Following two hurricanes that battered a beach in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, locals began to notice wooden structures poking out of the sand. Archaeologists now believe the storms uncovered a long-lost shipwreck from the 19th century.
Maritime archaeologist Chuck Meide of St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum mentioned that this discovery is not a daily occurrence which excites them to want to know more.
According to the Associated Press, beachgoers first noticed the wood pieces during the weekend of Thanksgiving. The structure is estimated to be between 80 and 100 feet long and 25 feet wide, and it was revealed after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole eroded sand on the beach.
However, after Meide and his team of archaeologists examined the cluster of wood, they concluded that it was a shipwreck and told the media about the discovery.
They identified the structure as a frame of a ship that dates back to the 1800s. Back in the day, more ships are sailing that era that serves as cargo ships. The team believed it belonged to that kind of shipment.
Another site archaeologist, Christopher McCarron, agreed with Meide’s observation. He compared 19th-century shipping to Amazon and mentioned that the found structure acts like the Amazon shipment back in the 1800s.
But archaeologists are unsure what the ship was carrying when it went down. They can only guess where the ship was built, what it was transporting, and where it was going in the absence of artefacts. Usually, when there are existing artefacts, we’ll be able to find more accurate information, but without them, it is not that possible.
Despite the unanswered questions about the shipwreck, the discovery has delighted residents of Daytona Beach Shores. It’s not every day we get to see a part of history within the local’s reach, and we plan not to excavate it.
The archaeologists decided to leave the shipwreck in its original place to let it last longer. They mentioned that its location and humidity would allow the pieces to last for at least hundreds of years.
You can also read: Search for Missing Actor Julian Sands Cut Back
Sand has begun to cover the wreck. It will soon disappear beneath the beach, just as it did centuries ago beneath the waves.
