwright have found the wreckage of what appears to be two of the lost ships, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric administration announced Wednesday.

The flattened hulls of the ships, along with some associated whaling equipment like anchors, fasteners and brick-lined pots that were used to render blubber into marketable oil, were discovered last fall by a NOAA archaeological team exploring the area with state-of-the-art sonar and sensing equipment.

It was remarkable to find the ship pieces and associated items so well-preserved, said Brad Barr, the chief scientist for the expedition carried out by the Maritime Heritage Program in NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

READ MORE: Lost whaling ships discovered off Alaska's Arctic coast