Main content

Out of the swamp: Uncovering a hidden US slave ship

In 2018 Ben Raines went in search of vessel that had secretly transported enslaved West African people to the US. But what came to the surface was more than a shipwreck.

A phone call out of the blue set journalist Ben Raines on a hunt for the Clotilda, an American vessel that had illegally transported enslaved West African people to the US. On arrival it was burnt and hidden deep in the Alabama swamp. The story of the ship and its passengers was kept alive by generations of people descended from those who had been enslaved. But these inherited histories were shrouded in secrecy, fear, and silence - seldom spoken of outside that community. So, when Ben dived into the swamp to find the Clotilda, it was more than a shipwreck that bubbled to the surface. Outlook's Emily Webb speaks to Ben Raines and descendant Garry Lumbers about their intertwining stories.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Olivia Lynch-Kelly

(Photo: Ben Raines standing in the water holding a piece of the Clotilda. Credit: Joe Turner/Ben Raines)

Available now

41 minutes

Last on

Wed 7 Dec 2022 03:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 6 Dec 2022 12:06GMT
  • Tue 6 Dec 2022 18:06GMT
  • Tue 6 Dec 2022 23:06GMT
  • Wed 7 Dec 2022 00:06GMT
  • Wed 7 Dec 2022 03:06GMT

Featured in...

Contact Outlook

Contact Outlook

Info on how we might use your contribution on air

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Step into someone else鈥檚 life and expect the unexpected