The mysterious large wooden object was revealed and brought to the attention of east-central Florida officials last November 2022. The structure was spotted by beachgoers peaking out of the sand during American Thanksgiving weekend. It measures 24-30 metres.
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| Image credit: Yahoo!News |
Volusia County officials said the approximately 80-foot wooden and metal object was unearthed, in part, due to erosion caused by Hurricanes Ian in September and Nicole in October, the Times reported. As for what the object could be, theories floating around online point toward a shipwreck, an old pier, a barrier or even seating from NASCAR's old beach races — though nothing official has been released or confirmed.
They think the object, which they believe was buried under more than 5 feet of sand just south of Frank Rendon Park, may be a cargo ship from the 1800s.
A few days later, St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeologist Chuck Meide confirmed that the object is, in fact, a shipwreck.
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| Image credit. https://twitter.com/mspringerwftv |
“This is definitely a ship,” said Chuck Meide. “And that’s just because of the construction of it. You can see these timbers sticking up, those are massive, and the way they’re arranged, that’s how you build a ship. The shipwreck is most likely a cargo-carrying sailing vessel from the 1800s. It would have likely sailed within sight of the coast and used lighthouses for navigation, though it was probably big enough to cross the Atlantic as well.”
Officials said the site is very fragile and any disruption could compromise it. Removing anything from the site without permission is a third-degree felony. They have no plans to transport the find elsewhere - the high-risk endeavour could cost millions of dollars, and experts believe it is best protected where it is.
Meide said it would be hard to identify the ship by its original name. That would require more research into the museum’s shipwreck database to try to find a possible match.
State archaeologists will analyze the material to get a better idea of its age and look at Maritime Records to possibly identify it, but that could take months.
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