BOSTON (AP) — A maritime expert is set to examine weathered wooden beams on a Nantucket beach, which may be remnants of a 19th-century shipwreck revealed by a recent nor’easter. The Egan Maritime Institute plans to assess these beams and collaborate with state underwater archaeologists to identify the vessel.
The splintered timbers surfaced near previous findings of the Warren Sawyer, a schooner lost in 1884. While the wreckage is not yet confirmed, the Egan Institute, which manages the Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum, advises caution.
The recent nor’easter caused significant damage, flooding communities and raising concerns about coastal erosion. The Warren Sawyer, which ran aground while carrying cotton and scrap iron from New Orleans to Boston, had its cargo salvaged by locals before a storm further scattered its remains.
Local editor Jason Graziadei and his son discovered the new wreckage after receiving a tip. They noted the surprise of finding the remnants beneath an area frequented by summer beachgoers. State archaeologists previously inspected other parts of the hull believed to be from the Warren Sawyer, underscoring Nantucket’s notorious reputation as a shipwreck hotspot.
Visitors are urged not to disturb the site, as Massachusetts law prohibits altering archaeological resources.
