See it: Powerful nor’easter may have uncovered shipwreck from 1884

NANTUCKET, Mass. ( WPRI ) — A powerful nor’easter that battered the Northeast over the weekend likely uncovered a shipwreck from the 19th century.

The fragment appears to be from the schooner Warren Sawyer, which originally ran aground near Miacomet Beach, Mass., on Dec. 22, 1884, according to the Nantucket Current .

It was spotted by a Nantucket resident Saturday along the island’s south shore.

The Warren Sawyer was carrying cotton and scrap iron from New Orleans to Boston when gale-force winds blew it off course. According to The Inquirer and Mirror , the captain and crew were rescued within hours.

It remained on the beach for about two weeks before breaking apart during another storm in January 1885, scattering the wreckage.

The Nantucket Current said the wreckage found over the weekend was in the same area where sections of the Warren Sawyer were uncovered in 2022 and 2023.

Haley Nelson, the Director of Community Relations & Visitor Experience at the Eagan Maritime Institute in Nantucket, told Nexstar’s WPRI that they would survey the piece to confirm what ship it belongs to.

“We will work with the state as research continues to identify the wreck, but until then, we cannot confirm the ship’s identity with certainty,” Nelson said.

“The re-emergence of shipwrecks along the coast of Nantucket and the public’s fascination with these vessels speak to the importance of our maritime heritage,” she added. “Nantucket is one of the ‘graveyards of the Atlantic,’ with more than 750 wrecks estimated in the surrounding waters.”

Nelson reminds the public that under Massachusetts law , it’s illegal to remove, displace, damage, or destroy underwater archaeological resources.