Town Entranced by Mystery Shipwreck That Washed Ashore

A small community in Newfoundland got a surprise visit from the sea this January from a 100-foot-long shipwreck—and locals have rallied around learning whatever they can about it before it disappears back into its depths. CBS News reports that the ship washed up along JT Cheeseman Provincial Park, located on the southwest tip of Newfoundland, a rocky, fog-ridden shoreline that's proven treacherous to ships over the centuries. Despite wrecks being common to the region—numbering in the thousands—the story excited locals, who teamed up with archaeologists to preserve and recover what they can. Archaeologist Jamie Brake told CBC that the wreck's size makes it "really impossible" to pull from the water intact, but so far volunteers have recovered wooden planks, metal sheathing, and other parts for lab analysis.

Brake estimates the ship dates back to the 19th century, and is likely common to other wrecks in the area, making it not a "particularly significant or unique thing." But that hasn't hampered local enthusiasm. Volunteers keep watch over it to ensure looters don't attempt to snag mementos from the wreckage, and launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for its research, stating, "we believe this shipwreck drifted into Cape Ray for a reason and we want to help tell its story." One such volunteer is Trevor Croft, a diver who helped secure the ship with ropes and straps.

"This is something that probably hasn't been seen for 100 to 200 years," he tells the New York Times. "It's pretty exciting when you get to see that for the first time." A running theory on why the ship made its unexpected appearance is that it was dislodged from the ocean floor during Hurricane Fiona in 2022. Croft believes the ship was made from solid oak, noting that seeing "the sheer size of some of those planks on the vessel was astounding." Brake estimated the ship's timeframe based on observable construction details that were common to the 1800s, like treenails and wooden and copper pegs, but further lab testing will provide better insight to its age and origin. (A Lake Superior wreck that sunk with its captain has been found).