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Nantucket Shipwreck Mystery: New Clues Emerge
16 Oct
Summary
- Wreckage initially thought to be Warren Sawyer is now a new mystery.
- Wood types and iron fastenings suggest a later sinking date.
- Vessel identity remains unknown, researchers seek historical answers.
A powerful nor'easter on Nantucket recently exposed shipwreck remains, initially identified as the Warren Sawyer, a schooner that sank in 1884. However, archaeologists now believe the wreckage is a different, unidentified vessel.
Examination revealed that the ship's wooden ribs were larger, and the types of wood and iron fastenings differed from the Warren Sawyer. These clues suggest the ship dates to the late 19th or early 20th century, rather than 1884.
Archaeologists are now consulting historical records to determine the identity of the 50-foot section of a large merchant vessel. While possibly a schooner barge, its location suggests it may have sailed the open ocean, a detail that complicates that theory.
