In New York City, one block away from Ground Zero, 20 feet under ground, construction workers have unearthed parts of what appears to be an eighteenth-century ship.

In an interview with NPR's Michele Norris, commercial archaeologist Michael Pappalardo says his colleagues found a series of planks, "poking out of the very dark, gray, muddy soil."

That rich mud probably helped to preserve the wood. According to Pappalardo, the timber is in "very, very good condition."

Pappalardo suspects the ship was once seaworthy, made to cross oceans, because it was double-hulled, built of sturdy wood.

From here on out, specialists will perform tests, trying to ascertain more about how the boat was constructed and where it was built.

It was discovered on a plot of land that was once a landfill operation, Pappalardo said. He said the ship was probably damaged or out-of-commission.

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